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. No credit check.
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How much does a Chicago wrecking bond cost?
$100 at the $20,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
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 is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Demolition bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
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
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $20,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
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 sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $20,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your wrecking permit moving.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.