Houston sidewalk & driveway bonds.
$100 flat.
A contractor applying to the City of Houston for a permit to construct, reconstruct, repair or regrade a sidewalk, driveway, curb or gutter files a $2,000 builder’s bond with the Permits Section. Ours is $100 flat — the price you see is the checkout price. The bond issues the moment you pay — no credit review of any kind, not even a soft pull.
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Three steps. One sitting.
Builder’s bonds like this are about the simplest thing in surety. Here is the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application — no financials, no credit section.
Pay & e-sign
Small fixed builder’s bonds like this are among the thousands that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
File with the Houston Permits Section
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Commercial Driveway, Sidewalk, or Curb & Gutter Permit application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The City of Houston, TX Permits Section requires a builder’s bond before it will issue a permit to construct, reconstruct, repair or regrade sidewalks, driveways, curbs or gutters within the city, under the Public Works & Engineering Infrastructure Design Manual, § 10.06D. The bond is a compliance guarantee: it stands behind the builder’s compliance with every city ordinance governing that work and its performance to the line and grade set by the city engineer.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Houston (the obligee), with the city and the public protected against negligent or defective work. If the builder’s work damages public property or fails to conform to city ordinances and the established line and grade, the city or an injured party can recover against the bond, and the obligation is performable in Harris County.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The city’s bond form states its own period on its face — a beginning and an ending date less than one year apart — and stays in force until the end of that period, so a new permit period needs a new bond. We issue it for $100 flat — one price for the permit period, up to 12 months — with no credit section on the application.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — the application has no credit section, because this bond does not need one.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Texas bonds.
Finish your Houston permit filing today.
$100 flat, no credit review, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.