South Carolina GC Group 5 bonds.
$7,000 flat.
South Carolina lets a Group 5 general contractor file a $350,000 surety bond in place of proving the net worth or working capital its license group otherwise requires, under S.C. Code 40-11-262. Ours is $7,000 flat.
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How much does a South Carolina GC Group 5 bond cost?
$7,000 at the $350,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your Group 5 license is waiting on either a financial statement or this bond. Here's the bond route, end to end:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. That is the application.
Reviewed & approved
A $350,000 bond gets a real underwriting look, but most clear quickly; an underwriter reaches out within 48 hours if anything else is needed. Any credit check on this application is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the Licensing Board
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your initial or renewal application to the LLR Contractor's Licensing Board. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Board insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
South Carolina licenses general contractors through the LLR Contractor's Licensing Board, and each license group carries a minimum net-worth or working-capital requirement that scales with the size of projects you can take. Group 5 is one of the larger tiers. Under S.C. Code 40-11-262, an applicant may file a surety bond in the same amount as the required net worth or working capital instead of submitting a qualifying financial statement.
For Group 5 that bond amount is $350,000. It lists the State of South Carolina as obligee and stands for the benefit of any person damaged by your breach of a construction contract — or by an unlawful act or omission in performing construction. The bond must be continuous and stay in effect as long as you hold the license on the bond route, until you instead file financials that meet the group requirement.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Most contractors who use the bond route treat it as a cash-flow tool: they keep their capital working rather than parking $350,000 in net worth on paper.
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 $350,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The bond runs to October 31 whatever day you buy; the premium covers the period to that date.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, October 31, in the year your term ends.
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
E-sign & file with the Licensing Board. Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your initial or renewal application to the LLR Contractor's Licensing Board. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Board insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $7,000 at the $350,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or 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: approved instantly, or after a quick credit check.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit check. A $350,000 bond gets a quick review; most issue within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Bond the net-worth requirement and keep your capital working.
$7,000 flat, short application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.