Maryland · Surety Bond Resource Center

Maryland surety bonds

Maryland’s published statewide license bonds in this hub sit with the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) for motor vehicle dealers, the Maryland Home Improvement Commission for remodelers who cannot show personal financial solvency, the Commissioner of Financial Regulation and State Collection Agency Licensing Board for lending and collections credentials, and the Maryland Insurance Administration for title insurance producers. Dealer amounts under Transportation Article § 15-308 follow new-vehicle, used-vehicle, and trailer schedules from $5,000 to $300,000 by sales volume. MHIC posts official $30,000 and $100,000 surety forms when an applicant does not meet solvency guidelines or uses the Commission’s bond path instead of an indemnitor. Mortgage lenders—Maryland’s umbrella that covers brokering, making loans, and servicing—size $50,000 to $750,000 under Financial Institutions Article § 11-508, with Commissioner volume tiers for Maryland lending and servicing books. Money transmitters post the greater of $150,000 or 100% of average daily Maryland transmission liability for the latest completed quarter, capped at $2,000,000. Collection agencies currently file a Board-set $50,000 continuous bond within a statutory $50,000–$1,000,000 range. Credit services businesses bond through the Subtitle 2 / Subtitle 3 licensing path at $50,000–$200,000 as the Commissioner determines. Title insurance producers file a $150,000 surety or letter of credit (and, for most business entities, a separate $150,000 fidelity bond). Maryland does not require a notary public surety. New-home builder registration with the Attorney General’s Home Builder Registration Unit is not the same instrument as an MHIC license bond, and deposit-return sureties under Real Property Title 10 are outside this commercial-core set.

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Surety bond certificate and license approval illustration

Maryland at a glance

Motor vehicle dealer: $5,000–$300,000
Home improvement contractor (MHIC): $30,000 or $100,000
Mortgage lender (broker / lender / servicer): $50,000–$750,000
Money transmitter: $150,000–$2,000,000
Collection agency: $50,000
Credit services business: $50,000–$200,000
Title insurance producer: $150,000

How it works in this state

How Maryland bonding is organized

How Maryland organizes these bonds

Vehicle dealer licensing and bonding run through MDOT MVA under Transportation Article Title 15—sales-volume schedules decide the amount, and one approved bond can cover the primary location plus supplemental locations sharing the same dealer license number. Home improvement work on residences and small apartment buildings is an MHIC license problem: everyone must show personal financial solvency for Guaranty Fund purposes, and only applicants who miss those guidelines (or who follow MHIC’s surety path) file the Commission’s $30,000 or $100,000 bond forms. Mortgage lenders, money transmitters, credit services businesses, and collection agencies file continuous electronic or Board sureties with the Commissioner of Financial Regulation or the State Collection Agency Licensing Board, usually through NMLS, with amounts that either sit on published volume tiers, a liability formula, or a Board/Commissioner determination inside a statutory range. Title insurance producers answer to the Maryland Insurance Administration with a fixed $150,000 surety or letter of credit—and a separate fidelity layer for most firm licenses.

What this hub does not treat as statewide license bonds

Maryland does not require a notary public surety bond. Registering as a new home builder with the Attorney General’s Home Builder Registration Unit is a registration-and-fee regime; the sample surety and letter-of-credit forms on that unit’s page support Real Property Title 10 deposit-return security when a builder or vendor takes money before completing a new home—not an MHIC-style fixed license bond for every registrant. Environmental specialty instruments such as sewage-sludge utilization performance bonds sit outside this commercial-core set. Local permit, project bid/performance/payment, and court bonds are not published here.

Maryland 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?

Maryland licensing agencies

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

MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration — Dealer licensing

Issues motor vehicle and trailer dealer licenses and receives the Transportation Article § 15-308 surety sized by license type and sales volume.

Open related guide →

Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC)

Licenses home improvement contractors and salespersons; posts official surety forms for applicants who do not meet personal financial solvency guidelines.

Open related guide →

Commissioner of Financial Regulation — Mortgage lenders

Licenses mortgage lenders (brokers, lenders, and servicers) through NMLS and sets continuous sureties under Fin. Inst. § 11-508 and published Maryland volume tiers.

Open related guide →

Commissioner of Financial Regulation — Money transmission

Licenses money transmitters under the Maryland Money Transmission Act and receives § 12-412 surety devices sized by the statutory floor, liability formula, and cap.

Open related guide →

State Collection Agency Licensing Board

Licenses collection agencies under Business Regulation Title 7 and receives continuous sureties under § 7-304.

Open related guide →

Commissioner of Financial Regulation — Credit services businesses

Licenses credit services businesses under the Maryland Credit Services Businesses Act and Fin. Inst. Title 11 Subtitles 3 and 2 bonding rules.

Open related guide →

Maryland Insurance Administration — Title insurance producers

Licenses title insurance producers and receives the $150,000 surety or letter of credit (and related fidelity) under Insurance Article § 10-121.

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 the licensed legal name
Dealer, MHIC, OFR, Collection Agency Board, and MIA bonds must use the same legal and trade names that appear on the license or registration filing. NMLS electronic sureties need surety authority granted in the system before delivery.
2
Confirm activity-based amounts
Dealer amounts follow § 15-308 schedules. Mortgage amounts use the higher of applicable Maryland brokering/lending or servicing tiers. Money-transmitter amounts recompute from average daily Maryland liability each quarter. Collection and credit-services amounts sit inside Board or Commissioner ranges—use the amount currently shown for your license in NMLS or agency instructions.
3
Do not confuse MHIC with home-builder registration
MHIC covers home improvement on existing homes and small residential buildings. New-home construction registration is with the Home Builder Registration Unit. Deposit sureties under Real Property Title 10 protect buyer deposits; they are not substitutes for an MHIC solvency bond.

Learn more about surety bonds

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Maryland notaries need a surety bond?

No. Maryland does not require a notary public surety bond as a condition of commissioning. Secretary of State notary steps in this state do not include a statewide notary license surety of the type published in this Resource Center.

Is every MHIC contractor required to buy a surety bond?

No. MHIC requires every contractor applicant to meet personal financial solvency guidelines tied to Guaranty Fund exposure. A surety bond (or an indemnitor) is the path when those guidelines are not met. Contractors who satisfy solvency with personal assets and bank/credit documentation may not need a bond—confirm with MHIC on your file.

Is the home builder registration bond the same as the MHIC bond?

No. MHIC licenses home improvement on existing dwellings. New-home builders register with the Attorney General’s Home Builder Registration Unit. When builders or vendors take deposits before completing a new home, Real Property Title 10 allows escrow, a deposit-return surety, or a letter of credit—that deposit security is a different statute and purpose from MHIC’s solvency bond forms.

Does Maryland have a statewide general contractor license bond?

Maryland’s main statewide residential remodeling credential is the MHIC home improvement license, not a single general-contractor license bond for all construction. Public projects and local permits can still impose separate payment or performance bonds outside this hub.

Start your Maryland bond application

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

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

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