Baltimore excavation bonds.
$125 flat.
The City of Baltimore requires a $25,000 surety bond before a contractor may excavate, cut, or open the public right-of-way — streets, sidewalks, and alleys. Ours is $125 flat — the price you see at checkout. No credit check.
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How much does a Baltimore excavation bond cost?
$125 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Your right-of-way permit is waiting on this bond. Here's the whole process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Permit bonds like this issue right after purchase in most cases.
File with the City of Baltimore
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your excavation or right-of-way permit. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The City of Baltimore conditions an excavation or street-opening permit on a $25,000 surety bond payable to the city. Any time a contractor cuts pavement, opens a sidewalk, or trenches the public right-of-way for a utility or connection, the bond stands behind the work.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore (the obligee). The bond guarantees you backfill, repave, and restore the right-of-way to city standard, and that the city is made whole if your cut fails or settles.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Contractors who restore cuts to standard treat the bond as a permit formality.
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 $25,000 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 City of Baltimore. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your excavation or right-of-way permit. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $125 at the $25,000 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 Maryland bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your right-of-way permit moving.
$125 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.