Ohio Local 189 wage bonds.
$2,000 flat.
United Association Local No. 189 — plumbers and pipefitters covering Columbus and the surrounding central-Ohio counties — requires a signatory contractor to post a wage bond sized to how many bargaining-unit employees the contractor runs. At the 16–20-employee tier the bond is $50,000, and ours is $2,000 flat.
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How much does an Ohio Local 189 wage bond cost?
$2,000 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
A union wage bond filing is about the simplest thing in surety once you know your tier. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details, your bargaining-unit employee count, an effective date, and a soft credit consent. That's the application.
Pay & e-sign
Bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. Issued when you pay. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
File with Local 189
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with UA Local 189. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
United Association Local No. 189 represents plumbers, pipefitters, welders, and service technicians in the Columbus and central-Ohio area. A contractor who signs its collective bargaining agreement takes on negotiated wage rates for covered employees, and the local requires a wage bond scaled to headcount — a separate filing from the fringe-benefit bond that backs pension and health fund contributions.
The 16–20-employee tier sets the bond at $50,000. It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and UA Local 189 (the obligee), with covered union members as the protected parties. If a signatory contractor falls behind on wages the agreement covers, the local can make a claim against the bond, up to the bonded sum, to recover the shortfall.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. This is a private contractual requirement of the collective bargaining agreement, not an Ohio statute — Local 189 sets the amount per contractor based on employee count, and this page covers the 16–20-employee, $50,000 tier. Confirm your current headcount and tier with the local before filing.
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 $50,000 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
File with Local 189. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with UA Local 189. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $2,000 at the $50,000 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 issuing fields — the application includes a credit consent, but it authorizes a soft pull only, never a hard inquiry.
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 .
File your Local 189 wage bond today.
$2,000 flat, soft pull only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.