Iowa Sign Contractor Bond (General Use)
What it is & who requires it
Contractors erecting, affixing, rebuilding, altering, enlarging, extending or relocating signs, bulletin boards and advertising displays in Iowa cities that license the trade. Whether the trade is licensed at all is the first question, and the answer is not predictable from city size — the state’s second-largest city has a sign code that takes no bond at all, while a city a fifth its size licenses sign contractors and requires council approval of the bond. Where the trade is licensed, look for a class structure: the capital sets three different sums for three classes of sign erector license, so the class you qualify for decides the price rather than the size of the sign. In one city sign contracting is simply a row in a wider contractor bond table, which means the sign bond and the general contractor bond are the same instrument at different amounts. Liability insurance is usually required alongside and is often specified separately for billboards, for signs over public property and for marquees.
Obligee: Iowa cities licensing sign erectors and sign contractors. Citation: Des Moines Municipal Code §§ 26-821 and 26-823; Fort Dodge Municipal Code § 14.28.030; Davenport Municipal Code § 15.30.170 and Table III-A; Cedar Rapids Municipal Code ch. 33E (sign code — no bond).
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: Held with the sign erector or sign contractor license where one exists.
Renewal: Annual, with the license.
Filing
Filed with the zoning enforcement officer, the city council or the building department depending on the city. Where a class structure exists, the bond is approved by the legal department before the license issues, so the sequence at the counter is qualification, bond, approval, fee, license. Expect the conditions to run to compliance with the sign chapter, the building code and the zoning ordinance together rather than the sign chapter alone.
Source
This bond requirement is corroborated by multiple public sources; Iowa cities licensing sign erectors and sign contractors sets the exact amount, which we confirm when you start your bond.
Related Iowa bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Iowa Sign Contractor Bond (General Use)?
- It’s required by Iowa cities licensing sign erectors and sign contractors (Des Moines Municipal Code §§ 26-821 and 26-823; Fort Dodge Municipal Code § 14.28.030; Davenport Municipal Code § 15.30.170 and Table III-A; Cedar Rapids Municipal Code ch. 33E (sign code — no bond)). Contractors erecting, affixing, rebuilding, altering, enlarging, extending or relocating signs, bulletin boards and advertising displays in Iowa cities that license the trade. Whether the trade is licensed at all is the first question, and the answer is not predictable from city size — the state’s second-largest city has a sign code that takes no bond at all, while a city a fifth its size licenses sign contractors and requires council approval of the bond. Where the trade is licensed, look for a class structure: the capital sets three different sums for three classes of sign erector license, so the class you qualify for decides the price rather than the size of the sign. In one city sign contracting is simply a row in a wider contractor bond table, which means the sign bond and the general contractor bond are the same instrument at different amounts. Liability insurance is usually required alongside and is often specified separately for billboards, for signs over public property and for marquees.
- How much is the Iowa Sign Contractor Bond (General Use)?
- 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 Iowa Sign Contractor Bond (General Use)?
- 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 sign erector or sign contractor license where one exists. Renewal: Annual, with the 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.
