Wisconsin spreads statewide surety across several agencies. The Department of Transportation Dealer & Agent Section handles retail and wholesale motor vehicle dealer bonds and letters of credit under chapter 218. The Department of Financial Institutions licenses collection agencies, sales finance companies, mortgage bankers and brokers, and credit services organizations, and it also commissions notaries. The Department of Safety and Professional Services issues dwelling contractor credentials and manufactured home dealer licenses that require proof of financial responsibility—often a surety, but a qualifying financial statement (manufactured home dealers) or general liability insurance (dwelling contractors) can satisfy the rules instead. There is no single statewide commercial general-contractor license bond; municipalities may impose their own contractor or permit bonds, and project bid, performance, and payment bonds remain job-specific instruments. Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC trade credentials were researched for this hub and were not verified as requiring a statewide license surety comparable to the guides published here.
Wisconsin · Surety Bond Resource Center
Wisconsin surety bonds
Wisconsin’s statewide license bonds span WisDOT dealer licensing, Department of Financial Institutions consumer-finance programs, DSPS dwelling-contractor and manufactured-home-dealer financial responsibility, and DFI notary commissions. Retail motor vehicle dealers post $50,000 of WisDOT security ($5,000 if they sell only motorcycles); wholesalers post $25,000. Sales finance companies file at least $25,000 with DFI. Collection agencies size electronic surety from DFI’s annual volume schedule. Mortgage bankers and brokers post $300,000 or $120,000 under Wis. Stat. § 224.72, with branch add-ons after five offices. Credit services organizations register with a $25,000 bond or letter of credit. Dwelling contractors may satisfy financial responsibility with a surety (at least $5,000; $25,000 or more for unrestricted certification) or with $250,000 liability insurance. Manufactured home dealers show DSPS financial responsibility with either Form SBD-10679 surety or a net-worth financial statement under SPS 305.323 tables ($25,000–$100,000). Four-year notaries file a $500 official bond. Wisconsin does not impose a single statewide general-contractor bond for commercial trades; electrical, plumbing, and HVAC credentials were not verified as carrying statewide license sureties of the kind published here.
Wisconsin at a glance
- Motor vehicle dealer (retail)
- $50,000 ($5,000 motorcycle-only)
- Collection agency
- Volume-based from $25,000
- Mortgage banker / broker
- $300,000 / $120,000
- Sales finance company
- $25,000 minimum
- Credit services organization
- $25,000
- Dwelling contractor
- $5,000+ bond or $250,000 GL
- Manufactured home dealer
- $25,000–$100,000
- Notary public
- $500
WisDOT Form MV2511 or irrevocable letter of credit; wholesaler $25,000.
DFI annual bond schedule (Form LFS420); NMLS electronic surety.
Plus $10,000 per branch beyond five (DFI-Bkg 40.05).
Wis. Stat. § 218.0114(5)(b); DFI / NMLS.
Bond or irrevocable letter of credit under Wis. Stat. § 422.502.
Unrestricted path typically $25,000+ bond or insurance alternative.
Optional SBD-10679 surety or net-worth statement (SPS 305.323).
Four-year commission; permanent attorney commissions need no bond.
How it works in this state
How Wisconsin bonding is organized
Wisconsin 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.
- WisDOT Motor Vehicle Dealer BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Transportation — Dealer & Agent Section$50,000 retail; $5,000 motorcycle-only; $25,000 wholesaleFile Form MV2511 with WisDOT, or Form MV1046 irrevocable letter of creditKeep continuous while licensed; coordinate with dealer license renewals
- Sales Finance Company BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Division of Banking$25,000 minimumFile electronically through NMLS, or a Division-acceptable letter of creditKeep continuous; renew license and surety through NMLS
- Collection Agency BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Division of BankingVolume-based from $25,000File electronically through NMLS; recalculate annually from volumeRecalculate on annual report; rider ESB in NMLS; renew license by year-end
- Mortgage Banker & Broker BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Mortgage Banking$300,000 banker; $120,000 brokerCommercial surety payable to the division; stays in force while licensedKeep continuous; 60-day termination notice; renew via NMLS
- Credit Services Organization BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Bureau of Consumer Affairs$25,000File DFI Form BCA301, or a qualifying letter of creditKeep continuous while registered; 60-day surety cancellation notice to Division
- Dwelling Contractor BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services$5,000+ bond (restricted) or $25,000+ / $250,000 GLState-named surety bond or qualifying general liability insurance; 30-day cancellation noticeKeep continuous proof on file; renew credential through LicensE
- Manufactured Home Dealer BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services — Manufactured Home Unit$25,000–$100,000 by class and annual salesFile Form SBD-10679 surety, or Form SBD-10678 net-worth statementFour-year license; resubmit bond or financial statement at renewal
- Notary Public BondLicense & permitWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Notary Public$500File the four-year official bond with the Department of Financial Institutions; not cancellable once filedExpires with the four-year commission; rebond when reapplying
Who sets the requirement?
