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Last updated: General Connecticut surety bond information — confirm current requirements with the licensing authority.
Connecticut Surety Bonds

Connecticut Surety BondsMapped to the Agency That Requires Each One

A Connecticut surety bond guarantees you will follow the law behind a specific license — and in Connecticut the required amount depends entirely on which state body licenses you. The most commonly required bonds are the $60,000 motor vehicle dealer bond filed with the DMV, the $15,000 home improvement contractor bond registered with the Department of Consumer Protection, and the $50,000 mortgage broker bond filed with the Connecticut Department of Banking. The surety companies that write these bonds must be admitted insurers regulated by the Connecticut Insurance Department. Premium — what you actually pay — is typically 1–3% of the bond amount for qualified applicants. Two Connecticut quirks catch people off guard: notaries need no bond at all, while cannabis producers post a $2,000,000 bond.

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$60K auto dealer bond$15K HIC contractor bondMortgage broker/lender bonds$2M cannabis producer bondNotary: no bond needed

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Dealer, contractor, mortgage, cannabis, freight, probate & title bonds

Quick answer
In Connecticut the bond amount depends on which state body licenses you. The common ones are the $60,000 motor vehicle dealer bond with the DMV, the $15,000 home improvement contractor bond and the $50,000 mortgage broker bond. Notaries need no bond. The surety sets approval and price.
  • Who requires it: The DMV (dealers), the Department of Consumer Protection (home improvement contractors) and the Department of Banking (mortgage brokers). Sureties are regulated by the Connecticut Insurance Department.
  • Amount: $60,000 dealer, $15,000 home improvement contractor, $50,000 mortgage broker, $2,000,000 cannabis producer.
  • Typical cost (estimate): about 1-3% of the bond amount for qualified applicants. The surety sets the final price.
  • Timing: Same-day submission; most quotes within one business day.
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Connecticut's bonds run from $0 to $2 million

Most states cluster their license bonds in a tight $5,000–$50,000 band. Connecticut does not. On one end, a notary public posts nothing — the state simply does not require a notary bond. On the other, a licensed cannabis producer posts a $2,000,000 construction bond. Knowing where your license sits on this spectrum tells you almost everything about how the bond will be underwritten: the small ones are instant and credit-based; the large ones are financially underwritten like contract bonds. Here is the full span, smallest to largest.

Recent statutory change

The dealer bond went up 20% in 2022 — many pages still quote the old figure

Effective July 1, 2022, Connecticut increased the motor vehicle dealer bond from $50,000 to $60,000 through Public Act 22-44. The bond is filed with the DMV on Form K-158 and applies to new, used, and wholesale dealers. Because the increase is recent, some websites and older quote engines still list $50,000 — filing that amount now gets a license application rejected.

A 20% larger face amount does not mean a 20% larger premium jump for most dealers, but it does matter for challenged-credit applicants paying higher rates. Full breakdown on the Connecticut auto dealer bond page.

Quote the $60K dealer bond

Official Connecticut Requirements

"Connecticut does not require a notary public to post a surety bond. A person appointed as a notary must instead record the appointment with the clerk of the town where the notary resides within 30 days of the appointment."
Connecticut Secretary of the State • Conn. Gen. Stat. §3-94b (notary appointment — no bond)

Connecticut bonds, grouped by the agency that requires them

There is no single "Connecticut contractor" or "Connecticut business" bond. Each of these is triggered by a specific license from a specific state body. Click through to the page for the exact amount, filing form, and cost for your bond.

DMV Bonds

Dept. of Motor Vehicles
Dealer bond details

Consumer Protection Bonds

Dept. of Consumer Protection (DCP)
HIC bond details

Financial Bonds

Dept. of Banking (via NMLS)
  • Mortgage Broker — $50,000 minimum.
  • Mortgage Lender / Correspondent — $100,000 minimum, scaling toward $150,000 as origination volume rises.
Mortgage bond details

Federal Bonds (filed from CT)

FMCSA / U.S. Treasury Circular 570

Federal bonds aren't regulated by the CT Insurance Department — the surety must be Treasury-listed.

Probate Court Bonds

Connecticut Probate Courts
  • Fiduciary / Probate Bond — amount set by the court order when a fiduciary is appointed (C.G.S. §45a-139). No fixed figure.
Probate bond details

Secretary of the State

Commissions & filings
  • Notary Public — no bond (§3-94b). Record the commission with your town clerk within 30 days instead.
Notary bond requirements by state

Not sure which agency your license falls under? Tell us the license and we'll match the bond, amount, and filing form.

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Two different state agencies regulate a Connecticut bond

It confuses first-time applicants, so it's worth stating plainly: the agency that requires your bond is almost never the agency that regulates the surety company. Keeping these straight is what keeps a filing from bouncing.

The obligee (who requires the bond)

This is the DMV for dealers, the Department of Consumer Protection for HIC contractors and cannabis producers, the Department of Banking for mortgage licensees, and the Probate Court for fiduciaries. The obligee sets the bond amount and the form you must file.

