Cleveland contractor license bonds.
$150 flat.
The City of Cleveland requires a $25,000 surety bond before you can be licensed to construct, alter, repair, or remodel buildings in the city. Ours is $150 flat — set by our carrier's rate book for this bond, identical for every contractor. The bond issues the moment you pay — no credit check.
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How much does a Cleveland contractor license bond cost?
$150 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Contractor license bonds like this issue right after purchase for most applicants.
File with Building and Housing
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Department of Building and Housing alongside your license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The City of Cleveland licenses contractors through its Department of Building and Housing and conditions the general contractor license on a $25,000 surety bond. The bond is a City-and-public-protection guarantee standing behind your compliance with the Codified Ordinances of Cleveland when you construct, alter, repair, add to, or remodel buildings in the city.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Cleveland (the obligee). If you fail to comply with the City's ordinances and someone is harmed, the surety pays valid claims up to the full $25,000 — and you repay the surety.
The bond must stay active for the life of your license. Let it lapse and your license is no longer in good standing — so we track it and notify you 60 and 30 days out, keeping your $25,000 filing continuous. Cleveland also issues separate bond forms for trade specialties (sewer, sidewalk, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, demolition).
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 $25,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The bond runs to December 31 whatever day you buy; the premium covers the period to that date.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, December 31, 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
File with Building and Housing. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Department of Building and Housing alongside your license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $150 at the $25,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Ohio bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your Cleveland license today.
$150 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.