Rhode Island public official bonds.
From $100. See your price.
Rhode Island conditions many public offices on a faithful-performance bond — a guarantee that the officer will perform the duties of the office honestly and account for public money. The amount is set by the town council, statute, or appointing body; premiums are 0.35% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum.
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How much does a Rhode Island public official bond cost?
0.35% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps to bonded.
Your oath of office is waiting on this filing. Here's the whole process:
Apply online
Your details, the office, the bond amount required, and an effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. The soft pull is never a hard inquiry and never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with the clerk or treasurer
Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to file with the town treasurer, clerk, or whoever holds your office bond. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the public official bond actually guarantees
A public official bond is a faithful-performance and honesty guarantee. It protects the public — the municipality, the state, and the taxpayers — against loss if a public officer fails to perform the duties of the office or mishandles public funds entrusted to them.
Rhode Island requires these bonds across a range of offices. For example, R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-7-1 directs every town clerk, within thirty days of being sworn in, to give bond to the town treasurer with sufficient surety in the sum the town council prescribes, conditioned on faithful performance. Treasurers, tax collectors, and other officers are bonded under their own provisions.
Because the amount is set by the town council, statute, or appointing body rather than a single statewide figure, you enter the amount you were told to post. If a valid claim is paid, the officer (or the surety) makes the public whole — and if the surety pays, the officer repays the surety.
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 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.
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 clerk or treasurer. Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to file with the town treasurer, clerk, or whoever holds your office bond. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.35% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not 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 underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Rhode Island bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
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Public official bond, issued today.
Premiums from $100. Enter the amount your office requires and see your exact price.