Does New Jersey require a state contractor license bond?

For the licensed building trades, yes. Electrical contractors must file a fixed $1,000 bond (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19), master HVACR contractors a fixed $3,000 bond (N.J.S.A. 45:16A-23), and master plumbers a fixed $3,000 bond (N.J.S.A. 45:14C-26) — each mandatory and set by statute. General home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs and must hold additional security, which a surety bond can satisfy.

How much are the New Jersey trade-board bonds?

Fixed amounts: $1,000 for the electrical contractor bond, $3,000 for the master HVACR contractor bond, and $3,000 for the master plumber bond. Each is issued instantly at the set amount — there is no financial statement to underwrite.

Does New Jersey require a home improvement contractor bond?

Registered home improvement and home elevation contractors must hold additional security under N.J.S.A. 56:8-142 (in force since the 2023 Act took effect on January 8, 2024). The law lets that security be a compliance bond, a letter of credit, or securities, so the bond is one option a contractor may choose rather than a fixed mandate — we write it as that surety option.

What are the New Jersey municipal septic bonds?

Several New Jersey towns bond septic system installers through the local Board of Health. Franklin Lakes and Upper Saddle River each codify a fixed $30,000 septic contractor bond, and Jefferson Township a fixed $10,000 septic system installer bond. Saddle River also bonds its septic contractors, with the amount confirmed at issuance.

What is a statewide general-use bond?

For New Jersey jurisdictions that require a street-opening, sidewalk, or land-disturbance permit bond without publishing a single fixed amount, we carry a statewide general-use product instead of a separate page for each town. The issuing jurisdiction sets the exact obligee and amount, which we confirm when you start your bond in the portal or by phone.

Who is Wexford Bonds?

Wexford Bonds is the surety bond brand of Wexford Insurance, LLC, licensed in 48 states. In New Jersey we write the mandatory state trade-board bonds — the $1,000 electrical, $3,000 master HVACR, and $3,000 master plumber bonds — alongside the home improvement and home elevation surety option, the municipal septic-installer bonds, and the statewide general-use permit products.

New Jersey Surety Bonds

Contractor License & Permit Bonds in New Jersey

Find the exact license, permit, right-of-way, or public-works bond your New Jersey obligee requires — by city, county, and the state. License and permit bonds issue online.

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How contractor bonding works in New Jersey

New Jersey licenses its building trades at the state level — and three carry a mandatory bond

New Jersey is the opposite of the Southeast: instead of a dense municipal contractor-license layer, the bond value sits at the state trade boards, and three of them require a fixed surety bond with no non-bond substitute. An electrical contractor cannot hold a business permit without a $1,000 electrical contractor bond filed with the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19). A master HVACR contractor must file a $3,000 master HVACR contractor bond (N.J.S.A. 45:16A-23), and a master plumber a $3,000 master plumber bond (N.J.S.A. 45:14C-26). Each is a fixed amount set by statute, issued instantly — there is no financial statement to underwrite.

Home improvement and home elevation: a security requirement the bond can satisfy, not a fixed bond

Since the 2023 Contractors’ Business Registration amendments took effect (P.L. 2023, c. 237, operative January 8, 2024), every registered home improvement and home elevation contractor must hold “additional security” under N.J.S.A. 56:8-142 — but the statute lets that security be a compliance bond, an irrevocable letter of credit, or securities. Because the bond is one permitted form rather than a mandated amount, we carry the home improvement contractor bond and the home elevation contractor bond as the surety option for contractors who choose it, without a fixed dollar figure on the page. The same logic applies to the fire and burglar alarm contractor bond, where the alarm business license security can be met by either additional insurance or a surety bond. The exact amount, where one applies, is confirmed when you file.

Municipal septic-installer bonds — a distinct New Jersey category

A real, separate category in New Jersey is the municipal septic-installer bond: several towns bond the contractors who install and repair septic systems, written to the local Board of Health. In Bergen County, Franklin Lakes and Upper Saddle River each codify a fixed $30,000 septic contractor bond (Franklin Lakes Code § 554-26; Upper Saddle River Code § 211-9), and in Morris County Jefferson Township sets a fixed $10,000 septic system installer bond that the license is not valid without (Jefferson Code § 391-10). Saddle River also bonds its septic contractors; the exact amount is confirmed at issuance.

Municipal contractor bonds are thin — statewide general-use products cover the permit work

Because contractor licensing is largely a state matter in New Jersey, far fewer municipalities run their own contractor bond than in the Southeast, and where they do it is often an option or an administratively set figure rather than a fixed mandate: the Union Township demolition contractor bond can be satisfied with cash in lieu of the bond, Passaic lets a contractor registration be met by insurance or a surety bond, and Eatontown, Jackson Township, and Jersey City set or confirm the amount at filing. For the recurring municipal permit work — cutting into a street, building a sidewalk, or disturbing soil — we carry statewide general-use products rather than a near-identical page for every town: a street-opening / right-of-way bond, a sidewalk permit bond, and a land-disturbance / soil-removal bond. The issuing jurisdiction sets the exact obligee and amount, which we confirm when you start your bond.

