Salem street/easement opening bonds.
$100 flat.
Before the City of Salem's Public Works Department will approve a work-in-right-of-way permit for a street cut, excavation, or easement-opening job, it requires a $5,000 blanket bond covering that work. Ours is $100 flat — the price you see is the checkout price — and it issues the moment you pay.
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How much does a Salem street/easement opening bond cost?
$100 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
A street/easement 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 Salem Public Works
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to submit with your work-in-right-of-way permit at the Development Services Section of the Public Works Department. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Anyone doing excavation, a street cut, or easement-opening work in a City of Salem public right-of-way needs an approved work-in-right-of-way permit, and the Public Works Department conditions that permit on a $5,000 blanket bond. "Blanket" means the same bond can stand behind more than one permit during its term, rather than bonding every job separately.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Salem (the obligee), acting through its Public Works Department. The bond backs your obligation to restore streets, sidewalks, and easements to City standards after your excavation or installation work.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. If the bond lapses mid-permit, the City can stop work until a new one is filed, so we track the term and notify you 60 and 30 days before renewal.
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 $5,000 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 Salem Public Works. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to submit with your work-in-right-of-way permit at the Development Services Section of the Public Works Department. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $5,000 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 Salem right-of-way permit filed today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.