St. Louis drainlayer bonds.
$125.
Before the City of St. Louis issues a drainlaying or sewer-connection permit — or a Master Drainlayer license — its Plumbing Code requires a $25,000 surety bond on file with the Plumbing Section, and the same $25,000 figure for any drainlaying contractor who works in the public right-of-way. Premiums cost 0.5% of the bond amount — $125 flat.
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How much does a St. Louis drainlayer bond cost?
$125 for the $25,000 bond: 0.5% of the bond amount.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for a City drainlayer bond. Enter the amount, pay, and take it to City Hall. Here is the whole process:
Apply online
Your business details, the $25,000 bond amount and the effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
The bond issues the moment you pay — no underwriter review and no credit check. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email.
File with the City
File the bond with the Plumbing Section of the Building Division alongside your $1,000,000 liability certificate. The code calls for a signed, sealed and notarized bond; wet-ink originals are mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the drainlayer bond actually guarantees
In the City of St. Louis, drainlaying means installing the sanitary or storm building sewer from five feet beyond the foundation wall, and any work on trunk, main and lateral sewers on public property, recorded easements or private property. Under Plumbing Code § 105.9 only a licensed Master Drainlayer, or someone working under one’s direct supervision, may do that work. Section 107.1.1 requires a permit for any drainlaying work and for any connection to a sewer.
Section 111.7 ties those permits to a bond. No Plumbing Code permit issues until the applicant has an approved $25,000 surety bond on file with the Code Official, plus a Commercial General Liability certificate of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence naming the City as additional insured. A separate paragraph requires every plumbing or drainlaying contractor who works in the public right-of-way to give the City a $25,000 bond annually. That bond is forwarded to the Director of Streets, approved by the Comptroller and filed with the Register. Section 111.9 repeats the $25,000 bond as a condition of receiving a Master Drainlayer license at all.
The bond runs to the City of St. Louis as obligee. It is given for faithful observance of the Plumbing Code and RSMo 341.090 to 341.220. It indemnifies the City, other agencies and the public against damage from negligent or unworkmanlike work, covers City fees left unpaid 30 days past due, and protects customers whose contracted work is not done. 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 $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 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
File with the City. File the bond with the Plumbing Section of the Building Division alongside your $1,000,000 liability certificate. The code calls for a signed, sealed and notarized bond; wet-ink originals are mailed on request.
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.
One application, issued instantly.
Enter the $25,000 amount the City requires and your exact price appears. These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Missouri bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your St. Louis drainlayer bond on file.
0.5% of the bond amount — $125 flat, with no credit check. Free until issued.