Tennessee home improvement contractor bonds.
$100 flat.
Tennessee's home improvement contractor license is conditioned on a $10,000 bond filed with the Board for Licensing Contractors (within the Department of Commerce and Insurance) under Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-6-506. Our premium is $100 — the price you see is the checkout price, the same for every contractor.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Tennessee home improvement contractor bond cost?
$100 at the $10,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here is the entire process:
Apply online
Business details, your mailing and physical address (these appear on the bond), and an effective date. No financials and no credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Fixed-amount license bonds like this issue right after purchase in most cases.
File with the Board
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your home improvement license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Tennessee's home improvement license covers residential remodeling between $3,000 and $24,999 in combined labor and materials. It is issued by the Board for Licensing Contractors within the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and conditioned on a $10,000 surety bond under Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-6-506. Projects of $25,000 or more require a full contractor license instead.
The bond is a consumer-protection guarantee backing your honest performance of home improvement work and your compliance with the home improvement law. If a contractor's wrongful act harms a homeowner, the homeowner can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety. In lieu of the surety bond, the statute allows a letter of credit or a cash/property bond.
One thing to know about scope. The home improvement license is mandatory only in nine named counties — Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, and Shelby. Contractors elsewhere in Tennessee may carry it voluntarily, but it is not required outside those counties. Check whether your county is on the list before you apply.
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 $10,000 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 the Board. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your home improvement license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $10,000 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 — including the mailing and physical addresses that appear on the bond. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Tennessee bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Your home improvement license is waiting on one document.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.