Chesapeake door-to-door vendor bonds.
From $100. Enter your amount.

Chesapeake licenses itinerant merchants — including door-to-door sellers — under City Code § 18-133. In place of the standard ownership affidavit, the assessing official (the Commissioner of the Revenue) may issue the license against a bond equal to the license tax the merchant owes for the year. Pricing is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. The bond issues the moment you pay — no credit review of any kind, not even a soft pull.

Required under City Code § 18-133 as an alternative to the standard itinerant merchant ownership affidavit
Amount equals the license tax City Code § 18-132 sets — $50 for food, plants, or flowers; $500 for other goods
From $100, no credit review — not even a soft pull, at any amount
From $1001% of the bond amount, $100 minimumNo credit reviewnot even a soft pullFastinstant underwriting for most
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BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Apply to filed in one sitting.

No underwriting queue for the standard itinerant merchant bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the Commissioner of the Revenue. Here is the whole thing:

TODAY · ONLINE

Apply online

Your business details, the bond amount equal to your license tax, and the effective date — that is the entire application.

USUALLY MINUTES

Issued

The application collects no credit information, and most applicants are approved and issued as soon as they pay.

SAME DAY

File with the Commissioner of the Revenue

Submit the executed bond with your Chesapeake itinerant merchant license application. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the bond actually guarantees

Chesapeake City Code § 18-132 taxes peddlers and itinerant merchants who sell door to door or from temporary premises — $50 a year for food, plants, or flowers, and $500 a year for other goods, unless they fall under one of the section's exemptions. City Code § 18-133 normally requires an itinerant merchant to file an owner's affidavit proving the length of their lease or tenancy before a license issues.

As an alternative to that affidavit, § 18-133 lets the assessing official (the Commissioner of the Revenue) issue a regular merchant's license against a bond or security equal to the specific tax the applicant would owe for a full year. The bond pays the city that amount if the office later finds evidence the applicant only ever intended a temporary or transient business in Chesapeake.

It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Chesapeake (the obligee). It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Enter the amount equal to your license tax and your premium is priced from a $100 minimum, with no credit information collected on the application.

Chesapeake City Code §§ 18-132, 18-133Chesapeake City Code § 18-132 sets the itinerant-merchant license tax at $50 a year for peddlers selling food items, plants, or flowers, and $500 a year for those selling any other item, with stated exemptions. § 18-133 requires an applicant to file an ownership affidavit for the premises used, but lets the assessing official instead issue the license "upon the giving of a bond or security in such amount as will equal the specific tax required by this article for a period of one year," payable to the city if the applicant is later shown to have intended only a temporary or transient business. Confirm which license-tax tier applies to your goods with the Commissioner of the Revenue.

You need this bond if you're

Selling door to door in Chesapeake as an itinerant merchant without an established, leased place of business
Unable to provide the standard ownership affidavit the Commissioner of the Revenue requires for the license
Renewing your itinerant merchant license and your current bond is expiring
Operating a temporary or transient sales business the city is requiring you to bond in lieu of the affidavit

One application, issued instantly.

These are the actual underwriting fields. The application collects no credit information, and your price — from a $100 minimum — is set at application.

Start the application →
FAQ

Common questions.

How much is the Chesapeake door-to-door vendor bond?Pricing is 1% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum. The bond amount itself equals your license tax under City Code § 18-132 — $50 for food, plants, or flowers, or $500 for other goods. Enter that figure and your exact price appears at the application.
Who requires this bond?The City of Chesapeake's Commissioner of the Revenue, under City Code § 18-133, as an alternative to the standard ownership affidavit for an itinerant merchant's license.
What does the bond protect against?It secures the license tax you would owe the city for the year if it turns out you only ever intended a temporary or transient business in Chesapeake — not a general performance guarantee to your customers.
Is there a credit check?The application collects no credit information at any amount, so most applicants approve instantly — not even a soft pull.
What amount should I enter?Enter $50 if you sell food items, plants, or flowers, or $500 for any other item, per City Code § 18-132. If you are unsure which tier applies, confirm with the Commissioner of the Revenue before applying.
Related bonds

Other Virginia bonds.

Finish your Chesapeake itinerant merchant license today.

Pricing from $100, no credit review. Enter your license-tax amount and file the same day.

Your premiumfrom $100
Apply now →