District of Columbia · Surety Bond Resource Center

District of Columbia surety bonds

District of Columbia license bonds run mainly through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) and the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB). Motor vehicle dealers and home improvement contractors each post $25,000 with DLCP. Electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration contractors licensed by the Board of Industrial Trades usually file a company bond and a separate bond for the licensed master, using the Board’s published amounts. Mortgage lenders, brokers, and dual-authority firms size the DISB bond from District loan volume. Money transmitters post a bond (or other approved security) that rises with each extra location. Notaries file a $2,000 bond with the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) for the five-year commission.

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Surety bond certificate and license approval illustration

District of Columbia at a glance

Motor vehicle dealer: $25,000
Home improvement contractor: $25,000
Mortgage lender / broker: $12,500–$50,000
Notary public: $2,000

How it works in this state

How District of Columbia bonding is organized

How the District organizes these bonds

Vehicle-dealer and home-improvement bonds file with DLCP on agency bond forms. Cash is often an alternative to a surety bond. Electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration contractors licensed by the Board of Industrial Trades usually need a company bond and a separate bond for the licensed master, each matching that trade’s published expiration date. Mortgage and money-transmitter bonds file with DISB, typically through NMLS. Notaries complete the ONCA bond after the appointment notice arrives.

What this hub does not treat as District-wide license bonds

Elevator contractor bonding appears on the industrial-trades schedule but is a specialty trade outside this set. This hub does not publish a District collection-agency or credit-services license bond. Ordinary insurance-producer licenses were not confirmed as requiring a District-wide producer bond. Bid, performance, and payment project bonds stay outside the Resource Center.

District of Columbia bond directory

Find your bond requirement

These guides cover license and permit bonds with verified educational content. Your agency notice or application checklist is always the final authority.

BondAgencyCommon amountHow you file

Who sets the requirement?

District of Columbia licensing agencies

Each agency below sets its own bond requirement. Open the related guide for amounts and filing steps.

DLCP — Motor vehicle dealer licensing

Licenses motor vehicle dealers and receives the $25,000 dealer bond (or cash equivalent).

Open related guide →

DLCP — Home improvement contractors

Licenses home improvement contractors and receives the $25,000 home-improvement bond.

Open related guide →

DLCP — Board of Industrial Trades

Licenses electrical, plumbing/gasfitting, and refrigeration/air-conditioning contractors and designated masters.

Open related guide →

DISB — Mortgage licensing

Licenses mortgage lenders, brokers, and dual-authority firms and receives the volume-based bonds through NMLS.

Open related guide →

DISB — Money transmission

Licenses money transmitters under the Money Transmitters Act and receives the location-based bond or other approved security.

Open related guide →

Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications

Commissions notaries and receives the $2,000 ONCA bond form covering the five-year term.

Open related guide →

Before you apply

Confirm these details from the agency notice

Bring these five items when you request a bond. For the full checklist, see how to read a bond requirement.

1
Match names and offices
DISB mortgage and money-transmitter bonds must list every office covered. Industrial-trades bonds must name the company or designated master exactly as licensed.
2
Use the agency form
DLCP posts fillable dealer, home-improvement, electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration bond forms. ONCA sends a notary bond form with the appointment notice—substitutes are not accepted.
3
Align expiration dates
Trade-contractor bonds must expire on the Board’s published date for that trade. Money-transmitter and mortgage bonds should cover the DISB license period shown on the checklist.

Learn more about surety bonds

Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.

Frequently asked questions

Is home improvement the same bond as an electrical contractor license?

No. Home improvement contractors post a $25,000 DLCP bond under the home-improvement regulations. Electrical, plumbing/gasfitting, and refrigeration/air-conditioning firms file separate Board of Industrial Trades company and master bonds on different amounts and expiration calendars.

Does the District require a collection-agency surety bond?

This hub does not publish a District collection-agency license bond. Commercial summaries sometimes cite a $25,000 figure, but no current official DISB or DLCP bond schedule for a collection-agency license was independently verified for these pages.

Can a money transmitter use something other than a surety bond?

Yes. D.C. Code § 26-1007 allows a surety bond, an irrevocable letter of credit, or other security the Commissioner accepts, including approved cash or securities deposits for some or all of the required amount.

Start your District of Columbia bond application

District of Columbia will be preselected in the application. Choose the bond type on the next step—we verify the current agency form before anything is issued.

Start a bond application

Last verified 2026-08-11. Official sources are retained with this guide and checked before publication.

Agents Ready to Help

Need help matching a District of Columbia agency notice to the correct bond form? Our surety team can review the requirement with you.

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