Vermont public official bonds.
From $100.
Vermont towns require many officers to give a bond conditioned on the faithful performance of their duties under 24 V.S.A. § 832: the treasurer, collector of taxes, and others who receive or disburse town funds. The selectboard sets the amount; premiums cost 0.35% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a Vermont public official bond cost?
0.35% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
Public official bonds are simple to issue. Enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with the town. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the office you hold, the obligee (your town), the bond amount the board set, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most public official bonds clear quickly; the soft credit pull informs approval, and never affects your score — pricing is 0.35% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. Larger amounts may get a brief review.
File with the town
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the selectboard or town clerk so you can take office. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the public official bond actually guarantees
A public official bond is a faithful-performance guarantee. Vermont towns hand certain officers control of public money — taxes collected, funds disbursed — and 24 V.S.A. § 832 conditions taking office on a bond (or, as the statute now allows, crime insurance coverage) that backs the honest, faithful performance of those duties.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the town (the obligee), with taxpayers as the protected parties. If an officer misapplies or fails to account for town funds, the town can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, the officer repays the surety. It is a public-trust backstop, not insurance for you.
There is no single statutory amount — the selectboard (or trustees, prudential committee, or other governing body) fixes a sufficient sum and approves the sureties, and can require an additional bond if it later judges the existing one insufficient. Enter the figure your board set; your premium is priced from a $100 minimum after a quick soft credit check that never affects your score.
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 town. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the selectboard or town clerk so you can take office. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.35% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including the office you hold and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. The pull never affects your score, and your price — from a $100 minimum — is set at application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Vermont bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Take office without the bond holdup.
Premiums from $100, soft pull only. Enter the amount your board set and file with the town the same day.