Fargo Excavator License Bond
What it is & who requires it
Contractors excavating in Fargo. The ordinance is explicit that you need both credentials: no person may perform excavation unless licensed as a contractor by the State of North Dakota and licensed as an excavator by the City of Fargo. The license comes from the city auditor on a written application, and the permit to excavate comes separately from the city engineering department. Failure to maintain the required construction security, bond or insurance is listed in the code as grounds for revoking a permit, alongside failing to complete work in a timely manner or to correct a condition the city engineer has requested.
Obligee: City of Fargo (City Auditor; City Engineer). Citation: Fargo Municipal Code § 18-0902 (Excavator’s License), Ord. 5384 (2023); § 18-0903 (Permit to Excavate); § 18-0915 (Forms); § 18-0909 (restoration requirements); City of Fargo Excavation Fees and Guidelines (25 April 2023), § I.C.
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: Two years. The guidelines require the bond to be in effect for two years, with an effective date of March 2, and the license itself runs to March 1 of the following year.
Renewal: Annual — the license is effective on issuance until March 1, and the bond carries the March 2 effective date to match.
Filing
Filed with the Fargo City Auditor as part of the excavator license application. The reason no figure appears here is structural rather than uncertain: the ordinance does not name an amount at all, instead sending you to the city’s separately published excavation fees and guidelines, and that document states the bond as a minimum rather than as a set sum. Where the obligee itself writes a floor, the number in front of you is a starting point, not the answer. What the bond secures is broad — the guidelines condition it on saving the city harmless from damages caused by negligence or faulty work by you or your employees, and on the material and work meeting the city’s restoration requirements. Liability insurance is filed alongside at the city’s published per-occurrence limit. Note that this is a separate instrument from Fargo’s sidewalk builder bond and from its tree service and re-roofing bonds.
Source
This bond requirement is corroborated by multiple public sources; City of Fargo (City Auditor; City Engineer) sets the exact amount, which we confirm when you start your bond.
Related North Dakota bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Fargo Excavator License Bond?
- It’s required by City of Fargo (City Auditor; City Engineer) (Fargo Municipal Code § 18-0902 (Excavator’s License), Ord. 5384 (2023); § 18-0903 (Permit to Excavate); § 18-0915 (Forms); § 18-0909 (restoration requirements); City of Fargo Excavation Fees and Guidelines (25 April 2023), § I.C). Contractors excavating in Fargo. The ordinance is explicit that you need both credentials: no person may perform excavation unless licensed as a contractor by the State of North Dakota and licensed as an excavator by the City of Fargo. The license comes from the city auditor on a written application, and the permit to excavate comes separately from the city engineering department. Failure to maintain the required construction security, bond or insurance is listed in the code as grounds for revoking a permit, alongside failing to complete work in a timely manner or to correct a condition the city engineer has requested.
- How much is the Fargo Excavator License Bond?
- 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 Fargo Excavator 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?
- Two years. The guidelines require the bond to be in effect for two years, with an effective date of March 2, and the license itself runs to March 1 of the following year. Renewal: Annual — the license is effective on issuance until March 1, and the bond carries the March 2 effective date to match.
- 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.
