Memphis & Shelby contractor license bonds.
$125 flat.
Memphis and Shelby County require a $25,000 bond for a county contractor license, administered through Construction Code Enforcement. Ours is $125 flat — the price you see is the checkout price — and license bonds like this are issued on the spot.
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How much does a Memphis & Shelby contractor license bond cost?
$125 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Contractor license bonds are simple. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with Construction Code Enforcement
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to submit with your Memphis & Shelby County contractor license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
A county contractor license bond is a code-compliance guarantee to Memphis and Shelby County. When you hold a contractor license through Construction Code Enforcement, the county wants a financial backstop that you'll perform work to the adopted building codes and follow county licensing rules.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and Shelby County / the City of Memphis (the obligee), with property owners and the public protected. If you violate the code or licensing rules and someone is harmed, they can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Contractors who pull permits and build to code treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
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 $25,000 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 Construction Code Enforcement. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to submit with your Memphis & Shelby County contractor license application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $125 at the $25,000 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 Tennessee bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your county license today.
$125 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.