Memphis & Shelby contractor 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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Three steps. One sitting.
Contractor license bonds are simple. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials and no credit section on this bond.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
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
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit section, because this bond doesn't have one.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Tennessee bonds.
Finish your county license today.
$125 flat, no credit review, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.