TEXAS SURETY BONDS • ALL 254 COUNTIES
Win the job. We’ll handle the bond.
Most contractors dread the bond application more than the bid. We made ours easy. Tell us what you need in about two minutes, we figure out the rest, and you get a straight answer from the agent who will actually write it.
LICENSE & PERMIT BONDS
Issued same day
PAYMENT & PERFORMANCE
From 24 hours
TERRITORY
Texas, statewide
Meet the bond queens
The name’s Bond. Payment Performance Bond.
You are not filling out a form for a call center in another state. Here is who reads it.
Tina “Tink” Shanks
Agent & OwnerI wrote my first bond in 1988 and opened this agency in 1995. I have seen just about every situation there is, including the ones other agents pass on. Call or email and let’s talk about your specific bond needs.
Lauren Shanks
AgentEntrepreneurs keep this economy running. I like helping business owners get where they are going with as little stress along the way as I can manage.
Tuesday Watson
Bond CoordinatorI move your bond along and keep anything from slipping through the cracks. You’ve got a big job to run. Let me take this part off your plate.
Zoe
Chief Bonding OfficerFifteen years on the job and still bonds with everyone. If it crosses my desk, you’re approved.
What we write
Bonds for Texas contractors.
If the city, the owner, or the general contractor handed you a bond requirement and you are not sure what it is, send it over and we will tell you.
License and permit bonds Same day
Right of way, sidewalk, curb and gutter, utility, house mover, sign contractor and the rest of the small bonds a city or state agency makes you post before it issues the permit. These start around $100 and we can usually issue one the same day you call.
Bid bond
Owners typically want 5% of your bid as security, and without a bond that means putting up the cash. A bid bond does the same job for a small fraction of it, so your working capital stays in the business instead of sitting in someone else’s account while you wait on an award. It guarantees you will honor your bid and take the contract at the price you submitted.
Performance bond
Guarantees the owner that the job gets finished per the plans, specs and contract documents. Written in the full amount of the contract.
Payment bond
The obligee, which might be the owner, the general contractor, a city, the state or a school district, usually requires this one. It guarantees that you pay the subs and suppliers working under you, which keeps payment disputes and liens off their project. Written in the full amount of the contract, and usually issued together with the performance bond.
Employee dishonesty bonds
Covers you if an employee steals money, property or materials from your business. Often required before a client will let your crew work unsupervised on their property.
Business services bonds
The bond janitorial, cleaning, home service and similar businesses post to protect their customers against theft by an employee working inside the customer’s home or office.
Lost vehicle title bonds Same day
You bought a vehicle and the title never showed up, or it was lost. Texas requires a bond before the state will issue you a new one. Quick, inexpensive, and we do these all the time.
Maintenance and subdivision bonds
Maintenance bonds cover defects in workmanship for a warranty period after closeout. Subdivision and site improvement bonds are what a city requires when a developer commits to build streets, drainage, water and sewer.
Underwriting for contract bonds · bid, payment and performance
What we need from you, and what it costs.
Smaller bonds like license, permit and title bonds skip most of this. The list below is for contract bonds.
Have this ready
- The contract amount and the date you need it. These two set everything else in motion.
- Obligee and scope. Who is requiring the bond, and what work you are doing.
- Bid specs or the bond form. If the owner supplied a specific form, send it.
- Years in business and a work history. Jobs completed, size, and who you did them for.
- Personal credit. On smaller bonds this is often the whole underwrite.
- Business financials once you are over $500,000. Bonds above that line require financial statements. That is standard across every bonding carrier, not a hurdle we invented, so it is worth having a balance sheet and income statement ready before you call. Bigger programs also look at your bank line and CPA.
What a bond costs
Payment and performance bonds are usually issued together at one combined rate, and that rate is typically 3% of the contract amount. You pay the premium once, per job, not monthly. Small license, permit and title bonds work differently and often start around $100 flat.
Turned down because of credit?
Let’s talk. There may be alternative options available. Credit problems come from all kinds of places, a divorce, a medical year, one bad job that went sideways, and a decline somewhere else does not always mean a decline here. Tell us what actually happened and we will tell you honestly what we can do with it.
QUESTIONS WE GET EVERY WEEK
Straight answers.
How fast can I get a bond?
It depends on the bond. License and permit bonds, and lost title bonds, are usually issued the same day. Payment and performance bonds run from 24 hours once we have what we need, and jobs over $500,000 can take a little longer because there is more underwriting involved.
Tell us your deadline when you reach out. We will work diligently to accommodate it.
My credit is rough. Am I wasting my time?
No. Credit matters and it affects your rate, but it is one factor among several. Work history, the size of the job relative to what you have completed, and your financial picture all count. If you have been declined somewhere else, tell us why. There may be alternative options available, and you will get a straight answer quickly instead of being strung along.
What is the difference between a payment bond and a performance bond?
A performance bond protects the owner. If you do not finish the job per the contract, the surety makes the owner whole. A payment bond protects the people below you. If you do not pay your subs and suppliers, they have a claim against the bond.
They are different guarantees with different beneficiaries, which is why public work usually requires both. In practice they are issued together at one combined rate.
I was told I need a “surety bond” and that’s all I know.
That happens constantly and it is not a problem. Surety bond is the umbrella term, and underneath it sit a dozen different bonds that do very different things. Check the “not sure” box on the form, or just call, and tell us who is asking you for it and why. We will identify the right one.
Do I need a contractor license in Texas to get bonded?
Texas does not issue a statewide general contractor license, so for most GC work there is no state license to produce. Specific trades are licensed at the state level, including electricians and HVAC through TDLR and plumbers through the state plumbing board, and many cities require their own registration or permit bonds on top of that. Tell us what city and what trade and we will sort out which bond applies.
Can you write bonds outside my area?
Yes. We are based in Conroe and write bonds for contractors across Texas, from Houston, San Antonio and DFW to the Valley, West Texas and the Panhandle. Everything gets handled by phone, email and e-signature, so where your job sits does not slow it down.
I also need general liability and workers comp. Can you do that?
Yes, and most contractors need both anyway to satisfy the same contract. We run a dedicated contractor insurance program and can issue certificates of insurance the same day. Mention it in the form or on the phone and we will quote the bond and the coverage together, rather than sending you somewhere else to start over.
Ready when you are
Send us the job. We’ll tell you what
we can do. Start my bond request
BONDS WRITTEN BY
Texas Insurance Services
NEED MORE THAN A BOND?
Contractor general liability
Workers compensation
Same-day certificates of insurance
Mention it on the form and we quote it together.
Accessibility. We want this site usable by everyone. If you have trouble using any part of it, call 936-788-
2144 or email [email protected] and we will help you directly and fix the problem.
All bonds are subject to surety underwriting approval. Nothing on this page is an offer, a binder, or a
guarantee that a bond will be issued, and any rates shown are typical ranges rather than a quote.
Turnaround times are typical and depend on the bond type, the amount, and how quickly we receive
your information. This page is general information about surety bonds and is not legal advice.
© 2026 Texas Insurance Services, Texas.