Dealer bonds file with the Division of Motor Vehicles under the Department of Safety. Mortgage, money-transmission, small-loan, and debt-adjuster licenses run through the Banking Department and NMLS. Credit services organizations that take money before completing services file a bond copy or trust-account notice with the Secretary of State under chapter 359-D. Public adjusters file coverage with the Insurance Department under chapter 402-D. Principal and managing real estate brokers file a Commission-approved bond under RSA 331-A:14. There is no single statewide contractor license bond; electrical and plumbing licenses focus on exams and insurance rather than a building-contractor bond amount.
New Hampshire · Surety Bond Resource Center
New Hampshire surety bonds
New Hampshire’s published statewide license bonds sit with the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Banking Department’s Consumer Credit Division, the Secretary of State, the Insurance Department, and the Real Estate Commission. Retail, wholesale, and automotive recycling dealers—and certain utility dealers when DMV requires it—post a $25,000 bond under RSA 261:98. Mortgage brokers start at $50,000 and mortgage bankers and servicers at $100,000 under RSA 397-A:5; the Banking Department can require a higher amount. Money transmitters post between $100,000 and $500,000 under RSA 399-G:27, based on average daily New Hampshire transmission liability. Small-loan, payday, and title-loan lenders and debt adjusters each keep a $25,000 Banking Department bond. Credit services organizations that take fees before finishing services bond between $5,000 and $25,000 under RSA 359-D. Public adjusters post at least $20,000 under RSA 402-D:11. Principal and managing real estate brokers file at least $25,000 under RSA 331-A:14. New Hampshire does not require a statewide general-contractor license bond, a statewide collection-agency license bond, or a notary commission bond.
New Hampshire at a glance
- Motor vehicle dealer
- $25,000
- Mortgage broker / banker / servicer
- $50,000 / $100,000 minimums
- Money transmitter
- $100,000–$500,000
- Small loan / payday / title loan
- $25,000
- Debt adjuster
- $25,000
- Credit services organization
- $5,000–$25,000
- Public adjuster
- ≥ $20,000
- Principal / managing real estate broker
- ≥ $25,000
RSA 261:98; separate bond per trade name and community; DMV.
RSA 397-A:5; broker $50k; banker and servicer $100k; may increase by rule.
RSA 399-G:27; greater of $100k or 100% of average daily NH liability.
RSA 399-A:4; Banking Department / NMLS.
RSA 399-D:4; keep the bond active while licensed.
5% of prior-year fees when taking prepayment (RSA 359-D:3 / :8).
RSA 402-D:11; surety or irrevocable letter of credit.
RSA 331-A:14; Real Estate Commission.
How it works in this state
How New Hampshire bonding is organized
What this hub does not treat as statewide license bonds
New Hampshire has no statewide general-contractor or home-improvement license bond of the type published here. Street-opening and NHDOT right-of-way securities are local or job-specific. Third-party collection agencies do not have a dedicated statewide license bond in current law. Notary commissions do not require a bond. Title-insurance agents license as producers under RSA 416-A and RSA 402-J; this hub does not publish a statewide title-agent bond amount. Court-reporter, private-investigator, warehouse, and employee-leasing bonds are outside these guides, as are project bid, performance, payment, and court bonds.
New Hampshire 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
- Motor Vehicle Dealer BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles$25,000File with DMV; surety bond, or CD/letter of creditMaintain while licensed; 60-day cancellation notice to DMV
- Mortgage Banker / Broker / Servicer BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Banking Department — Consumer Credit Division$50,000 / $100,000 minimumsFile through NMLS; keep the bond active while licensedKeep the bond in place for the license term; 30-day cancellation notice
- Money Transmitter BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Banking Department — Consumer Credit Division$100,000–$500,000File through NMLS; surety bond or commissioner-approved depositStay covered while licensed; 30-day cancellation notice
- Small Loan Lender BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Banking Department — Consumer Credit Division$25,000File through NMLS; keep the bond active while licensedKeep the $25,000 bond in place while licensed; 30-day cancellation notice
- Debt Adjuster BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Banking Department — Consumer Credit Division$25,000File through NMLS; keep the bond active while licensedKeep coverage in place while licensed; 30-day cancellation notice
- Credit Services Organization BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Secretary of State$5,000–$25,000Surety bond or federally insured in-state trust accountRecalculate the amount each year; keep coverage while taking prepayment
- Public Adjuster BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Insurance Department≥ $20,000Surety bond or irrevocable letter of creditKeep coverage active while licensed. You cannot act as a public adjuster if it lapses.
