Salem right of way excavation bonds.
Quote on review.
To open a street, alley or other public right of way in the City of Salem, Ohio, you need an excavation permit, and Codified Ordinance § 961.07(b) requires a performance bond before it issues. The code names no fixed figure, so the Zoning Office sets the bond amount for your job; a surety specialist returns your price.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Salem right of way excavation bond cost?
It is underwritten: the premium is quoted from the bond amount and your financial picture, so there is no flat price to show.
From permit application to the first cut.
Salem will not issue a right of way excavation permit until the bond, the liability insurance and the permit fee are in, and the permit has to be in hand at least 48 hours before work starts. Here is the whole process, from quote to a complete permit file:
Send us the permit details
Apply online with your business or personal details and the effective date, enter the bond amount the Salem Zoning Office gave you, and describe the work — the street, the number of openings, and whether it is a single opening or long line job. There is no credit section and no SSN field on this application.
A surety specialist prices it
The Zoning Officer has already set the amount, so the review is about the job and its restoration, not about sizing. A specialist confirms your exact premium and sends it back for approval.
Pay, sign & file it with the Zoning Office
Once you accept the quote and pay, the bond is executed in favor of the City of Salem with the surety’s power of attorney. File it with the Zoning Officer alongside your certificate of liability insurance and the permit fee, and name your 24-hour point of contact for the excavation.
What it is and who needs it.
What the Salem right of way excavation bond guarantees
In February 2025 Salem rewrote its street-opening rules as Chapter 961, Excavations, of its Codified Ordinances (Ord. 250128-08). § 961.01(a) requires a right of way excavation permit, issued by the City Zoning Officer or a designated agent, of every firm, corporation, company or individual before any excavation in a street, alley or other public right of way — paved or not — to maintain, replace, construct, repair or rehabilitate underground lines, conduits, mains, structures, manholes, hand holes, lamp holes or other subsurface installations. The only carve-out is work done and paid for as part of a construction contract with the City itself.
§ 961.07(b) makes the bond a condition of that permit: before it issues, the applicant posts a performance bond on the conditions the Zoning Officer deems appropriate. The ordinance spells out what the bond answers for. If you or your contractor fail to complete the project, make repairs or restore the right of way within 30 days of the permit’s expiration, the bonding company must see the work finished. If the surety does not proceed within seven days of notice, the City may complete the repairs at the bonding company’s expense under § 961.04 — which charges actual labor, material and equipment cost plus a 15% administrative fee — and revoke your permit.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Salem (the obligee). It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays to finish or restore the work, you repay the surety. It sits beside a separate requirement in § 961.07(a): a liability insurance policy or rider indemnifying the City for personal injury and property damage, in limits the Zoning Officer chooses from the ranges the ordinance sets. The permit also carries its own obligations — Ohio Utilities Protection Service compliance, a 24-hour point of contact, notice to the Director of Public Service and Safety or the Chief of Police before digging, and responsibility for traffic control.
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 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
Term and renewal are set in the underwriter's quote.
Keep the bond in force for as long as the obligation behind it runs.
How to file it
Pay, sign & file it with the Zoning Office. Once you accept the quote and pay, the bond is executed in favor of the City of Salem with the surety’s power of attorney. File it with the Zoning Officer alongside your certificate of liability insurance and the permit fee, and name your 24-hour point of contact for the excavation.
What sets the price
This bond is underwritten: the premium is quoted from the bond amount and your financial picture, so there is no flat price to show.
One application, one specialist review.
These are the actual issuing fields — your entity type, address and contact details, the bond amount the Zoning Office set, an effective date, and a description of the excavation. There is no credit section on this bond. Submit once and a surety specialist returns your exact price, typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Ohio bonds.
Requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your Salem excavation permit bond in hand.
Send us one short application, and a surety specialist returns your price, typically within one business day. Free until issued.