Contractor License Bonds by State

24 of the 50 states have no statewide general contractor bond. That does not mean no bond is required. In most of them the requirement moves down to the city or county, which is where the bond actually gets demanded, and 9 states are heavy enough locally that the municipal bond is the one that matters: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

So the question is rarely whether your state requires a bond. It is who is asking, the state board or the building department.

Get a contractor license bond

Start with who issues your license

A state board, as in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon or Washington. The state sets the bond amount and you file once.
A city or county, as in Illinois, Ohio, Texas or Missouri. Each jurisdiction sets its own amount, so working in three cities can mean three bonds.
Both. Several states license at the state level and still let municipalities add a permit or right-of-way bond on top.

What each state requires

Amounts below are the bond amount required, not a price. "Buy online" means that state has a direct purchase link. "Quote required" means we write it, but it is quoted rather than bought instantly.

State	State-level requirement	Local rules
Alabama Quote required	Varies by trade (e.g., $10,000 for HVAC/Refrigeration).	Highly common at city and county levels.
Alaska Quote required	$5,000 (Specialty) to $25,000 (General).	Local permits and localized bonds may apply.
Arizona Buy online	$5,000 to $100,000+ (Based on gross volume/trade).	Strictly regulated at state level; local permits required.
Arkansas Quote required	$10,000 (Commercial Contractors).	Local registration or municipal bonds required by some cities.
California Buy online	$25,000 (All licensed classifications).	Strict state rules; local business licenses required.
Colorado Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. Cities like Denver and Colorado Springs require local bonds.
Connecticut Buy online	$10,000 (Home Improvement/Major Contractors).	Local building departments enforce separate permit rules.
Delaware Buy online	$6,000+ (Non-resident contractors only).	Local municipalities like Wilmington have specific licensing rules.
Florida Buy online	Varies (Mainly required for financially responsible officers).	Local county and city competency boards frequently require bonds.
Georgia Buy online	$25,000 (Residential/General).	Local jurisdictions handle specialized trade zoning and permits.
Hawaii Quote required	Varies (Based on financial statement review).	State-level compliance is strictly enforced.
Idaho Buy online	No statewide bond requirement for general construction.	Local municipal requirements apply for specialized trades.
Illinois Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. Chicago and various suburbs require local bonds ($10k-$25k+).
Indiana Buy online	Varies (Mainly localized or specific trades).	High municipal mandates. Indianapolis/Marion County require local bonds.
Iowa Buy online	$25,000 (Out-of-state contractors only).	Local cities require structural and specialized trade bonds.
Kansas Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. Cities like Wichita and Topeka enforce local bonding.
Kentucky Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Local municipal licensing boards require bonds (e.g., Louisville/Jefferson County).
Louisiana Buy online	Varies by specialty/residential volume.	Local parish and municipal requirements frequently apply.
Maine Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Strictly regulated at the local municipality level.
Maryland Buy online	$20,000 (Home Improvement Contractors).	Local jurisdictions handle specific building permits and codes.
Massachusetts Quote required	No statewide general bond (Home Improvement registration required).	Local towns and cities heavily regulate construction via local bonds.
Michigan Buy online	Varies by specialized trade or volume.	Local municipal building departments set local permit guidelines.
Minnesota Buy online	$15,000 (Residential technology/specialized trades).	Local municipalities require specific trade bonds.
Mississippi Buy online	$2,000 (Residential) to $10,000 (Public works).	Local cities require additional municipal project bonds.
Missouri Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. St. Louis, Kansas City, and others require local bonds.
Montana Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Municipalities manage local business licenses and structural permits.
Nebraska Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	Cities like Omaha and Lincoln require specialized local contractor bonds.
Nevada Quote required	$1,000 to $500,000 (Based on monetary limit/financials).	State-level focus; local municipal business licenses apply.
New Hampshire Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Local zoning laws and municipal ordinances handle construction rules.
New Jersey Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	Local municipalities regulate general contractors via local permits.
New Mexico Buy online	$10,000 (Consumer protection bond).	Local building permits are strictly managed alongside state rules.
New York Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. NYC, Buffalo, and local towns require unique local bonds.
North Carolina Buy online	Varies (Based on project limits / financial statements).	Local municipal building departments enforce local rules.
North Dakota Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Local cities manage specific contractor business licensing.
Ohio Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. Almost every major city (Columbus, Cleveland) requires local bonds.
Oklahoma Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	Local municipal jurisdictions manage local trades and structural bonds.
Oregon Buy online	$10,000 to $20,000 (Based on endorsement type).	Fully structured at state level; local permits apply.
Pennsylvania Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and local boroughs require local bonds.
Rhode Island Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Municipalities handle localized structural permits.
South Carolina Quote required	$10,000 minimum (Varies based on financial statements).	Local municipal business licenses and permits apply.
South Dakota Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Cities like Sioux Falls require local contractor licensing and bonds.
Tennessee Buy online	Varies (Based on contract limits / monetary classification).	Local county and municipal compliance certificates are required.
Texas Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond.	High municipal mandates. Cities like Houston, Dallas, and Austin require local bonds.
Utah Quote required	$50,000 (For general contractors under specific conditions).	Local building authorities require standard local project permits.
Vermont Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Exclusively handled at the local municipal/town level.
Virginia Buy online	No statewide general contractor bond (Recovery fund instead).	Local municipal business licenses (BPOL) and local bonds may apply.
Washington Buy online	$6,000 (Specialty) to $12,000 (General).	Comprehensive state structure; local jurisdictions require permits.
West Virginia Quote required	$1,000 to $25,000+ (Based on wage bonds/trade volume).	Cities require local municipal business licenses.
Wisconsin Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Municipalities handle local building registrations and trade bonds.
Wyoming Quote required	No statewide general contractor bond.	Cities like Cheyenne and Casper manage local licensing and bonds.

Are you looking for a contract bond instead?

A license bond and a contract bond are different products, and people arrive here wanting both. A license bond is what a state board or a city makes you carry to hold the license at all. It covers your conduct as a licensed contractor, it renews on a term, and it is not tied to any one job.

A contract bond is tied to a specific job. You need one of these if someone is asking you to guarantee the work itself:

Bid bond. Guarantees you will honour your bid and sign the contract if you win it.
Performance bond. Guarantees the job gets finished to the contract.
Payment bond. Guarantees your subs and suppliers get paid.
Maintenance bond. Covers defects for a set period after the work is accepted.

If an owner, a general contractor or a public agency asked you for a bond on a named project, that is a contract bond, not a license bond.

Contract bonds: bid, performance and payment Contract bonds without financials

If your state shows "varies"

That means the amount is set case by case, usually against your license classification, trade or contract volume. Tell us the license you are applying for and the jurisdiction asking for the bond, and we will come back with the amount and the right form.

Tell us what you need