Direct answer: Yes, the CSLB bond increased — from $15,000 to $25,000, effective January 1, 2023, under Senate Bill 607 (Chapter 367, Statutes of 2021), which amended Business and Professions Code § 7071.6. The bond of qualifying individual and the disciplinary bond floor rose in the same bill. Both amounts remain current in 2026.
The CSLB Bond Increase$15,000 → $25,000 Under SB 607
This page exists for one job: explaining exactly what SB 607 changed, how sureties actually implemented the increase for contractors who already held a bond, and whether your CSLB file could still be showing the old amount. For the bond itself — quote, filing, activation — see the CSLB bond product page.
SB 607, Chapter 367: The Bill That Doubled the CSLB Bond
Senate Bill 607 was approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State on September 28, 2021, becoming Chapter 367 of the Statutes of 2021. It amended three sections of the Business and Professions Code that govern CSLB bonding, but wrote in a delayed operative date: none of the new amounts took effect until January 1, 2023 — a roughly 15-month lead time between chaptering and enforcement, which is what gave sureties and the CSLB itself room to build the rider process described below.
Three bond amounts moved in the same bill, not just the one most contractors notice:
Every CSLB Bond Amount SB 607 Changed
All three took effect on the same date: January 1, 2023.
| Bond | Statute | Before SB 607 | After SB 607 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor's License Bond | BPC § 7071.6 | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Bond of Qualifying Individual | BPC § 7071.9 | $12,500 | $25,000 |
| Disciplinary Bond — floor | BPC § 7071.8 | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Disciplinary Bond — ceiling | BPC § 7071.8 (10x § 7071.6) | $150,000 | $250,000 |
The disciplinary bond ceiling is not a fixed number in the statute — it is defined as 10 times whatever amount § 7071.6 currently requires, so it scaled automatically when the base bond doubled.
Source: SB 607 (2021), Chapter 367, Statutes of 2021; Business and Professions Code §§ 7071.6, 7071.8, 7071.9
Official California Requirements
"A bond required by this section shall be in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). This section shall become operative on January 1, 2023."California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) / Business and Professions Code § 7071.6, as amended by SB 607 (2021) • California Business and Professions Code § 7071.6
Rider vs. New Bond: How Sureties Actually Implemented the Increase
SB 607 told sureties what the new number had to be. It did not tell them how to get existing $15,000 bonds there — that part was left to the market, and it split into three distinct paths.
Carriers on CSLB’s blanket endorsement list had existing $15,000 bonds adjusted to $25,000 automatically via a rider filed with CSLB. No new application, no new bond number — just an endorsement on file.
Contractors had to contact their surety directly and request the increase. Some carriers issued a rider; others closed the $15,000 bond and issued a fresh $25,000 bond with a new bond number — a distinction that matters if a prior claim history is tied to the old bond number.
Licensees who posted a cashier’s check or cash deposit under CCP § 995.710 instead of a surety bond had no rider path available — there is no surety document to endorse. CSLB directed them to contact the Board’s licensing office directly to add the additional funds.
Source: CSLB Bond Requirements — describes both the blanket-endorsement path for surety bonds and the direct-contact path for cash/cashier’s-check deposits.
What the Bond Increase Actually Cost: Premium Deltas by Credit Tier
A bigger bond does not mean a proportionally bigger check. Premium is rate times bond amount — at a constant rate, a $10,000 jump in bond size produces a proportional, not dramatic, jump in annual premium.
Annual CSLB Premium Delta: $15,000 Bond vs. $25,000 Bond
Based on a $25,000 (up from $15,000) bond amount
- 750+ FICO (excellent)Rate: 0.5% – 1.0%$125 – $250 (was $75 – $150)
- 680 – 749 (good)Rate: 1.0% – 2.0%$250 – $500 (was $150 – $300)
- 620 – 679 (fair)Rate: 2.0% – 4.0%$500 – $1,000 (was $300 – $600)
- Below 620 (challenged)Rate: 4.0% – 10%+$1,000 – $2,500 (was $600 – $1,500)
Delta is the pure arithmetic effect of the $15,000 -> $25,000 base-amount increase at a constant rate — it does not include independent rate changes individual carriers made in 2023. Rate bands reflect BuySuretyBonds.com surety panel pricing, 2026, applied to the SB 607 before/after amounts.
A $50 excellent-credit delta is the floor, not the average
Top-tier credit absorbs the increase almost painlessly — as little as $50 more per year. The dollar delta grows with the rate, which is why a contractor with challenged credit felt the increase far more than one with excellent credit, even though both bonds moved by the same $10,000.
Want your real number?
Use the dedicated CSLB bond cost calculator for a current, post-SB 607 estimate by credit tier and term length, or read the full surety bond cost guide for every variable underwriters use.
The Disciplinary Bond Floor Moved Too — and So Did the Ceiling
Most coverage of SB 607 stops at the $25,000 headline number. The bill also touched Business and Professions Code § 7071.8 — the disciplinary bond required of licensees reinstating after board discipline — and the way it did so is worth understanding on its own.
The disciplinary bond floor is a fixed dollar figure in the statute, and SB 607 raised it from $15,000 to $25,000, matching the new base bond. But the ceiling is not a fixed number at all — § 7071.8 defines it as “10 times that amount required by Section 7071.6.” That means when the base bond doubled, the disciplinary bond ceiling scaled with it automatically: $150,000 before SB 607, $250,000 after, without the Legislature having to touch the ceiling language itself. The Registrar still sets the exact amount within that range based on the seriousness of the violation.
If you are reinstating a license and need the full underwriting picture for this bond — collateral requirements, why standard admitted carriers often decline it, and the specialty markets that write it — see the dedicated California disciplinary bond page.
Not sure if your file ever got updated to $25,000?
We check your CSLB record and get you a compliant $25,000 bond the same business day — whether you need a rider-equivalent replacement or a first-time bond.
Get Your QuoteIs Your CSLB File Still Compliant in 2026?
By 2026, the increase is not new news — which means a $15,000 bond still on file is not "not yet updated," it is out of compliance. Three scenarios explain most of the gaps we still see.
The fastest way to check
Search your license number on the CSLB public license lookup — the bonding section shows the bond amount currently on file. If it reads $15,000 (or $12,500 for the qualifying-individual bond), the file is out of compliance today, not "about to be." Use the form above and we will get a compliant $25,000 bond filed the same business day for normal-credit applicants.
CSLB Bond Increase FAQs: SB 607, Riders, and What Else Changed
The questions producers get most often about the 2023 bond increase.
Is the CSLB bond still $25,000 in 2026, or has it gone up again?
Do I need a brand-new bond, or will my surety just endorse the one I have?
Why did the qualifying individual's bond also jump — I thought that was a separate bond?
What happened to the $150,000 disciplinary bond ceiling when the base bond doubled?
I paid a cash deposit instead of buying a bond — did SB 607 affect me differently?
Was the bond increase the only thing SB 607 changed for CSLB licensees?
Primary Sources for This Page
SB 607 (2021) full text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (SB 607)
BPC § 7071.6 (as amended): leginfo.ca.gov § 7071.6
BPC § 7071.8 (disciplinary bond): leginfo.ca.gov § 7071.8
CSLB Bond Requirements page: cslb.ca.gov/bond_requirements
CSLB phone: (800) 321-2752
Verify your own file directly with CSLB before relying on any third-party summary, including this one — statutes and agency guidance can change.
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Treasury-listed carriers • A- minimum AM Best rating • BPC § 7071.6 as amended by SB 607