Lake County contractor license bonds.
$50 flat.
Lake County requires a contractor to file a $5,000 unified license bond before the Lake County Plan Commission will issue a general contractor's license — ours is $50 flat, and the price you see is the checkout price.
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How much does a Lake County contractor license bond cost?
$50 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
A unified county license bond is about the simplest filing in Indiana surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no follow-up scavenger hunt.
Pay & e-sign
Unified license bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with the Recorder
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to record with the Lake County Recorder and attach to your license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Indiana does not license general contractors at the state level — in Lake and Porter Counties, that's done locally under a single countywide bonding statute rather than city by city. A contractor doing work in Lake County files a $5,000 unified license bond before the Lake County Plan Commission issues a general contractor's license.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and Lake County (the obligee), with the public as the protected party. If a licensed contractor's work violates the county's building, zoning, or contracting ordinances, a harmed party can bring a claim against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond is recorded with the Lake County Recorder and must stay active for the life of your license, so we track it and notify you 60 and 30 days out to keep your $5,000 filing continuous.
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 $5,000 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 Recorder. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to record with the Lake County Recorder and attach to your license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $50 at the $5,000 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 Indiana bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
License your business in Lake County today.
$50 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.