Utah · Surety Bond Resource Center

Utah surety bonds

Utah’s published statewide license bonds in this hub sit with the Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division, the Division of Professional Licensing, the Department of Financial Institutions, the Division of Consumer Protection, and the Lieutenant Governor’s Notary Office. New and used motor vehicle dealers file a $75,000 surety bond with MVED; motorcycle and small-trailer dealers file $10,000. DOPL contractor license bonds are not universal—R156-55a-602 sets classification floors of $50,000, $25,000, or $15,000 when a bond is required for financial-responsibility reasons under Utah Code § 58-55-306, so a flat $15,000 figure is only the specialty-classification minimum, not every contractor’s amount. DFI mortgage loan originators covered by Rule R343-5 post $12,500, $25,000, or $50,000 by prior-year volume (or ride an eligible employer entity bond). Money transmitters keep a $50,000 minimum surety under Utah Code § 7-25-204. Credit services organizations register with the Division of Consumer Protection and post $100,000 surety or a certificate of deposit. Notaries file a four-year $5,000 bond ($10,000 total coverage when adding remote online authority). Collection-agency registration and bonding were repealed in 2023.

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Utah at a glance

Motor vehicle dealer (MVED): $75,000 / $10,000
Contractor license (DOPL): $15,000–$50,000+
Mortgage loan originator (DFI): $12,500–$50,000
Money transmitter: $50,000
Credit services organization: $100,000
Notary public: $5,000

How it works in this state

How Utah bonding is organized

How Utah organizes these bonds

Vehicle dealer bonding is a Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division surety-bond requirement under Title 41, Chapter 3, with fixed amounts by dealer type and no cash substitute while operating. Contractor licensing through the Division of Professional Licensing uses financial-responsibility review first; a license bond appears only when statute and Rule R156-55a-602 demand it, and the amount then follows classification floors or debt/bankruptcy formulas—not a single $15,000 ticket for every trade. Residential mortgage activity splits between the Division of Real Estate (retail brokering and first-mortgage origination) and the Department of Financial Institutions (servicing, wholesale, and certain lenders), with the published R343-5 surety schedule applying to DFI mortgage loan originator licensing. Money transmitters and credit services organizations post fixed statutory floors through NMLS or the Division of Consumer Protection. Notary commissions run through the Lieutenant Governor with a four-year $5,000 surety.

What this hub does not treat as statewide license bonds

Utah repealed statewide collection-agency registration and bonding effective May 3, 2023; collectors may still need ordinary business-entity filings, but there is no Title 12 collection bond. A Division of Professional Licensing contractor who demonstrates financial responsibility may never post a license bond. Division of Real Estate residential mortgage entity licensing under Title 61, Chapter 2c is a separate credential path from the DFI R343-5 originator bond schedule published here. Local permit bonds, project bid/performance/payment bonds, and court bonds are outside this commercial-core set.

Utah 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?

Utah licensing agencies

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

Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division

Licenses motor vehicle dealers, body shops, and crushers and receives surety bonds under Title 41, Chapter 3.

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Utah Division of Professional Licensing — Construction trades

Licenses contractors and, when financial-responsibility rules require it, receives classification-based license bonds under R156-55a-602.

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Utah Department of Financial Institutions — Mortgage

Licenses certain mortgage loan originators and related Title 70D activities and receives R343-5 bond proof.

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Utah Department of Financial Institutions — Money transmitters

Licenses money transmitters under Title 7, Chapter 25 and receives the § 7-25-204 bond through NMLS.

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Utah Division of Consumer Protection — Credit services organizations

Registers credit services organizations and receives the $100,000 bond or certificate of deposit under Chapter 21 of Title 13.

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Utah Lieutenant Governor — Notary Office

Commissions notaries and receives the four-year $5,000 notarial bond (and increased coverage for remote online notaries).

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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
Confirm whether a contractor bond is even required
The Division of Professional Licensing does not automatically demand a license bond for every classification. Review financial-responsibility instructions and any Division notice before ordering a $15,000, $25,000, or $50,000 bond.
2
Match Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division dealer type to the correct amount
A $75,000 bond covers new or used motor vehicle dealers; motorcycle and small-trailer dealers use $10,000. Body shops and crushers have separate amounts on the same TC-450 family of forms.
3
Separate DRE and DFI mortgage paths
Retail first-mortgage brokering/origination is primarily a Division of Real Estate license problem. The Department of Financial Institutions’ R343-5 surety schedule applies to DFI mortgage loan originator licensing—confirm which agency licenses your activity before binding coverage.

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 all Utah contractors need a $15,000 license bond?

No. Fifteen thousand dollars is the Rule R156-55a-602 floor for classifications other than general contractors and R100 when a bond is required for financial-responsibility reasons. General classifications (except R100) use a $50,000 floor, R100 uses $25,000, and debt or bankruptcy formulas can push the amount higher. Many applicants who clear the Division of Professional Licensing’s financial-responsibility review never post a license bond at all.

Do Utah collection agencies still need a surety bond?

No. House Bill 20 repealed Utah Code §§ 12-1-1 through 12-1-10 effective May 3, 2023. The Division of Corporations no longer requires collection-agency registration or the associated bond. Ordinary business-entity filings may still apply.

Is the DFI mortgage loan originator bond the same as a DRE mortgage entity bond?

They are different regulatory tracks. The Division of Real Estate licenses retail residential mortgage entities and originators under Title 61, Chapter 2c. The Department of Financial Institutions’ published R343-5 surety schedule covers DFI mortgage loan originator licensing under Title 70D. Confirm which license you hold before ordering a bond.

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Utah 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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