Pennsylvania does not run a single statewide general-contractor license bond. Home improvement contractors who perform $5,000 or more of residential work in a year register with the Office of Attorney General under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and show liability insurance minima—not a statewide surety. Cities and counties may still demand local contractor or permit bonds; those stay outside this hub. The statewide instruments published here come from discrete programs: PennDOT Regulated Client Services for manufacturer/dealer, agent, messenger, and salvor designations on Form MV-375; the Department of State for notary commissions and Credit Services Act advance-fee security; the Department of Banking and Securities for Mortgage Licensing Act firms, Motor Vehicle Sales Finance licensees, and money transmitters; and the Insurance Department for title insurance agent surety. Bid, performance, and payment bonds for individual jobs are project instruments, not license guides.
Pennsylvania · Surety Bond Resource Center
Pennsylvania surety bonds
Pennsylvania’s statewide license bonds sit with several agencies, not one contractor board. PennDOT’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles uses Form MV-375 for dealers, agents, messengers, and salvors. Notaries public post a Department of State surety—currently $25,000 under Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts rules—then record it with the county recorder of deeds. The Department of Banking and Securities receives Mortgage Licensing Act schedules, Motor Vehicle Sales Finance amounts, and the $1,000,000 money transmitter surety. Credit services organizations that take advance fees use a volume-based Department of State bond or trust account, while title insurance agents post at least $100,000 with the Insurance Department. Home improvement work is statewide registration with insurance—not a surety—and ordinary construction trades are not covered by a statewide contractor license bond.
Pennsylvania at a glance
- Manufacturer / dealer (MV-375)
- $20,000
- Notary public
- $25,000
- Money transmitter
- $1,000,000
Per place of business on PennDOT Form MV-375; other BMV designations use different amounts on the same form.
4 Pa. Code § 167.16 for new/reappointed commissions on or after March 28, 2026; record within 45 days.
Act 249 § 6; DoBS may order an additional bond after examination under the statutory volume formula.
How it works in this state
How Pennsylvania bonding is organized
Pennsylvania 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.
- Motor Vehicle Dealer / Agent BondLicense & permitPennDOT Bureau of Motor Vehicles — Regulated Client Services$3,000–$50,000 by designationFile Form MV-375 with PennDOT Bureau of Motor VehiclesStays in force while authorized; 60-day BMV cancellation notice
- Notary Public BondLicense & permitPennsylvania Department of State — Notaries$25,000Record the Department of State bond with the county recorder of deedsFour-year commission; reappointment needs a current-amount bond and new recording
- Mortgage Licensing Act BondLicense & permitPennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities$25,000–$500,000 by license typeFile electronically through NMLS with the Department of Banking and SecuritiesMaintain for license term; 30-day cancellation notice to DoBS
- Sales Finance / Collector-Repossessor BondLicense & permitPennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities$10,000 / $5,000File the department form through the DoBS PortalFile with license application/renewal; keep active per location
- Credit Services Organization BondLicense & permitPennsylvania Department of State (Credit Services Act bond form)$5,000–$25,000Surety bond or statutory trust account, using the Department of State formAdjust annually by the tenth day of the first month of the fiscal year
- Money Transmitter BondLicense & permitPennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities — Non-Depository Licensing$1,000,000Upload the company bond in NMLS (not Electronic Surety Bond)Renewal application must include a conforming bond; license term ≤ 14 months
- Title Insurance Agent BondLicense & permitPennsylvania Insurance Department — Bureau of Licensing and EnforcementNot less than $100,000File the Insurance Department form through Sircon / NIPRStays in force until canceled; 30-day notice to Insurance Department
Who sets the requirement?
Pennsylvania licensing agencies
Each agency below sets its own bond requirement. Open the related guide for amounts and filing steps.
PennDOT Bureau of Motor Vehicles — Regulated Client Services
Receives Form MV-375 bonds for manufacturers/dealers, full agents, card agents, messenger services, and salvors. The bond stays in force while authorized.
Open related guide →Pennsylvania Department of State — Notaries
Appoints notaries public and requires a surety bond in the amount set by statute and regulation before the commission is effective.
Open related guide →Department of Banking and Securities — Mortgage Licensing Act
Licenses mortgage brokers, lenders, servicers, and originators through NMLS and receives the surety bonds 7 Pa.C.S. § 6131 requires.
Open related guide →Department of Banking and Securities — Motor Vehicle Sales Finance
Licenses sales finance companies and collector-repossessors who file Title 12 surety bonds for each place of business.
Open related guide →Department of Banking and Securities — Money Transmitters
Licenses money and virtual-currency transmitters through NMLS and receives the Act 249 $1,000,000 surety (and any ordered additional bond).
Open related guide →Pennsylvania Insurance Department — Title Agents
Licenses title insurance agents and receives the § 910-26.1(3) surety of not less than $100,000.
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
Who requires it
Confirm whether you need a PennDOT MV-375 designation bond, a Department of State notary or credit-services instrument, a DoBS NMLS surety for mortgage, sales finance, or money transmission, or an Insurance Department title-agent surety.
- 2
Bond title or form
Use Form MV-375 for BMV designations, the notary bond issued with appointment materials, the Credit Services Organization form when advance fees apply, the NMLS-acceptable DoBS bond for each published non-bank program, or the Insurance Department–prescribed title-agent form.
- 3
Required amount
Match the MV-375 schedule by designation; notary $25,000 for new/reappointed commissions under current regulation; mortgage and credit-services amounts from their schedules; sales finance $10,000 / collector-repossessor $5,000; money transmitter $1,000,000; title agent at least $100,000.
- 4
License / business identifiers
Keep the name on the bond identical to the PennDOT, Department of State, NMLS/DoBS, or Insurance Department filing, including every place of business the statute or form bonds separately.
- 5
Term / continuation
MV-375 bonds stay in force with at least 60 days’ BMV notice before cancellation. Many DoBS and title-agent bonds require at least 30 days’ notice to the department. Notary commissions run four years and need a valid bond on file the entire term.
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 Pennsylvania require a statewide home improvement contractor bond?
No. Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act registration with the Attorney General requires liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage (or approved self-insurance)—not a statewide surety bond. Local governments may still impose their own contractor or permit bonds.
Is there a statewide general contractor license bond?
No statewide general-contractor license bond appears in the verified programs published here. Ordinary construction trades follow local licensing or permit rules where a city or county requires them, plus HICPA registration when residential home improvement thresholds apply.
Does Pennsylvania license third-party collection agencies with a surety bond?
DoBS non-bank materials do not identify a general statewide third-party collection-agency license bond. Motor Vehicle Sales Finance collector-repossessors use a specific Title 12 instrument; confirm other activities directly with DoBS before treating commercial “collection agency bond” claims as official.
Is an auctioneer bond listed in this commercial guide?
No. Pennsylvania’s $5,000 auctioneer and auction-registrant bond was verified under the Auctioneer Licensing and Trading Assistant Registration Act, but it is excluded from this hub’s core commercial scope.
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Last verified 2026-08-11. Official sources are retained with this guide and checked before publication.
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