Portsmouth contractor bonds.
$100 flat.
This $15,000 form is the registration bond the Portsmouth Engineering Department has asked contractors for before pulling building permits. Chapter 1323 of the Codified Ordinances names one contractor bond: $25,000, required only when you contract to work on City-owned property. Ours is $100 flat.
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How much does a Portsmouth contractor bond cost?
$100 at the $15,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Registration bonds like this 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
Fixed registration bonds like this typically issue right after purchase.
File with the Engineering Department
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Portsmouth Certificate of Registration application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The City of Portsmouth registers contractors under Codified Ordinances Chapter 1323 (Contractor Registration) through its Engineering Department. To get a Certificate of Registration — required before any building permit issues — the Engineering Department has asked for a $15,000 contractor compliance bond, although Chapter 1323 itself names only the $25,000 bond for work on City-owned property. The bond stands behind your registration: that you comply with the city's applicable laws and ordinances.
Chapter 1323 names the $25,000 bond for work on City-owned property in §§ 1323.04(b)(2), 1323.06(b)(2), current through January 12, 2026.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Portsmouth (the obligee). If you fail to comply with the city's construction laws and ordinances and the city or a harmed party suffers a loss, they can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Contractors who follow the code treat the bond as a registration formality. A separate $25,000 bond applies only when you contract to work on property owned by the City of Portsmouth.
You need this bond if you are
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 $15,000 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 the Engineering Department. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Portsmouth Certificate of Registration application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $15,000 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 Portsmouth registration today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.