Iowa Class "E" liquor license bonds.
From $100.
Iowa conditions a Class "E" retail alcohol license on a surety bond payable to the Alcoholic Beverages Division, on a sliding scale of $5,000 to $15,000. The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — enter the amount on your notice, and your exact price appears at the application.
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How much does an Iowa Class "E" liquor license 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 liquor license bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with your license application. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount the Division set, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
Most applications approve instantly — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay.
File with your license application
Submit the executed bond with your Class "E" application or renewal through the Alcoholic Beverages Division. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Division insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the Class "E" bond actually covers
Iowa licenses retail alcohol sales through the Alcoholic Beverages Division under Iowa Code chapter 123. A Class "E" license lets a retailer (typically a grocery, convenience, or liquor store) sell alcoholic liquor in original unopened containers for off-premises consumption — including to other licensees.
Because a Class "E" licensee buys liquor from the State on account, the Division conditions the license on a surety bond. The bond is payable to the Alcoholic Beverages Division and set on a sliding scale of $5,000 to $15,000 based on the licensee's purchase volume — a financial guarantee that the State is paid for the liquor it supplies.
A bond may not be required if every purchase is prepaid in a way that guarantees the Division full payment in advance of delivery. If you have been asked for a bond, enter the amount on your notice — pricing starts from $100, and no credit check up to $10,000.
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 your license application. Submit the executed bond with your Class "E" application or renewal through the Alcoholic Beverages Division. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Division insists.
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 $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 the Alcoholic Beverages Division set — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Iowa bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Class "E" liquor bond, from $100.
Pricing from $100, your exact price appears at checkout. Enter the amount the Division set and file the same day.