Wisconsin licensing agencies
Each agency below sets its own bond requirement. Open the related guide for amounts and filing steps.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation — Dealer & Agent Section
Licenses motor vehicle dealers and wholesalers and receives Form MV2511 surety or letter-of-credit security.
Open related guide →Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Licensed Financial Services
Licenses collection agencies and sales finance companies and receives related electronic surety bonds.
Open related guide →Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Mortgage Banking
Licenses mortgage bankers and mortgage brokers and receives the statutory commercial surety bonds.
Open related guide →Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Bureau of Consumer Affairs
Registers credit services organizations and receives the $25,000 bond or letter of credit.
Open related guide →Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
Issues dwelling contractor certifications and reviews proof of financial responsibility.
Open related guide →Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services — Manufactured Home Unit
Licenses manufactured home dealers and receives Form SBD-10679 surety or Form SBD-10678 financial-statement proof.
Open related guide →Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Notary Public
Commissions notaries and receives the $500 official surety for four-year commissions.
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 your bond runs to WisDOT (motor vehicle dealer/wholesaler), DFI Licensed Financial Services, DFI Mortgage Banking, DFI Consumer Affairs (CSO), DSPS (dwelling contractor or manufactured home dealer), or DFI Notary.
- 2
Bond title or form
Use WisDOT MV2511 / MV1046 for motor vehicle dealers, NMLS electronic surety for collection and sales finance licenses, the DFI CSO bond form for credit services registration, DSPS SBD-10679 or SBD-10678 for manufactured home dealers, DSPS-acceptable dwelling-contractor surety or insurance proof, and the DFI notary bond form for four-year commissions.
- 3
Required amount
Match the statute or schedule for your exact license class—dealer tiers, collection volume schedule, mortgage banker vs broker amounts, manufactured home table amounts, or the $500 notary amount.
- 4
Insurance or statement alternatives
Dwelling contractors may use qualifying general liability insurance instead of a surety. Manufactured home dealers may use a net-worth financial statement instead of Form SBD-10679. Do not assume a bond is mandatory for those credentials.
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 Wisconsin require a statewide general contractor bond?
No single commercial general-contractor license bond was verified for statewide publication here. Dwelling contractors working on one- and two-family homes must show DSPS financial responsibility—by surety or liability insurance. Cities and counties may add local contractor or permit bonds. Project bid, performance, and payment bonds are separate.
Is the roofing contractor bond a separate statewide instrument?
Wisconsin does not maintain a separate statewide “roofing contractor” license bond in the materials verified for this hub. Roofing work on one- and two-family dwellings typically falls under the dwelling contractor financial-responsibility rules at DSPS when a building permit is required.
Do motorcycle-only dealers post the same bond as car dealers?
No. Wis. Stat. § 218.0114(5)(a) sets at least $50,000 for motor vehicle dealers generally, but not less than $5,000 when the dealer sells or proposes to sell motorcycles and not other types of motor vehicles.
Is a manufactured home dealer bond the same as a WisDOT car-dealer bond?
No. Manufactured home dealers are licensed by DSPS under Wis. Stat. § 101.951 and may use Form SBD-10679 surety or a net-worth statement under SPS 305.323. Motor vehicle dealers bond with WisDOT under chapter 218.
Start your Wisconsin bond application
Wisconsin 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 2026-08-10. Official sources are retained with this guide and checked before publication.
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