Cook County demolition leveling bonds.
$100 flat.
Cook County's Department of Building and Zoning lists a separate demolition and leveling bond — a $500 bond covering the requirement that a demolished site be leveled and restored — alongside its structure-specific demolition bonds. Ours is $100 flat — the price you see is the checkout price.
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How much does a Cook County demolition leveling bond cost?
$100 at the $500 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
A $500 leveling bond is about the simplest filing in Cook County demolition permitting. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Bonds this small are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with Building and Zoning
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Cook County demolition permit application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Cook County's Department of Building and Zoning requires a bond for demolition work, and lists a separate, smaller $500 demolition and leveling bond alongside its height-tiered structural demolition bonds ($20,000 for structures three stories or less, $40,000 for four stories or more). This bond stands behind the condition that a demolished site be properly leveled and left in a safe, restored state.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and Cook County (the obligee), with the county and neighboring property owners as the protected parties. If leveling or restoration work is left incomplete, the county can make a claim against the bond to cover the cost of finishing it.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Confirm with the Department of Building and Zoning which demolition bond(s) your specific permit requires; larger structures also carry the separate height-tiered demolition bond.
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 $500 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The bond runs to December 31 whatever day you buy; the premium covers the period to that date.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, December 31, in the year your term ends.
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 Building and Zoning. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Cook County demolition permit application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $500 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 .
File your leveling bond today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.