Baltimore utility contractor bonds.
From $100.
Baltimore City Code requires every licensed on-site utility contractor, who installs sewer and water service lines from the property line to the building, to deliver a $2,500 bond in the name of the City of Baltimore to the Commissioner of Housing and Community Development. The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Baltimore utility contractor bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $100 at the $2,500 minimum. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
A license bond with a fixed amount is about as simple as surety gets. Here is the whole path:
Apply online
The licensed individual’s name, the firm, and an effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull that never affects your score.
Pay & e-sign
Most applications approve on submission. The bond runs in the name of the City of Baltimore at the $2,500 the Code sets.
Deliver it to DHCD
Submit the bond to the Department of Housing and Community Development with your on-site utility contractor license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals are mailed when the City needs them.
What it is and who needs it.
What the on-site utility contractor bond guarantees
Baltimore City licenses on-site utility contractors under Article 13, Subtitle 18 of the City Code. On-site utility work means installing or working on a building sanitary sewer, building storm water sewer or water service pipe from the connection at the property line to a point 5 feet from the foundation wall (or to the wall itself when it sits within 5 feet of the line). A single utility connection for a one-family dwelling is excluded. The carrier calls this the underground utility contractor bond; the Code's term is on-site utility contractor.
Under § 18-10, before a license issues the applicant must deliver to the Commissioner a $2,500 bond in the name of the City of Baltimore, conditioned on the contractor's faithful performance of all work and on indemnifying the City and the property owner against loss, unsuitable material or improperly performed work by the contractor or its employees. The bond is conditioned on all work you do or contract for, so it is one bond, not a bond per job. A claim must be brought within one year after the work or installation (§ 18-10(c)).
Licenses go only to individuals (§ 18-8), so a firm needs at least one licensed member or officer and every on-site supervisor licensed — each with their own bond. The license expires every December 31 and renews annually (§§ 18-11, 18-12), and § 18-16 lists failure to provide the required bond among the grounds to suspend, revoke or deny it. It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety.
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 term is set on the carrier’s application; the premium covers the period shown there.
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
Deliver it to DHCD. Submit the bond to the Department of Housing and Community Development with your on-site utility contractor license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals are mailed when the City needs them.
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.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. The application includes a credit consent, but it authorizes a soft credit pull only — a soft inquiry that never affects your score. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Maryland bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, .
Licensed and bonded, one filing.
The $2,500 amount is set by the Code, your exact price shows in the calculator, and the bond goes straight to DHCD. Soft pull only. Free until issued.