Michigan retail liquor license bonds.
$500 flat.
Michigan retail liquor licensees can satisfy proof of financial responsibility with a $50,000 constant-value bond under MCL 436.1803 and Rule R 436.2019. Ours is $500 flat — set by our carrier for this bond, identical for every licensee. A quick soft credit check may apply and never affects your score; the bond is issued when you pay.
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How much does a Michigan retail liquor license bond cost?
$500 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to compliant.
Your liquor license is waiting on proof of financial responsibility. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. Any credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with the MLCC
Pay online and receive the executed constant-value bond, ready to file as proof of financial responsibility with the Liquor Control Commission. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Michigan requires retail liquor licensees to maintain proof of financial responsibility of at least $50,000 under MCL 436.1803. One accepted form is a constant-value surety bond issued under the Liquor Control Commission's Rule R 436.2019 — it stays at full value regardless of claims paid, so it always shows the required financial responsibility.
The bond backs the licensee's liability arising under the Michigan Liquor Control Code and the dramshop (liquor liability) provisions. It is filed with the Liquor Control Commission together with the proof-of-financial-responsibility form (LC-95).
A constant-value bond can't be canceled on short notice: the surety must give the Commission at least 30 days' written notice before termination, and if you don't replace your proof of financial responsibility before that period ends, your license is suspended. We track the bond and notify you 60 and 30 days out. If the surety pays, you repay the surety.
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 $50,000 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
E-sign & file with the MLCC. Pay online and receive the executed constant-value bond, ready to file as proof of financial responsibility with the Liquor Control Commission. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $500 at the $50,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or 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 your consent to a soft credit check if one applies. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Michigan bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Liquor Control Commission is waiting on one document.
$500 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.