NYC car wash bonds.
$3,000 flat.
New York City requires every licensed car wash to file a $150,000 bond with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection under the Car Wash Accountability Law. Ours is $3,000 flat — the price you see is the checkout price. A quick soft credit check may apply as part of underwriting; it never shows as a hard inquiry, and it never touches your score.
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How much does an NYC car wash bond cost?
$3,000 at the $150,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your DCWP car wash license is waiting on this bond. Here's the whole process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. The application includes consent for a quick soft credit check.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. Any credit check run is a soft pull — never a hard inquiry, never a hit to your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with DCWP
Pay online and receive the executed bond naming the City of New York as certificate holder, ready to file with your car wash license application.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
New York City licenses car washes through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) under the Car Wash Accountability Law. The $150,000 bond is a worker-and-consumer-protection guarantee: it stands behind unpaid wages owed to your employees, fines and debts owed to the City, and damage to a customer's vehicle.
The bond is conditioned on satisfying, within 30 days, any City fine or debt, any judgment for damage to a car, and any judgment owed to an employee for unpaid or underpaid wages. It's a three-party arrangement — you (the principal), the surety, and the City of New York (the obligee), with your workers and customers as protected parties.
It is not insurance for you. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. A reduced $30,000 bond can apply if you have a qualifying collective bargaining agreement or an active monitoring agreement — send us your situation and we'll confirm which amount applies.
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 $150,000 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 DCWP. Pay online and receive the executed bond naming the City of New York as certificate holder, ready to file with your car wash license application.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $3,000 at the $150,000 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 consent for a quick soft credit check. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other New York bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
DCWP is waiting on one document.
$3,000 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.