Who requires it
Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board
License & permit · Arkansas
Arkansas Contractors Bond in Lieu of Financial Statement
Arkansas commercial contractor applicants who prefer not to file the classification net-worth financial statement may instead post a surety bond under Ark. Code § 17-25-304(c). The Contractors Licensing Board’s official form sizes that optional bond at ten times the required net worth for the classification, producing faces from $50,000 for specialty work to $500,000 on several heavy and building tracks. This bond does not replace the separate required $10,000 commercial compliance surety.
Common bond amount
$50,000–$500,000
Classification schedule on the official CLB form; specialty $50,000; several tracks $200,000 or $500,000.
How you file
Optional Board bond that can replace a financial statement
Renewal
Maintain while using the bond-in-lieu path; resize if classification changes
Who requires it
Commercial contractor applicants or licensees who elect the bond-in-lieu path instead of submitting the Board’s required financial statement showing minimum net worth. It is not mandatory if you meet the financial-statement route, and it is not the residential roofing registrant bond.
How much is required
Section 17-25-304(c) sets the amount at ten times the required net worth for the applicant’s classification. The Board form lists: Heavy $500,000; Highway, Railroad, Airport $500,000; Municipal & Utility $500,000; Building $500,000; Light Building $200,000; Mechanical $200,000; Electrical $200,000; Specialty $50,000. Choose the amount that matches the classification on your application.
How to get and file it
Confirm the classification and matching face on the Board’s bond-in-lieu form. Have an Arkansas-licensed producer complete the form naming the State of Arkansas and the Contractors Licensing Board, then file it with the commercial licensing package in place of the financial statement. Maintain the bond while you rely on the bond-in-lieu path. If the surety cancels or the amount no longer matches your classification, either restore coverage or return to an acceptable financial statement before the Board treats the license as out of financial compliance.
Cost note
Fifty thousand to five hundred thousand dollars is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Specialty
- $50,000
- Light building / mechanical / electrical
- $200,000
- Heavy / highway-rail-airport / municipal-utility / building
- $500,000
- Still required separately
- $10,000 commercial compliance surety under § 17-25-401
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Does posting this bond eliminate the $10,000 commercial bond?
No. Board materials treat the $10,000 surety as required for commercial contractors. The bond-in-lieu only substitutes for the financial statement showing minimum net worth.
Why do some quotes show only $50,000?
Fifty thousand dollars is the specialty classification amount on the official form. Other classifications require $200,000 or $500,000. Match the amount to your license classification, not a single default figure.
Related Arkansas bond guides
Commercial Contractors License Bond
$10,000
Every Arkansas commercial contractor and commercial registered subcontractor must file a $10,000 surety bond with the Contractors Licensing Board before the license is valid. The Board’s official form implements A.C.A. § 17-25-401 et seq. and binds the licensee to pay amounts due under that chapter. This instrument is separate from the optional classification-based bond that can replace a financial statement.
Residential Roofing Contractor Bond
$15,000
Arkansas residential roofing registrants must file a $15,000 surety bond with the Contractors Licensing Board before the registration is valid. Ark. Code § 17-25-604 requires a surety of at least fifteen thousand dollars with the roofing contractor registration certificate application. The Board publishes a dedicated Residential Roofing Registrant Surety Bond form for that filing.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Arkansas application
Arkansas will be preselected. Choose your bond type in the application—we confirm the correct product against your agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-11. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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