Minnesota Residential Roofer Bond
What it is & who requires it
Roofers licensed by the state to work on residential real estate — and the license net is wider than the bond net, which is the thing to get right before quoting. Four residential licenses exist: residential building contractor, residential remodeler, residential roofer and manufactured home installer. Only two of the four are bonded. A residential roofer posts this bond; a manufactured home installer posts a smaller one; a residential building contractor and a residential remodeler post NOTHING AT ALL. They pay a recovery fund fee and carry insurance instead. So the honest answer to what Minnesota requires of a general residential contractor is a license, insurance and a fund fee, and the answer for the roofer standing beside them is all of that plus a bond. The fund is not an alternative to the bond and never has been: the fee is payable in addition to any other fees, and the word bond does not appear anywhere in the fund section. The other thing a roofer gains is freedom from city licensing — a political subdivision may not require a person holding this state license to hold a local one, which is why Minneapolis tells roofers in terms that they need no city license.
Obligee: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Construction Codes and Licensing Division). Citation: Minn. Stat. § 326B.86, subd. 1(a)–(b) (bond — licensed manufactured home installers and licensed residential roofers must give and maintain a bond to the state; a licensed residential roofer must post a bond with a penal sum of at least $15,000; the bond must comply with § 326B.0921); Minn. Stat. § 326B.86, subd. 2 (insurance, and the commissioner’s power to increase the minimum amount of insurance — a power written into the insurance subdivision and not into the bond subdivision); Minn. Stat. § 326B.805, subd. 1 (a residential roofer must be licensed as a residential roofer, residential building contractor or residential remodeler); Minn. Stat. § 326B.802, subd. 14 (definition of residential roofer); Minn. Stat. § 326B.81 (residential roofers); Minn. Stat. § 326B.811 (residential roofing contract; right to cancel); Minn. Stat. § 326B.89, subd. 3 (contractor recovery fund fee, payable in addition to any other fees); Minn. Stat. § 326B.835 (local license prohibited); Minn. Stat. § 326B.0921 (bond requirements); DLI Residential Roofer Surety Bond form (penal sum printed as FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($15,000.00)).
Bond amount
The required bond amount is $15,000.
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: Continuous from the date of issue, cancellable by the surety only on 30 days’ written notice to the commissioner by certified mail, and required to be in force at all times the license is active.
Renewal: The bond is continuous rather than re-executed; the penal sum is cumulative and aggregates every two years the bond remains in force, and a surety that pays a claim reducing the sum must notify the commissioner within 15 days.
Filing
Filed with the commissioner on the department’s Residential Roofer Surety Bond form. The figure renders because the department prints it: the statute states the sum as a floor, and the mandatory form binds principal and surety in the penal sum of fifteen thousand dollars in words and figures, with the same amount in the box at the head of the sheet and no blank for another number. Nothing in the residential trades sections lets the commissioner require a larger bond — the only escalator in this family sits one subdivision below, in the insurance provision, and reaches insurance only. Corporate surety licensed in Minnesota; no cash, certificate of deposit or letter of credit alternative anywhere in the chapter. The bond runs for the benefit of any person injured or suffering financial loss from the licensee’s failure to comply with the chapter, the State Building Code and all contracts entered into. Price the recovery fund fee alongside it: it is charged on application and on every renewal, on a three-step scale set by the licensee’s gross annual receipts, and it is the larger recurring cost for a small roofer.
Source
Verified against the obligee source (last checked 2026-09-07).
Related Minnesota bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Minnesota Residential Roofer Bond?
- It’s required by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Construction Codes and Licensing Division) (Minn. Stat. § 326B.86, subd. 1(a)–(b) (bond — licensed manufactured home installers and licensed residential roofers must give and maintain a bond to the state; a licensed residential roofer must post a bond with a penal sum of at least $15,000; the bond must comply with § 326B.0921); Minn. Stat. § 326B.86, subd. 2 (insurance, and the commissioner’s power to increase the minimum amount of insurance — a power written into the insurance subdivision and not into the bond subdivision); Minn. Stat. § 326B.805, subd. 1 (a residential roofer must be licensed as a residential roofer, residential building contractor or residential remodeler); Minn. Stat. § 326B.802, subd. 14 (definition of residential roofer); Minn. Stat. § 326B.81 (residential roofers); Minn. Stat. § 326B.811 (residential roofing contract; right to cancel); Minn. Stat. § 326B.89, subd. 3 (contractor recovery fund fee, payable in addition to any other fees); Minn. Stat. § 326B.835 (local license prohibited); Minn. Stat. § 326B.0921 (bond requirements); DLI Residential Roofer Surety Bond form (penal sum printed as FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($15,000.00))). Roofers licensed by the state to work on residential real estate — and the license net is wider than the bond net, which is the thing to get right before quoting. Four residential licenses exist: residential building contractor, residential remodeler, residential roofer and manufactured home installer. Only two of the four are bonded. A residential roofer posts this bond; a manufactured home installer posts a smaller one; a residential building contractor and a residential remodeler post NOTHING AT ALL. They pay a recovery fund fee and carry insurance instead. So the honest answer to what Minnesota requires of a general residential contractor is a license, insurance and a fund fee, and the answer for the roofer standing beside them is all of that plus a bond. The fund is not an alternative to the bond and never has been: the fee is payable in addition to any other fees, and the word bond does not appear anywhere in the fund section. The other thing a roofer gains is freedom from city licensing — a political subdivision may not require a person holding this state license to hold a local one, which is why Minneapolis tells roofers in terms that they need no city license.
- How much is the Minnesota Residential Roofer Bond?
- The bond amount is $15,000.
- How do I get the Minnesota Residential Roofer 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?
- Continuous from the date of issue, cancellable by the surety only on 30 days’ written notice to the commissioner by certified mail, and required to be in force at all times the license is active. Renewal: The bond is continuous rather than re-executed; the penal sum is cumulative and aggregates every two years the bond remains in force, and a surety that pays a claim reducing the sum must notify the commissioner within 15 days.
- 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 2026-09-07); the source link is on this page.
