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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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.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. Any credit check run is a soft pull — never a hard inquiry, never a hit to your score.
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
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including consent for a quick soft credit check. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other New York bonds.
DCWP is waiting on one document.
$3,000 flat, short application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.