OH FirstEnergy utility deposit bonds.
2% of the bond amount.

When FirstEnergy Corp. — parent of Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, and Toledo Edison — asks a new or higher-risk customer for a security deposit before turning on electric service, a surety bond stands in for that cash. Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, and the application collects no credit information.

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Substitutes for the cash security deposit a FirstEnergy Ohio operating company can require on a new or delinquent account

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Deposit amounts on a residential account are capped under Ohio Admin. Code 4901:1-17-05 at one-twelfth of estimated annual charges plus 30% of the monthly estimate

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2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — no credit section, exact price at the application

2% rate$100 minimumSoft pull onlynever a hard inquiryFastinstant underwriting for most

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How it works

Apply to filed in one sitting.

No underwriting queue for the standard utility deposit bond — enter your amount, pay, and send the bond to FirstEnergy. Here is the whole thing:

TODAY · ONLINE

Apply online

Your account details, the deposit amount on your FirstEnergy notice, and the effective date — that is the entire application.

INSTANTLY

Issued on the spot

The application collects no credit information, so most utility deposit bonds this size generate the moment you pay. Larger amounts may get a quick soft-pull review that never affects your score.

SAME DAY

Submit to FirstEnergy

Send the executed bond to your FirstEnergy operating company (Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, or Toledo Edison) in place of the cash deposit on your account. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the utility deposit bond actually does

Ohio's residential customer-deposit rule for electric, gas, and natural gas service — Ohio Admin. Code 4901:1-17-05 — caps the deposit a regulated utility can require from a new or higher-risk residential customer at one-twelfth of the customer's estimated charges for the ensuing twelve months, plus thirty percent of the monthly estimated charge. FirstEnergy's Ohio operating companies — Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, and Toledo Edison — apply that cap when they ask a residential customer to post a deposit before connecting or continuing electric service.

Rather than tie up that cash with FirstEnergy for the life of the account, a customer can post a surety bond for the same amount instead — a practice FirstEnergy accepts as a matter of its own account policy, not something the Commission's deposit rule itself spells out. The bond guarantees the customer's utility bill up to the bond amount; if the account goes unpaid, FirstEnergy can make a claim against the bond, and the customer repays the surety for anything paid out.

This bond is not insurance for the customer — it protects FirstEnergy's right to be paid. We issue whatever deposit amount FirstEnergy's notice specifies, priced from a $100 minimum, and the application collects no credit information.

Ohio Admin. Code 4901:1-17-05 (deposit cap) · FirstEnergy account policy (bond acceptance)Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-17-05 caps a residential utility security deposit at one-twelfth of the customer's estimated charges for the ensuing twelve months, plus thirty percent of the monthly estimated charge; it governs the deposit amount for residential service, not the form of security. That a customer may substitute a surety bond of the same amount for the cash deposit is a FirstEnergy Ohio operating-company account practice, confirmed on the deposit notice FirstEnergy sends — not a right spelled out in the regulation itself. Confirm your exact required amount and the bond's payee language on your FirstEnergy deposit notice before applying.

You need this bond if you are

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A new FirstEnergy commercial or industrial customer asked to post a deposit before service starts

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A residential customerFirstEnergy's credit review placed on deposit

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An account with a late-payment or disconnection history that triggered a deposit requirement

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Preferring a low-cost bond over tying up cash with FirstEnergy for the life of the account

One application, issued on the spot.

Submit the application with the deposit amount FirstEnergy's notice specified — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to send to FirstEnergy.

Start the application →

FAQ

Common questions.

How much is the FirstEnergy utility deposit bond?Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum. The bond amount is the deposit FirstEnergy's notice specified — for a residential account, that deposit is capped under Ohio Admin. Code 4901:1-17-05 at one-twelfth of estimated annual charges plus 30% of the monthly estimate. Enter the figure from your notice and your exact price appears at the application.

Why does FirstEnergy want a deposit at all?FirstEnergy's Ohio operating companies, like other PUCO-regulated utilities, can require a security deposit from a new residential customer or one whose payment history raises risk, under Ohio Admin. Code Chapter 4901:1-17 — commercial and industrial deposits follow FirstEnergy's own tariff and account practices rather than this residential-only chapter. A surety bond gives FirstEnergy the same security without tying up your cash for the length of the account.

Is a bond always accepted instead of cash?Whether FirstEnergy accepts a bond in place of a cash deposit is its own account policy, confirmed on the deposit notice it sends — the Ohio deposit rule sets the amount cap, not the form of security. Check your notice, or ask FirstEnergy directly, before applying.

Is there a credit check?The application collects no credit information, so most utility deposit bonds this size issue instantly. Larger bond amounts may get a quick soft-pull review — never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.

How long does the bond stay in place?Typically for as long as FirstEnergy requires the deposit on your account — many utility deposits are released after a period of on-time payment. We track your term and send renewal notices ahead of expiration so the bond stays continuous until FirstEnergy releases it.

Related bonds

Other Ohio bonds.

Skip the cash deposit.

2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, and the application collects no credit information. Enter the deposit FirstEnergy required and send it in today.

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Your premiumfrom $100

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