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Houston utility deposit bonds.
From $100.
The City of Houston can require a deposit to secure utility service — and it accepts a surety bond in place of cash. Whatever deposit amount the City set, we issue the bond 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. The premium is 2% of your bond amount, with a $100 minimum, so pricing scales with the deposit you're securing.
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Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard utility deposit bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the City. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the deposit amount the City required, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $15,000, so most applicants are issued on the spot as soon as they pay.
File with the City of Houston
Submit the executed bond to the City of Houston utilities office in place of your cash deposit. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the utility deposit bond does
The City of Houston can require a security deposit before it provides or continues utility service — especially for commercial accounts or larger meters. Instead of leaving a cash deposit tied up with the City, you post a surety bond for the same amount, and the City holds the bond as its security.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Houston (the obligee). If the account goes unpaid, the City can recover the unpaid utility charges against the bond up to the deposit amount.
It is not insurance for you. If the surety pays the City, you repay the surety. The advantage is cash flow: you pay a 2% premium, with a $100 minimum, rather than locking up the full deposit, and you keep your working capital.
You need this bond if you are
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 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.
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 City of Houston. Submit the executed bond to the City of Houston utilities office in place of your cash deposit. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $15,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the deposit amount the City of Houston set — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file in place of cash.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Texas bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Houston utility deposit bond, today.
Pricing from $100. Enter the deposit the City required and keep your cash.