A construction lien freezes everything it touches — closings, refinances, draws. A discharge bond substitutes the surety's guarantee for the property, so the dispute moves off the title. Flat 3%, 48-hour underwriter response.
















Every day the lien sits on the title costs you leverage, interest, or a closing date. Here's the entire process:
The application plus a copy of the recorded construction lien and any court documents — that's the file. Send documents to underwriting right after you submit; everything is reviewed together.
A licensed underwriter reviews the lien, the dispute, and your file. Larger or heavily contested liens can require financials — you'll get one checklist, once.
The executed bond is posted as ordered by the court (or as your title company and lender require), the property is freed to close, and your refinance or draw schedule starts moving again.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time, $275 minimum. A $100,000 lien bonded at 150% means a $150,000 bond — $4,500.
When a contractor, sub, or supplier records a construction lien under North Dakota law, the property itself becomes their security. Until it's resolved, title companies won't close, lenders won't fund, and draws stop. The fix is to substitute a surety bond as security in place of the real estate — typically by court order or to satisfy your title company and lender.
The dispute is then secured by the bond instead of your property. The dispute itself continues — substituting a bond is not paying the claim and not admitting it's valid. If the lienor ultimately proves the claim, the bond pays; if they don't, it is released with the dispute.
That makes this the rare bond bought for leverage: you stop negotiating with your closing date held hostage and start negotiating on the merits of the claim.
Submit the application, then send the recorded lien and any court documents to underwriting — a licensed underwriter reviews the full file and responds within 48 hours.
Start the application →If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Five-minute application, flat 3%, underwriter response within 48 hours. Your attorney posts the bond; the project moves.