Davenport Contractor License Bond
What it is & who requires it
Contractors licensed by Davenport, which is one of the few Iowa cities that still licenses contracting as a trade and takes a bond for it. Read the class table before you price anything: one section covers thirteen kinds of work at two figures, and the three highest are general contracting, moving buildings, and demolition and wrecking. The city rewrote this chapter in July 2026 and the change matters to subcontractors most of all. It created a Registered Subcontractor classification, which may perform work regulated by the adopted construction codes only when working under both a valid City-issued permit and a licensed prime or general contractor responsible for the project, and which does not authorize the holder to act as a prime contractor, a general contractor, a developer, a permit holder or the responsible party for an entire project. That classification comes with its own row in the bond table, and its licensing checklist asks for a completed City application, proof of current Iowa contractor registration, the required bond and the registration fee. The same amendment added fire suppression sprinklers and fire suppression alarms as their own bonded classes. Two rows deserve a question to the city before you buy. Plumbing and mechanical contracting are still in the table — and were re-enacted in 2026 — while Iowa Code section 105.17 declared municipal plumbing and mechanical licensing provisions null and void on the first of July 2009 and bars a city from enforcing them against a contractor licensed by the state board. Ask which classes the city is presently enforcing against a state-licensed contractor. Blasting is the odd row out and carries no figure: the amended table leaves the amount to the Fire Code Official.
Obligee: City of Davenport (Public Works Department, Building Division). Citation: Davenport Municipal Code § 15.30.170 (Bond required) and Table III-A, Title 15 ch. 15.30 (Contractor Licenses — Bond — Insurance Required), Subchapter III, AS AMENDED BY Ord. No. 2026-328 § 7 (approved 22 July 2026, published in the Quad-City Times 4 August 2026, effective on publication); Ord. No. 2026-328 §§ 1–3 (registered subcontractor classification; subcontractor license requires a completed application, proof of current Iowa contractor registration, the required bond and the registration fee); § 15.30.180 (Liability insurance required) as amended by Ord. No. 2026-328 § 8; Ord. 2016-554 § 1 (part).
Bond amount
Set by the class of contracting rather than by the size of the job, from one table in one section. $25,000 for general contracting, for moving buildings, and for demolition and wrecking. $5,000 for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning, sign and excavation contracting, and — since the July 2026 amendment — for subcontracting under a Class A or Class B permit holder, for fire suppression sprinklers and for fire suppression alarms. Blasting carries no figure at all: the table leaves that amount to be set by the Fire Code Official.
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: Held with the contractor license and conditioned on faithful performance of all the provisions of the city’s Administrative Code.
Renewal: Annual, with the license; the bond must be the original with the bonding company’s seal affixed.
Filing
The bond must be on the City of Davenport bond form, signed by the principal with the official title designated and the corporation name typed above the signature, with a power of attorney attached showing the same execution, and the original mailed to Davenport Public Works with the bonding company’s seal affixed. The ordinance names a surety and requires a company authorized to transact business in Iowa, and offers no cash or deposit alternative, which is why the figures render. Note that the codified text published online still shows the older ten-row table: the operative provision is the July 2026 amendment, which restated the table in full and added three classes without changing either figure. License fees are separate and are tiered by class — commercial, residential, and specialty or subcontractor — and are not charged at all for the electrical, HVAC and plumbing routes, which are licensed and tested by the State of Iowa. Liability insurance runs alongside under the next section and is rated: applicants for a building contractor license in classes A, B and C must maintain insurance from an insurer rated B plus or better, and the city reserves the right to demand certified proof.
Source
Verified against the obligee source (last checked 2026-09-03).
Related Iowa bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Davenport Contractor License Bond?
- It’s required by City of Davenport (Public Works Department, Building Division) (Davenport Municipal Code § 15.30.170 (Bond required) and Table III-A, Title 15 ch. 15.30 (Contractor Licenses — Bond — Insurance Required), Subchapter III, AS AMENDED BY Ord. No. 2026-328 § 7 (approved 22 July 2026, published in the Quad-City Times 4 August 2026, effective on publication); Ord. No. 2026-328 §§ 1–3 (registered subcontractor classification; subcontractor license requires a completed application, proof of current Iowa contractor registration, the required bond and the registration fee); § 15.30.180 (Liability insurance required) as amended by Ord. No. 2026-328 § 8; Ord. 2016-554 § 1 (part)). Contractors licensed by Davenport, which is one of the few Iowa cities that still licenses contracting as a trade and takes a bond for it. Read the class table before you price anything: one section covers thirteen kinds of work at two figures, and the three highest are general contracting, moving buildings, and demolition and wrecking. The city rewrote this chapter in July 2026 and the change matters to subcontractors most of all. It created a Registered Subcontractor classification, which may perform work regulated by the adopted construction codes only when working under both a valid City-issued permit and a licensed prime or general contractor responsible for the project, and which does not authorize the holder to act as a prime contractor, a general contractor, a developer, a permit holder or the responsible party for an entire project. That classification comes with its own row in the bond table, and its licensing checklist asks for a completed City application, proof of current Iowa contractor registration, the required bond and the registration fee. The same amendment added fire suppression sprinklers and fire suppression alarms as their own bonded classes. Two rows deserve a question to the city before you buy. Plumbing and mechanical contracting are still in the table — and were re-enacted in 2026 — while Iowa Code section 105.17 declared municipal plumbing and mechanical licensing provisions null and void on the first of July 2009 and bars a city from enforcing them against a contractor licensed by the state board. Ask which classes the city is presently enforcing against a state-licensed contractor. Blasting is the odd row out and carries no figure: the amended table leaves the amount to the Fire Code Official.
- How much is the Davenport Contractor License Bond?
- Set by the class of contracting rather than by the size of the job, from one table in one section. $25,000 for general contracting, for moving buildings, and for demolition and wrecking. $5,000 for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning, sign and excavation contracting, and — since the July 2026 amendment — for subcontracting under a Class A or Class B permit holder, for fire suppression sprinklers and for fire suppression alarms. Blasting carries no figure at all: the table leaves that amount to be set by the Fire Code Official.
- How do I get the Davenport Contractor License 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?
- Held with the contractor license and conditioned on faithful performance of all the provisions of the city’s Administrative Code. Renewal: Annual, with the license; the bond must be the original with the bonding company’s seal affixed.
- 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?
- We verify it against the obligee’s primary source (last checked 2026-09-03); the source link is on this page.