- Real Estate Broker BondLicense & permitNew Hampshire Real Estate Commission≥ $25,000File a commission-approved bond with the Real Estate CommissionRequired for issuance and renewal; the commission can revoke the license if it lapses
Who sets the requirement?
New Hampshire licensing agencies
Each agency below sets its own bond requirement. Open the related guide for amounts and filing steps.
Division of Motor Vehicles — Dealer licensing
Licenses retail, wholesale, recycling, and utility dealers and receives the $25,000 RSA 261:98 surety.
Open related guide →Banking Department — Mortgage bankers, brokers, and servicers
Licenses nondepository mortgage companies through NMLS and receives RSA 397-A:5 sureties.
Open related guide →Banking Department — Money transmitters
Licenses money transmitters under RSA 399-G and receives the §399-G:27 security.
Open related guide →Banking Department — Small loan, payday, and title loan lenders
Licenses chapter 399-A lenders through NMLS and receives the $25,000 surety.
Open related guide →Banking Department — Debt adjusters
Licenses debt adjusters under RSA 399-D and receives the $25,000 bond.
Open related guide →Secretary of State — Credit services organizations
Receives copies of chapter 359-D sureties or trust-account notices for prepaid credit services.
Open related guide →Insurance Department — Public adjusters
Licenses public adjusters and receives RSA 402-D:11 bonds or letters of credit.
Open related guide →New Hampshire Real Estate Commission
Licenses principal and managing brokers and receives the RSA 331-A:14 surety.
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
Agency and license type
Confirm whether you need a DMV dealer bond, a Banking Department NMLS surety, a Secretary of State credit-services filing, an Insurance Department public-adjuster instrument, or a Real Estate Commission broker bond.
- 2
Exact legal name and locations
Match the principal name to the license application. Dealer bonds are required separately for each trade name and each community where you keep a place of business.
- 3
Required amount
Use the statutory amount for your license—$25,000 dealer; mortgage minima by type; money-transmitter liability formula; CSO fee percentage within the $5,000–$25,000 band; at least $20,000 for public adjusters; at least $25,000 for principal or managing brokers.
- 4
Keep the bond active
Dealer bonds generally require sixty days’ notice to DMV before canceling. Banking Department consumer-credit bonds and the public-adjuster bond typically require thirty days’ notice. Keep coverage in place while you hold the license.
Learn more about surety bonds
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Frequently asked questions
Does New Hampshire require a statewide contractor license bond?
No verified statewide general-contractor or home-improvement license bond is published in this hub. Building work often needs local permits, and regulated trades such as electrical and plumbing license through OPLC with insurance and exam rules rather than a universal statewide contractor bond amount. Municipal street-opening and NHDOT right-of-way securities are separate from a standing trade-license bond.
Do New Hampshire collection agencies need a state license bond?
Current law does not establish a dedicated statewide third-party collection-agency license surety of the kind published here. Collectors still follow federal FDCPA rules and New Hampshire consumer-protection statutes. Debt adjusters under RSA 399-D are a different Banking Department license with a $25,000 bond.
Do New Hampshire notaries need a surety bond?
No statewide notary surety appears in the commission framework under RSA chapter 455. Optional errors-and-omissions insurance is a personal choice, not a commission bond filed with the Secretary of State.
Is the money transmitter bond still a flat $100,000?
RSA 399-G:27, effective October 22, 2024, sets the amount at the greater of $100,000 or 100% of average daily New Hampshire money-transmission liability for the most recent three-month period, up to $500,000. If you already keep the $500,000 maximum, you do not have to recalculate the amount each quarter.
Start your New Hampshire bond application
New Hampshire will be preselected in the application. Choose the bond type on the next step—we verify the current agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-12. Official sources are retained with this guide and checked before publication.
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