Chicago wrecking bonds.
$100 flat.
Before Chicago issues a permit to wreck or tear down a building of three stories or less, the person doing the work must file a $20,000 bond with the City Clerk — this is the demolition industry's "wrecking bond," not a tow-truck bond. Ours is $100 flat, and the price you see is the checkout price. The application collects no credit information.
Trusted by industry leaders
Three steps. One sitting.
A wrecking bond is about the simplest filing in the demolition permit stack. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit section.
Pay & e-sign
Demolition bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
File with the City Clerk
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with the City Clerk before your wrecking permit issues. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Chicago's Building Code requires that before any permit issues authorizing the wrecking of a building or structure, the person doing the wrecking file a bond with sureties approved by the City Comptroller. For a building of three stories or less, that bond is set at $20,000; a taller building — four stories or more — requires a $40,000 bond instead.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Chicago (the obligee), protecting the City and the public from loss, cost, damage, or liability arising from the wrecking operation — accidents to persons or property during demolition, for example.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The Code also requires a separate $500 bond covering restoration of the site once wrecking is complete; we write that one too.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit section, because this application doesn't collect credit information.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Get your wrecking permit moving.
$100 flat, soft pull only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.