Minnesota Satellite System Contractor Bond
What it is & who requires it
Businesses licensed as satellite system contractors — the third of the three trades the statute gathers under one word and the department separates into three forms. This is the smallest of the three populations and the one most often missed, because a company that installs satellite receiving equipment does not usually think of itself as holding an electrical business license. The statute is unambiguous that it does: the definition of contractor includes satellite system contractors, and the bond subdivision applies to each contractor without distinction. The license runs on the same August calendar as the technology system contractor license rather than the March calendar the electrical contractors keep. The bond is a condition of licensure, not of a particular job, and the license must carry a responsible licensed individual whose own classes cap what the company may perform.
Obligee: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Construction Codes and Licensing Division). Citation: Minn. Stat. § 326B.33, subd. 15 (bond required — each contractor shall give and maintain bond to the state in the penal sum of $25,000); Minn. Stat. § 326B.31, subd. 14 (“Contractor includes electrical contractors, satellite system contractors, and technology system contractors”); Minn. Stat. § 326B.33, subd. 19 (satellite system contractor licenses expire August 1 of each even-numbered year); Minn. Stat. § 326B.33, subd. 21 (satellite system contractor is a business license); Minn. Stat. § 326B.0921 (bond requirements); Minn. R. chs. 3800 and 3801; DLI Satellite System Contractor Surety Bond form (penal sum printed as TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00)).
Bond amount
The required bond amount is $25,000.
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 license expires on the first of August in each even-numbered year, alongside the technology system contractor licenses; the penal sum aggregates on a two-year cycle.
Filing
Filed with the commissioner on the department’s Satellite System Contractor Surety Bond form, which prints the penal sum in the AMOUNT box and in words and figures in the body and recites the governing rules chapters on its face. Corporate surety licensed to do business in Minnesota; no cash, certificate of deposit or letter of credit alternative exists in the chapter, which is why the figure renders. The bond runs to the state and to any person injured or suffering financial loss from the contractor’s failure to comply with the laws and rules related to the license or any permit applied for and all contracts entered into, and it stands in lieu of all other license bonds to any political subdivision. Note when comparing quotes across the three sibling trades that the penal sum is identical on all three and the underwriting difference is in the trade, not the form.
Source
Verified against the obligee source (last checked 2026-09-07).
Related Minnesota bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Minnesota Satellite System Contractor Bond?
- It’s required by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Construction Codes and Licensing Division) (Minn. Stat. § 326B.33, subd. 15 (bond required — each contractor shall give and maintain bond to the state in the penal sum of $25,000); Minn. Stat. § 326B.31, subd. 14 (“Contractor includes electrical contractors, satellite system contractors, and technology system contractors”); Minn. Stat. § 326B.33, subd. 19 (satellite system contractor licenses expire August 1 of each even-numbered year); Minn. Stat. § 326B.33, subd. 21 (satellite system contractor is a business license); Minn. Stat. § 326B.0921 (bond requirements); Minn. R. chs. 3800 and 3801; DLI Satellite System Contractor Surety Bond form (penal sum printed as TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00))). Businesses licensed as satellite system contractors — the third of the three trades the statute gathers under one word and the department separates into three forms. This is the smallest of the three populations and the one most often missed, because a company that installs satellite receiving equipment does not usually think of itself as holding an electrical business license. The statute is unambiguous that it does: the definition of contractor includes satellite system contractors, and the bond subdivision applies to each contractor without distinction. The license runs on the same August calendar as the technology system contractor license rather than the March calendar the electrical contractors keep. The bond is a condition of licensure, not of a particular job, and the license must carry a responsible licensed individual whose own classes cap what the company may perform.
- How much is the Minnesota Satellite System Contractor Bond?
- The bond amount is $25,000.
- How do I get the Minnesota Satellite System Contractor 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 license expires on the first of August in each even-numbered year, alongside the technology system contractor licenses; the penal sum aggregates on a two-year cycle.
- 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.
