Real Texas premium ranges by FICO band for every major bond type, with a direct link to the per-bond calculator for an exact number. No quote form to see the math.
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov) and verified before publication. BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-certified, A-minimum rated surety carriers serving all 50 states.
Your premium is a percentage of the bond face amount, not the full face. The percentage is driven by personal credit, bond type, and term length. A $50,000 TxDMV dealer bond at 1.5% is $750 per year; at 7% it is $3,500. Same bond, same statute, different applicant.
Texas notary bonds and bonded-title bonds are filed-rate and skip the credit check entirely. Everything else on this page is credit-driven.
Face amount and statutory citation for the bond types Texas applicants ask about most. Verified against the cited Texas code and agency rules.
Verified against current Texas statutes and agency rules
| Bond Type | Bond Amount | Term | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Dealer (GDN) | $50,000 | 2 years | TxDMV - Occ. Code 2301.262 |
| Notary Public | $10,000 | 4 years | SOS - Govt. Code 406.010 |
| Bonded Title | 1.5x vehicle value | 3 years | TxDMV - Transp. Code 501.053 |
| Sales & Use Tax | $100K min or 4x monthly | 1 year | Comptroller - Tax Code Ch. 151 |
| Manufactured Housing Retailer | $50,000 | 1 year | TDHCA - Occ. Code 1201.105 |
| Money Transmitter | $300K - $2M | 1 year | TDB - Finance Code 152.105 |
| Mortgage Loan Originator | $25K - $200K | 1 year | SML - Finance Code 156.203 |
| Public Insurance Adjuster | $10,000 | 1 year | TDI - Ins. Code Ch. 4102 |
| TABC Conduct Surety | $5,000 or $10,000 | 1 year | TABC - Alco. Bev. Code 11.11 |
Face amounts verified May 2026. Statutory citations link to the controlling Texas code section or agency rule.
These are the credit-driven rate bands our standard and sub-standard Texas markets quote from in 2026. Multiply the rate by the bond face amount and the term to get the premium.
Based on a As % of bond face bond amount
Notary bonds, bonded titles, and some court bonds are filed-rate and skip credit underwriting entirely. Money transmitter and sales tax bonds also require financial review above certain face amounts.
$50,000 face x 1.5% rate = $750 per year. TxDMV requires the 2-year term, so the binder shows $1,500 total. That is the actual TxDMV-filed number, not a teaser.
$50,000 face x 7% rate = $3,500 per year, $7,000 for the 2-year TxDMV term. Same statute, same bond face, different underwriting class. A sub-standard market still approves; the rate just reflects the loss data.
Pick your bond, see the realistic premium range by credit tier, then jump to the per-bond Texas calculator for an exact number.
Bond face: $50,000 - 2-year term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Occ. Code Sec. 2301.262 / H.B. 3533 (2021)
Required for independent, wholesale, motorcycle, and mobility GDN holders. Franchised new-car and trailer dealers are statutorily exempt.
Bond face: $10,000 - 4-year term - Credit pull: No
Tex. Govt. Code Sec. 406.010(a)
Filed-rate, instant approval, no credit pull. Full 4-year commission. SB 693 (effective Jan 2026) adds an education requirement for new applicants; bond amount unchanged.
Bond face: 1.5x vehicle value - 3-year term - Credit pull: No
Tex. Transp. Code Sec. 501.053
Filed-rate by tier. Most $5K-$15K vehicles cost $100-$200 for the full 3-year bond term. Required when you have no clear title and TxDMV approves a bonded title application.
Bond face: Greater of $100K or 4x avg monthly liability - 1-year (continuous) term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Tax Code Ch. 151 / 34 TAC Sec. 3.327
Comptroller-set face. Most retailers start at the $100,000 minimum. Itinerant vendors carry a $500 minimum. Financial statements often required above $250K face.
Bond face: $50,000 retailer / $100,000 broker - 1-year term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Occ. Code Sec. 1201.105
TDHCA Manufactured Housing Division. Retailers $50K, brokers $100K, installers and rebuilders carry their own tiers under the same statute.
Bond face: $300,000 minimum, up to $2M - 1-year term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Finance Code Sec. 152.105
Texas Dept. of Banking sets the face based on Texas transmission volume. Audited financials required. Premium is a percentage of face, not a flat tier.
Bond face: $25,000 - $200,000 (volume-based) - 1-year term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Finance Code Sec. 156.203 / Sec. 157.013
SML licensees. Face scales with Texas loan volume: $25K base for under $5M, up to $200K for over $200M. Multiplied by your tier on the per-bond calculator.
