Colorado Street Opening and Right-of-Way Bond
What it is & who requires it
Contractors cutting, opening, excavating or building in a Colorado public right-of-way. This is the state’s most common contractor bond by a wide margin — it was read on primary in more than twenty Colorado jurisdictions for this directory — and it is required by the city, county or district that owns the road rather than by the state. Utility contractors, excavators, pavers, concrete crews, landscapers trenching irrigation and anyone boring for utilities all land here. Several jurisdictions attach the security to an annual right-of-way contractor license rather than to the individual permit, which is usually cheaper if you pull more than a handful of permits a year — Cañon City, Greeley and Fort Collins all work that way.
Obligee: Colorado cities, counties and special districts issuing right-of-way and excavation permits (general-use contractor product).
Bond amount
Set by the obligee — the exact amount is confirmed automatically when you start your bond in our portal, or call 317-942-0549.
How to get it
This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
Request a bond quote
Tell us about the bond and the project. A licensed producer follows up — these bonds are individually underwritten, so they are not issued instantly.
Term & renewal
Term: Commonly two years past completion and acceptance — a two-year warranty on right-of-way work is close to universal in Colorado, from Denver and Fort Collins through the Front Range suburbs to Pueblo and Aspen.
Renewal: Per permit in most jurisdictions, annually where the security rides a right-of-way contractor license.
Filing
Filed with the permitting jurisdiction before the permit issues, and held through a warranty period that is two years in most of Colorado. No figure appears here because Colorado cities size this four different ways and accept different instruments. Some set a flat penal sum. Some take a percentage of the city engineer’s own estimate of restoration cost. Frisco prices it per square yard of disturbed surface, at a different rate for dirt, asphalt and concrete. And a widely shared model provision — carried word for word by Englewood, Cripple Creek, Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village and Lafayette — lets the applicant choose between a bond and a letter of credit and sets the amount at the total cost of construction or a published floor, whichever is greater. Be ready for the possibility that a bond is not what the jurisdiction wants: Lakewood and Longmont accept only cash or an irrevocable letter of credit, Wheat Ridge defaults to a cash bond, and Englewood may waive the requirement entirely or accept a letter of responsibility from a utility or district. Ask the permitting office which instrument and which sizing rule applies before you buy.
Source
This bond requirement is corroborated by multiple public sources; Colorado cities, counties and special districts issuing right-of-way and excavation permits (general-use contractor product) sets the exact amount, which we confirm when you start your bond.
Related Colorado bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Colorado Street Opening and Right-of-Way Bond?
- It’s required by Colorado cities, counties and special districts issuing right-of-way and excavation permits (general-use contractor product). Contractors cutting, opening, excavating or building in a Colorado public right-of-way. This is the state’s most common contractor bond by a wide margin — it was read on primary in more than twenty Colorado jurisdictions for this directory — and it is required by the city, county or district that owns the road rather than by the state. Utility contractors, excavators, pavers, concrete crews, landscapers trenching irrigation and anyone boring for utilities all land here. Several jurisdictions attach the security to an annual right-of-way contractor license rather than to the individual permit, which is usually cheaper if you pull more than a handful of permits a year — Cañon City, Greeley and Fort Collins all work that way.
- How much is the Colorado Street Opening and Right-of-Way Bond?
- Set by the obligee — the exact amount is confirmed automatically when you start your bond in our portal, or call 317-942-0549.
- How do I get the Colorado Street Opening and Right-of-Way Bond?
- This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
- What is the term?
- Commonly two years past completion and acceptance — a two-year warranty on right-of-way work is close to universal in Colorado, from Denver and Fort Collins through the Front Range suburbs to Pueblo and Aspen. Renewal: Per permit in most jurisdictions, annually where the security rides a right-of-way contractor license.
- Is this bond insurance for me?
- No. It protects the obligee and the public — not you. If a valid claim is paid, you repay the surety.
- How is this requirement verified?
- This bond requirement is corroborated by multiple public sources. The obligee sets the exact amount, which we confirm automatically when you start your bond in the portal or with a producer.
