Indiana timber buyer bonds.
From $100.
Every registered Indiana timber buyer must file a surety bond with the DNR under IC 25-36.5-1-3, sized to how much you paid timber growers last year. The minimum is $5,000, the maximum is $50,000 — the premium runs 2% of your bond amount, $100 minimum, and your exact price appears at the application. No credit check up to $10,000.
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How much does an Indiana timber buyer bond cost?
2% 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, your county, the bond amount your purchases require, and an effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
Most applications issue instantly with no waiting — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay. Above $10,000, a soft pull may add a short review.
File with the DNR
Submit the executed bond with your timber buyer registration to the DNR Division of Forestry. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the timber buyer bond actually guarantees
Indiana licenses timber buyers through the DNR Division of Forestry under IC 25-36.5. Every person registered as a timber buyer must file an effective surety bond with the department under IC 25-36.5-1-3 — it protects timber growers who sell standing timber against a buyer who fails to pay or otherwise breaches the deal.
The amount scales with your volume. The statute sets $5,000 for a buyer who paid growers $10,000 or less in the immediately preceding year, plus an additional $100 for each additional $1,000 (or fraction) paid for timber that year — capped at $50,000.
It is a guarantee to growers and the state, not insurance for you — if the surety pays a grower's claim, you repay the surety. Instead of the bond, the DNR may accept cash or a certificate of deposit, but a surety bond is almost always the cheapest way to register. Confirm your bracket against the DNR's bond schedule.
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 DNR. Submit the executed bond with your timber buyer registration to the DNR Division of Forestry. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $10,000. 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 your purchase schedule requires — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the DNR.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Indiana bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Timber buyer bond, issued today.
Premiums from $100. Enter your bracket amount and file with the DNR the same day.