Bond face: $10,000 - 1-year term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Ins. Code Ch. 4102 / TDI Form FIN509
TDI-filed bond for licensed public adjusters. Annual renewal aligned to the TDI license cycle.
Bond face: $5,000 or $10,000 - 1-year term - Credit pull: Yes
Tex. Alco. Bev. Code Sec. 11.11 / Sec. 61.13
$5K if more than 1,000 ft from a school, $10K within 1,000 ft. Required for retailers without a Food & Beverage Certificate.
Dealers who also need a sales tax bond, MLOs who carry a separate continuing education bond, or operators running in multiple Texas cities can get every bond on a single application. One credit pull, one binder cycle, one underwriter.
Every Texas surety bond has three numbers you should know: the face amount (set by the Texas obligee), the rate (set by the surety based on your credit and bond type), and the term (set by statute). Multiply the first two and apply the third, and you have the premium.
Face amount is non-negotiable. The Texas Legislature, TxDMV, the Comptroller, or the licensing agency fixes it. You cannot buy a smaller $25,000 dealer bond to save money - TxDMV will reject the filing. H.B. 3533 moved the dealer bond from $25,000 to $50,000 effective 2021, and the $25,000 figure still floating around online is wrong.
Rate is what we actually compete on. A surety pulls credit (except on filed-rate bonds like the notary), classifies you, and quotes a percentage of the face. Standard market starts around 1% for top credit; specialty markets go up to 10% for high-risk profiles. The surety files these rates with TDI under Texas Insurance Code Ch. 2253, so the same applicant should get a very similar rate from any honest Texas agency.
Term matters because TxDMV is 2 years, notary is 4 years, and most license bonds are 1 year. A $750 annual rate on a 2-year TxDMV bond shows up as a $1,500 binder, not $750 - the calculator pages bake this in so you do not get surprised at closing.
Full Texas bond catalog with statutes and city-level requirements.
How surety premium is calculated across all states and bond types.
Govt. Code Ch. 2253 thresholds and public-works requirements.
One application, every Texas bond, same-day approval where eligible.
Texas surety premium is a percentage of the bond face amount, not the full face. The percentage (your "rate") is driven primarily by personal credit (FICO), then by bond type, business financials, and industry risk. A $50,000 Texas auto dealer bond at a 1.5% rate costs $750 for a 1-year term and $1,500 for the standard 2-year TxDMV term. The exact same $50,000 face at a 7% rate (subprime credit) costs $3,500 for one year. The math is identical across carriers, the rate is what varies.
Bond type drives the underwriting class. A $10,000 Texas notary bond under Government Code Sec. 406.010 is filed-rate, instant-issue, no credit check, with a flat $40-$65 premium for the full 4-year commission term. A $50,000 Texas auto dealer bond under Occ. Code Sec. 2301.262 is credit-graded because TxDMV claims are frequent and severe (title fraud, undisclosed liens, curbstoning). Same applicant can pay $50 for the notary and $750 for the dealer bond in the same hour.
It depends on the obligee. TxDMV motor vehicle dealer bonds run a 2-year term aligned with the GDN license cycle, so the quoted premium is two-year. Notary bonds run a 4-year term under Govt. Code 406.005. Most TDLR, Comptroller, TDI, and SML bonds are annual (1-year). Always confirm the term on your specific calculator page below, the per-bond calculators bake the correct term into the math.
Standard-market (lowest rate) Texas underwriting kicks in around 700 FICO with clean credit history and no recent bankruptcies. Between 650 and 699 you are still standard market but at the upper end of the rate band. Below 650 you move into preferred sub-standard or specialty markets, and below 600 you are on a high-risk program with rates of 5-10% of the bond amount. Texas notary bonds are exempt from this, no credit pull at all.
These are the actual rate tables our standard and sub-standard Texas markets quote from in 2026, expressed as percentages of bond face. We do not gate the math behind a quote form. Your final premium can vary inside the band based on business financials, years of experience, and prior license discipline, but the band on this page is what you will see on a binder, not an inflated "starting from" anchor.
Sometimes. If you hold a TxDMV dealer license plus a Texas sales tax permit, the same surety can issue both bonds and may reduce the program fee. If you operate in multiple Texas cities (Houston permit + Dallas permit), the per-bond rate stays the same but you save on filing fees by bundling. There is no statewide multi-bond rebate, the savings are operational, not rate-based.
Three usual causes: (1) the calculator assumed a standard underwriting class and the carrier moved you to sub-standard after pulling credit, usually for a recent collection, charge-off, or open tax lien; (2) the bond requires financial statements (common for sales tax bonds over $100K and MLO renewals) and the statements showed negative working capital; (3) you applied through a captive agency that marks up the surety rate. We quote at the surety filed rate with no marketing markup.