New Jersey bonds we write

Contractor License & Permit Bonds

Statewide

New Jersey Electrical Contractor Bond — New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors · $1,000
New Jersey Fire Alarm and Burglar Alarm Contractor Bond — New Jersey Fire Alarm, Burglar Alarm and Locksmith Advisory Committee (Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors) · Portal
New Jersey Home Elevation Contractor Bond — New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (home elevation contractor business registration) · Portal
New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor Bond — New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (home improvement contractor business registration) · Portal
New Jersey Master HVACR Contractor Bond — New Jersey Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors · $3,000
New Jersey Master Plumber Bond — New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers · $3,000

Statewide / General-Use Bonds

New Jersey Land Disturbance / Soil Removal Bond (General Use) — New Jersey local obligees (general-use product) · Portal
New Jersey Sidewalk Permit Bond (General Use) — New Jersey local obligees (general-use product) · Portal
New Jersey Street Opening / Right-of-Way Bond (General Use) — New Jersey local obligees (general-use product) · Portal

City

Eatontown Contractor License Bond — Borough of Eatontown · Portal
Franklin Lakes Septic System Contractor Bond — Borough of Franklin Lakes Board of Health · $30,000
Jackson Township Contractor License Bond — Township of Jackson · Portal
Jefferson Township Septic System Contractor Bond — Township of Jefferson Division of Health · $10,000
Jersey City Contractor License Bond — City of Jersey City (Office of the Construction Official) · Portal
Passaic Contractor Registration Bond — City of Passaic (Construction Official) · Portal
Saddle River Septic Contractor Bond — Borough of Saddle River Board of Health · Portal
Union Township Demolition Contractor Bond — Township of Union (Union County) — Township Engineer · Portal
Upper Saddle River Septic Contractor Bond — Borough of Upper Saddle River Board of Health · $30,000

Underwritten bonds in New Jersey

Bid, performance, and payment bonds are individually underwritten — request a quote rather than the instant portal:

New Jersey surety bond FAQ

Does New Jersey require a state contractor license bond?: For the licensed building trades, yes. Electrical contractors must file a fixed $1,000 bond (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19), master HVACR contractors a fixed $3,000 bond (N.J.S.A. 45:16A-23), and master plumbers a fixed $3,000 bond (N.J.S.A. 45:14C-26) — each mandatory and set by statute. General home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs and must hold additional security, which a surety bond can satisfy.
How much are the New Jersey trade-board bonds?: Fixed amounts: $1,000 for the electrical contractor bond, $3,000 for the master HVACR contractor bond, and $3,000 for the master plumber bond. Each is issued instantly at the set amount — there is no financial statement to underwrite.
Does New Jersey require a home improvement contractor bond?: Registered home improvement and home elevation contractors must hold additional security under N.J.S.A. 56:8-142 (in force since the 2023 Act took effect on January 8, 2024). The law lets that security be a compliance bond, a letter of credit, or securities, so the bond is one option a contractor may choose rather than a fixed mandate — we write it as that surety option.
What are the New Jersey municipal septic bonds?: Several New Jersey towns bond septic system installers through the local Board of Health. Franklin Lakes and Upper Saddle River each codify a fixed $30,000 septic contractor bond, and Jefferson Township a fixed $10,000 septic system installer bond. Saddle River also bonds its septic contractors, with the amount confirmed at issuance.
What is a statewide general-use bond?: For New Jersey jurisdictions that require a street-opening, sidewalk, or land-disturbance permit bond without publishing a single fixed amount, we carry a statewide general-use product instead of a separate page for each town. The issuing jurisdiction sets the exact obligee and amount, which we confirm when you start your bond in the portal or by phone.
Who is Wexford Bonds?: Wexford Bonds is the surety bond brand of Wexford Insurance, LLC, licensed in 48 states. In New Jersey we write the mandatory state trade-board bonds — the $1,000 electrical, $3,000 master HVACR, and $3,000 master plumber bonds — alongside the home improvement and home elevation surety option, the municipal septic-installer bonds, and the statewide general-use permit products.

Nate Jones, CPCU · Founder, Wexford Bonds

Nate Jones is a CPCU-designated surety bond producer and the founder of Wexford Insurance, LLC and Wexford Bonds. He places bonds through a panel of 10 sureties across 48 U.S. states. Call 317-942-0549 or email info@wexfordbonds.com.

Last updated June 16, 2026 · Reviewed by Nate Jones, CPCU · Contact a producer

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