Montana commodity dealer bonds.
From $200.
A Montana commodity dealer — buying grain and other agricultural commodities from producers — must license with the Department of Agriculture and file a surety bond protecting the producers it buys from. The amount runs from a $20,000 minimum up to a $1,000,000 cap. Premiums run 1% of the bond amount.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Montana commodity dealer bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $200 at the $20,000 minimum. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps to a licensed dealer.
Your commodity dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here is the whole process — no broker phone tag:
Apply online
Business details, the bond amount the department set, and an effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. That is the application.
Reviewed & approved
Most clear quickly; larger amounts may get a quick underwriter look within 48 hours. Any credit check that runs is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the Department of Agriculture
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the department insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the commodity dealer bond actually covers
Montana licenses commodity dealers — businesses that buy grain and other agricultural commodities from producers — through the Department of Agriculture under MCA Title 80, Chapter 4. The bond protects the producers you buy from: if a dealer fails to pay for commodities it purchased, the producers can recover against the bond.
The amount is set by the department based on your commodity purchases, with a statutory floor of $20,000 and a cap of $1,000,000 under MCA 80-4-405. Larger buyers post larger bonds; the department fixes the figure on your license.
It is a three-party guarantee — you (the principal dealer), the surety, and the State of Montana for the benefit of producers (the protected parties). If the surety pays a producer’s claim, you repay the surety. Tell us the amount on your license; premiums start from $200 and your exact price is set at application.
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 term is set on the carrier’s application; the premium covers the period shown there.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, June 30, in the year your term ends.
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 Department of Agriculture. Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the department insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not 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: approved instantly, or after a quick credit check.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Montana bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Department of Agriculture is waiting on one document.
Premiums from $200, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.