Minnesota timber scaler bonds.
From $100.
When a buyer scales their own state timber under a consumer scaling agreement with the Department of Natural Resources, Minn. Stat. 90.252 requires a bond (or cash in lieu) to protect the state's interest in the timber. The DNR sets the amount, and the premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. No credit check up to $100,000.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Minnesota timber scaler bond cost?
0.5% 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 timber scaler bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the DNR. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount your scaling agreement requires, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No waiting — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay. Most applications approve instantly.
File with the DNR
Submit the executed bond to the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, with your scaling agreement. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Division insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the timber scaler bond actually covers
Minnesota measures (“scales”) the timber cut from state land to determine what the buyer owes. Under Minn. Stat. 90.251, a timber buyer may scale their own products under a consumer scaling agreement with the Department of Natural Resources instead of relying on a state scaler.
Those agreements come with safeguards. Under Minn. Stat. 90.252, a consumer scaling agreement must provide for a bond or cash in lieu of a bond, plus other safeguards necessary to protect the interests of the state — so the state is made whole if the scaled volumes, and the payments tied to them, fall short.
Because the statute leaves the amount and conditions to the commissioner, there is no single fixed figure — you enter what your agreement requires. The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, and no credit check up to $100,000.
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 the DNR. Submit the executed bond to the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, with your scaling agreement. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Division insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $100,000. 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 your scaling agreement requires — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the DNR.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Minnesota bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Timber scaler bond, issued today.
0.5% of the bond amount with a $100 minimum. Enter the amount your scaling agreement requires and file with the DNR the same day.