Tennessee structural pest control bonds.
$250 flat.
Tennessee will not charter a commercial pest control company until a surety bond is on file with the Department of Agriculture. When the charter carries a structural category (WDO, GRC, FUM or BDC), the state's bond form is written for $50,000, not the $10,000 every other category files. Our premium is $250 flat.
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How much does a Tennessee structural pest control bond cost?
$250 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
The bond is the piece of the charter packet you can finish right now — the fees, the licensee list and the insurance certificates can follow. Here is the entire bond process:
Apply online
Company details, entity type and an effective date. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Fixed-amount license bonds like this issue right after purchase in most cases.
File with the Pesticides Section
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email for your records. The Department asks for the original document on a new bond, so we mail the wet-ink original — to you, or straight to the Pesticides Section in Nashville with your charter packet.
What it is and who needs it.
What the $50,000 charter bond guarantees
Tennessee regulates commercial pest control under the Tennessee Application of Pesticides Act of 1978. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-21-103, no person may engage in business as a commercial pest control operator until the Department of Agriculture has granted a charter, and a charter is required for each business location. The charter packet goes to the Department's Consumer and Industry Services Division, Pesticides Section in Nashville, and the surety bond is one of the three proofs that must accompany it — the other two being liability insurance of $250,000 per incident and $500,000 aggregate, plus errors-and-omissions cover of $100,000 per incident and $300,000 aggregate if any licensee holds a WDO category.
The bond runs to the Department of Agriculture, State of Tennessee as obligee. Its condition, in the statute's own words, is that the principal shall honestly conduct the business in accordance with the pest control laws of this state and the rules and regulations promulgated under the laws of this state and shall faithfully perform any contracts for pest control work. Section 62-21-107(b) then gives any person with a right of action against the charter operation the right to sue the principal and the sureties on the bond — which is what makes it a consumer-protection instrument rather than a filing formality.
Why $50,000 and not $10,000. Section 62-21-107(c) sets the floor for any charter bond at $10,000. Section 62-21-131 then requires a company applying for a new charter in the structural category to furnish $50,000 for its first three years in business, dropping to $10,000 in the fourth year and after. The Department's current charter application states the operative rule plainly: a $50,000 bond if the charter holds any structural license category — WDO, GRC, FUM or BDC — and $10,000 otherwise. That is why the Department publishes two bond forms, one written at each amount.
It is not insurance for you. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond carries its own expiration date and has to stay continuous for the life of the charter — Tennessee charters renew on a two-year cycle, and every chartered company in the current cycle expires June 30, 2027 — so we track the date and notify you 60 and 30 days out. One more practical point: the Department wants the original document on a new bond, so plan on mailing the wet-ink copy even though your e-signed PDF lands the same day.
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 $50,000 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 Pesticides Section. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email for your records. The Department asks for the original document on a new bond, so we mail the wet-ink original — to you, or straight to the Pesticides Section in Nashville with your charter packet.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $250 at the $50,000 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 .
Your charter packet is one document away.
$250 flat, fixed amount, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.