South Carolina public official bonds.
From $100.
South Carolina requires many public officers to file a faithful-performance bond before taking office, conditioned on honestly performing the duties of the office. The amount is set by the statute, charter, or ordinance for your office — we price it at 0.35% of the amount, $100 minimum, with a quick soft credit check that never hits your score.
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How much does a South Carolina public official bond cost?
0.35% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Apply to bonded in one sitting.
Most public official bonds clear quickly — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file before you are sworn in. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the office, and the penal sum the law requires. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File before you take office
Receive the executed bond ready to file with the clerk, secretary of state, or other officer who records it. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the public official bond actually guarantees
South Carolina conditions many public offices on a bond. Under Title 8, Chapter 3, an officer files a bond before entering on the duties of the office, and the standard form recites a penal sum 'in the amount required by law' — a faithful-performance and honesty guarantee running to the State and to anyone the officer's conduct could harm.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of South Carolina or your jurisdiction (the obligee), with the public protected. If an officer breaches the duties of the office or mishandles public funds, a claim can be made against the bond.
There is no single amount — the figure is set by the specific statute, charter, or ordinance for your office (a treasurer, a clerk, a notary, a magistrate, and a municipal officer can all carry different penal sums). Enter the amount your appointment names, and we price it at 0.35% of the amount, $100 minimum. It is not insurance for you; if the surety pays, you repay 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 before you take office. Receive the executed bond ready to file with the clerk, secretary of state, or other officer who records it. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
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 most bonds clear quickly.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get bonded before you are sworn in.
From $100, soft pull only. Enter your required amount and file the same day.