  • DMV → Form K-158, $60,000 dealer bond
  • DCP → $15,000 HIC bond; $2M cannabis producer bond
  • Dept. of Banking (NMLS) → mortgage broker/lender bonds

The regulator (who oversees the surety)

For state bonds, the Connecticut Insurance Department licenses and monitors the solvency of the surety carriers that can legally issue the bond. If a carrier is not admitted in Connecticut, its bond may be rejected. For federal bonds like the freight broker BMC-84, the surety must instead sit on the U.S. Treasury's Circular 570 list.

We place every Connecticut bond with a carrier that meets the applicable standard, so your obligee accepts it on the first filing. Read the general primer on what a surety bond is and how the three parties fit together.

What a Connecticut bond actually costs

You do not pay the face amount. On a $15,000 HIC bond, you pay a one-time annual premium — not $15,000. For most Connecticut license bonds the rate lands between 1% and 3% of the bond amount for applicants with solid credit, with higher rates for challenged credit. Below is how the annual premium on a $15,000 HIC bond shifts by credit tier. For the full methodology, see our surety bond cost guide.

Want the number for your exact bond and credit? A quote takes a couple of minutes.

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Connecticut's most-requested bonds at a glance

Bond amount, the agency you file with, and the term, side by side. Click any bond above for the deep dive.

Connecticut Surety Bond Questions

Answers to what Connecticut applicants actually ask.

Do Connecticut notaries need a surety bond?

No. Connecticut is one of a handful of states that does not require a notary public to post a surety bond. The Secretary of the State administers notary commissions under Conn. Gen. Stat. §3-94b, and the qualification is an application, fee, and exam — not a bond. This surprises people relocating from bond states like Texas ($10,000) or Florida ($7,500). What Connecticut does require is that a newly commissioned notary record the commission with the town clerk of the town where they reside within 30 days. If a form or vendor tries to sell you a "Connecticut notary bond," you almost certainly do not need it — see our Connecticut notary page for what the state actually requires.

Why did the Connecticut auto dealer bond rise to $60,000?

Connecticut raised the motor vehicle dealer bond from $50,000 to $60,000 effective July 1, 2022, under Public Act 22-44 — a 20% increase. The bond is filed with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles on Form K-158 and covers new, used, and wholesale dealers. The premium a dealer actually pays is a small fraction of the $60,000 face amount, typically 1–3% for well-qualified applicants and higher for challenged credit. The bond protects consumers and the state against title-transfer failures, odometer fraud, and unpaid taxes or fees.

What surety bond does a Connecticut home improvement contractor need?

Connecticut does not run a statewide construction-license bond the way many states do. Instead, most residential remodelers register as Home Improvement Contractors (HIC) with the Department of Consumer Protection, and the surety bond most often requested is a $15,000 home improvement contractor bond. Connecticut also operates a Home Improvement Guaranty Fund funded by registration fees, so the bond and the fund are separate consumer-protection mechanisms. New home construction contractors register under a different DCP program with its own requirements. Because the amount is modest, most HIC bonds are submitted same-day for all credit types.

How large is the Connecticut cannabis producer bond, and does it shrink?

A Connecticut cannabis producer posts a $2,000,000 performance bond to the State of Connecticut that guarantees construction of the production facility. Once the Department of Consumer Protection confirms the facility is built and operational, that $2,000,000 construction bond is replaced by a smaller $1,500,000 operation bond. This is one of the largest state-required bonds in the country and is underwritten much more like a construction or contract bond than a simple license bond — carriers look at the applicant's balance sheet, build budget, and contractor. It is not an instant-approval product; plan for financial underwriting.

What mortgage bonds does the Connecticut Department of Banking require?

Mortgage bonds in Connecticut are filed with the Connecticut Department of Banking through the NMLS, not with the Insurance Department. Mortgage brokers generally start at a $50,000 surety bond, while mortgage lenders and correspondent lenders start at a $100,000 minimum, scaling toward $150,000 as aggregate annual origination volume rises. The exact tier is set by statute and Department of Banking rule and is keyed to the prior year's loan volume, so a growing lender can move up a bracket at renewal.

Are the surety companies that write Connecticut bonds regulated by the state?

Yes. The surety carriers that issue Connecticut bonds must be authorized (admitted) insurers licensed by the Connecticut Insurance Department, which regulates the financial solvency and market conduct of insurers operating in the state. For federal bonds — such as the $75,000 freight broker (BMC-84) bond — the surety must instead appear on the U.S. Treasury's Circular 570 list of certified companies. We place every Connecticut bond with carriers that meet the applicable standard, so the obligee accepts the bond on first filing.

How much does a Connecticut surety bond cost?

Premium — what you pay — is a percentage of the bond's face amount, not the full amount. For most Connecticut license and permit bonds, a qualified applicant pays roughly 1–3% per year. A $15,000 HIC bond can run around $150–$900 annually depending on credit; a $60,000 dealer bond commonly falls in the $600–$1,200 range for good credit and higher for challenged credit. Larger, financially underwritten bonds like the $2,000,000 cannabis producer bond are quoted case by case. Notary "bonds" cost nothing in Connecticut because the state does not require one.

Find your Connecticut bond by its agency, not by guesswork

Whether it's the DMV's $60,000 dealer bond, a $15,000 HIC bond from Consumer Protection, or a Department of Banking mortgage bond, we match you to an admitted Connecticut carrier and the correct filing form.

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Or explore every state at the surety bonds by state hub.

Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
Reviewed by
Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov). BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-listed surety carriers.

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