New York eminent domain bonds.
From $100.
A non-governmental condemnor, such as a utility, must deposit a bond or undertaking with the clerk of the court before title vests, under EDPL § 402. The court fixes the amount on the return date of the petition. Premiums cost 1% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum.
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How much does a New York eminent domain bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
Vesting dates do not move for paperwork. Enter the amount the court set, pay, and deposit the undertaking with the clerk. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Condemnor details, the bond amount the court fixed, and the effective date. That is the application. No credit check up to $100,000.
Issued on the spot
Most undertakings at this scale issue right after purchase, priced at 1% of the bond amount with a $100 minimum. Very large amounts may get a brief underwriter look.
Deposit with the clerk of the court
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to deposit with the clerk of the court prior to vesting of title. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the court insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the eminent domain undertaking actually guarantees
New York’s Eminent Domain Procedure Law lets a condemnor take title by filing an acquisition map and obtaining a vesting order, with the compensation owed to the property owner determined afterwards in the same proceeding. That sequence creates an obvious exposure for the condemnee: title moves first, and the damages award lands later. For a non-governmental condemnor, EDPL § 402 closes that gap with an undertaking.
The requirement lives in EDPL § 402(B)(3)(f) and reaches non-governmental condemnors subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission or the Commissioner of Transportation — in practice the utilities, pipelines and transmission projects that hold condemnation power without being a public body. Such a condemnor deposits a bond or undertaking with the clerk of the court prior to vesting of title, in an amount fixed by the court on the return date of the petition, and the court directs that it be applied in the amount necessary for any default by the condemnor in the payment of all or part of the damages determined in the acquisition proceeding or on the abandonment of it.
It is a three-party arrangement — the condemnor (the principal), the surety carrier, and the court (the obligee) — with the property owner as the protected party. It is not insurance for you: if the surety pays a default, you repay the surety. Two practical notes. The requirement may be waived by stipulation of the parties, so ask before you buy if settlement talks are live. And a separate mechanism, EDPL § 304, lets a condemnor make an advance payment or deposit of the appraised value, which stops interest running on the amount deposited — a bond and an advance payment answer different problems.
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
Issued on the spot. Most undertakings at this scale issue right after purchase, priced at 1% of the bond amount with a $100 minimum. Very large amounts may get a brief underwriter look.
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.
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 instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields — condemnor details, the amount the court fixed, the effective date. No credit check up to $100,000.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other New York bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Do not let the undertaking hold up vesting.
Premiums from $100, no credit check up to $100,000. Enter the amount the court fixed and deposit with the clerk the same day. Free until issued.