Illinois timber buyer bonds.
From $100.
Illinois licenses timber buyers through the Department of Natural Resources, and conditions every license on a performance bond payable to the State under the Timber Buyers Licensing Act (225 ILCS 735), in the amount your license requires. Pricing starts from $100.
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How much does an Illinois timber buyer bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard timber buyer bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the DNR. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount the DNR set, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $100,000. Most bonds issue instantly upon payment.
File with the Department of Natural Resources
Submit the executed bond with your timber buyer license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the DNR insists on them.
What it is and who needs it.
What the timber buyer bond actually covers
Illinois licenses timber buyers — people who buy standing or felled timber from growers for resale or processing — through the Department of Natural Resources under the Timber Buyers Licensing Act (225 ILCS 735). Every licensed buyer must file a performance bond payable to the State of Illinois through the Department.
The bond is conditioned on the faithful performance of, and compliance with, the requirements of the license and the Act — chiefly, paying timber growers what they’re owed. A grower harmed by a buyer who fails to pay can recover against the bond.
In lieu of a surety bond, the Act lets an applicant deposit a certificate of deposit or irrevocable letter of credit with the Department. Most buyers choose the surety bond because it starts from $100 rather than tying up the full amount in bank collateral. We issue the amount the DNR set; no credit check up to $100,000, and most bonds issue instantly.
You need this bond if you are
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 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.
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 Department of Natural Resources. Submit the executed bond with your timber buyer license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the DNR insists on them.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $100,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount the DNR set — the executed timber buyer bond is generated instantly, ready to file.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Timber buyer bond, issued today.
Pricing from $100. Enter the amount the DNR set and file the same day.