Portland street opening bonds.
$100 flat.
Before the City of Portland issues a street opening or sewer connection permit to dig, excavate, or undermine a public street, the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) requires a $2,000 surety bond on file. Ours is $100 flat — the price you see is the checkout price — and the bond issues the moment you pay.
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How much does a Portland street opening bond cost?
$100 at the $2,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
A street opening bond is about 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
Bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with PBOT
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to submit with your street opening or sewer connection permit application at PBOT's Utilities, Construction & Inspection counter. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The City of Portland requires anyone applying for a street opening permit or sewer connection permit in the public right-of-way to have an approved street-opening bond on file first. The bond guarantees the work is done to Portland City Code standards and that the excavated street is restored properly.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Portland (the obligee), acting through the Bureau of Transportation. If a permittee fails to restore the street to specification, or the pavement fails within the guarantee period, the City can draw on the bond to complete or repair the work.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond stands behind the street for two years after the job is completed, guaranteeing the repair stays in good condition, not just that it passed inspection on day one.
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 $2,000 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 PBOT. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to submit with your street opening or sewer connection permit application at PBOT's Utilities, Construction & Inspection counter. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $2,000 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 Oregon bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your PBOT street opening permit filed today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.