Bonds & Surety› Contractor License Bonds › Oregon
Yes. Oregon sets the bond by endorsement, from $15,000 for a residential limited contractor up to $80,000 for a commercial general contractor level 1.
Yes. A CCB license is required to work as a construction contractor in Oregon, and the bond amount is set by which endorsement you hold. The bond is filed with Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) and it is a condition of holding the license, not an optional extra.
| License class | Bond amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Residential general contractor | $25,000 | |
| Residential specialty contractor | $20,000 | |
| Residential limited contractor | $15,000 | |
| Residential developer | $25,000 | |
| Home services contractor | $15,000 | |
| Residential locksmith services | $15,000 | |
| Home inspector services | $15,000 | |
| Home performance score contractor | $15,000 | |
| Commercial general contractor level 1 | $80,000 | The largest bond Oregon requires. |
| Commercial general contractor level 2 | $25,000 | |
| Commercial specialty contractor level 1 | $55,000 | |
| Commercial specialty contractor level 2 | $25,000 | |
| Commercial developer | $25,000 |
House Bill 2922 raised every endorsement by $5,000 effective January 1, 2024, but the text of ORS 701.084 still recites the older figures - $75,000 for a commercial general contractor level 1, $50,000 for a commercial specialty level 1, and $20,000 at level 2. A contractor who checks the statute gets a number that is no longer current. The CCB licensing page carries the amounts in force.
Residential general and residential developer $500,000 per occurrence; residential specialty $300,000 per occurrence; residential limited, home services, locksmith, home inspector and home performance score $100,000 per occurrence. Commercial general level 1 $2,000,000 aggregate; commercial general level 2 and commercial specialty level 1 $1,000,000 aggregate; commercial specialty level 2 and commercial developer $500,000 per occurrence.
The bond and the liability policy do different jobs and a licensing board will check for both. If you are buying them separately from separate places, you are the one reconciling the details.
You do not pay the face amount of the bond. You pay a premium, which is a percentage of it, and that percentage is set by underwriting - primarily your personal credit, how long you have been in business, and your financial position. A contractor with strong credit pays a small fraction of the bond amount. A contractor with credit problems pays more, and sometimes needs a market built for that situation, which we have.
We do not quote rates on a web page, and anyone who does is guessing at your file. For the mechanics of how bond pricing works, see how much contractor bonds cost. For a real number, call us.
This is the distinction that costs Oregon contractors work. A license bond is what the state or the city requires before it will let you operate. It is a fixed amount, it renews annually, and it protects the public. It says nothing about whether you can bond a job.
A performance bond is different. That is job-specific, written at the full contract value, and it is what an owner requires before awarding you the work. Contractors who assume their license bond makes them "bonded" find out otherwise the first time they try to bid public work.
The two are connected in one direction that matters: the financial file that gets you a license bond easily is the same file a surety underwriter reads when you ask for a performance bond. Building it properly now is what makes the bigger bond reachable later. See how contractors qualify for bonds and how a bond program gets built.
A license bond is also not insurance. It does not protect you - if a claim is paid, you reimburse the surety. See surety bonds versus insurance.
Our team writes contractor license bonds nationally and we never decline a submission - our job is to find the path to yes. Tell us the classification you are applying for and we will tell you what it takes. If you are building toward bigger work, we will look at the whole program, not just the bond in front of you.
Call the Grit team: (801) 505-5500
Yes. Oregon sets the bond by endorsement, from $15,000 for a residential limited contractor up to $80,000 for a commercial general contractor level 1.
The amount is set by license class: Residential general contractor $25,000; Residential specialty contractor $20,000; Residential limited contractor $15,000; Residential developer $25,000; Home services contractor $15,000; Residential locksmith services $15,000. You pay a premium rather than the face amount, and that premium is set by underwriting.
No. A license bond is a fixed annual requirement to hold your license and it protects the public. A performance bond is job-specific, written at the full contract value, and required by the project owner before award. Holding a license bond does not mean you can bond a job.
No. A surety bond protects the party the bond runs to. If a claim is paid on your bond, you reimburse the surety. Liability insurance protects your business; a bond does not.
A note on the details: Bond amounts, licensing thresholds, and filing rules change, and they vary by classification and by the agency issuing the license. Use this page as a starting point, not as legal advice. Confirm the current requirement with the licensing authority before you file, and confirm your own bond requirement with a licensed member of our team.
Already licensed and looking for work to bid? See where to find public construction work to bid on in Oregon, and the national guide to contractor license and permit bonds.