Howard County solar bonds.
Flat 3%. Enter your amount.
Before a solar energy facility is approved in Howard County, the developer must post a decommissioning bond guaranteeing the panels and infrastructure will be removed and the site restored at end of life. The County sets the amount from the estimated decommissioning cost; we issue it at a flat 3% with a soft credit pull only.
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Howard County conditions solar approval on the decommissioning bond. Here is the whole process:
Apply online
Your business details, the decommissioning bond amount from your Howard County requirement, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Decommissioning bonds run larger, so they get a brief underwriting review; an underwriter reaches out within 48 hours if anything else is needed. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
File with Howard County
Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to post with Howard County for your solar facility approval. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
The whole pricing page.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time, $275 minimum. Enter the decommissioning figure Howard County set and the premium updates.
What it is and who needs it.
What the Howard County bond guarantees
A utility-scale or community solar energy facility has a finite life. Howard County requires a decommissioning bond so that, when the facility is retired, there is money in place to remove the panels and related infrastructure and restore the site — preventing it from being left as an abandoned hazard or blight on the community.
It is a three-party arrangement: the developer (the principal), the surety, and Howard County (the obligee). If the facility is not properly decommissioned at end of life, the County can recover against the bond to remove the equipment and restore the land.
It is not insurance for the developer. If the County draws on the bond and the surety pays, the developer repays the surety. The bond amount is typically sized to up to 125% of the estimated decommissioning cost, less salvage value, and is reviewed over the life of the facility.
You need this bond if you are
Five minutes. The whole thing.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Decommissioning bonds run larger, so they get a brief review before issuance.
Start the application →Common questions.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
How much is the Howard County solar decommissioning bond? +
Do I pay the full bond amount? +
Is there a credit check? +
How is the amount determined? +
Where do I file it? +
Other New York bonds.
Howard County solar approval needs this bond.
Flat 3%, $275 minimum, five-minute application, executed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.