What is Rhode Island’s most common contractor bond?

The drain-layer bond — posted by a contractor connecting to a municipal sewer or storm-drain system. It is required town by town: Woonsocket fixes it at $3,000 and Smithfield and Newport at $5,000 each, while other towns set the amount by their fee schedule.

Which Rhode Island bonds have a fixed amount?

The state underground utility contractor bond is $20,000; the Woonsocket drainlayer bond is $3,000; and the Smithfield drain-layer, Newport drain-layer, Newport excavation, and Portsmouth excavation bonds are $5,000 each. Each is fixed by statute or ordinance.

Are Rhode Island street-opening and excavation bonds mandatory?

Yes, before you cut into a public street, sidewalk, or right-of-way. Newport and Portsmouth fix the amount at $5,000; Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Cranston, and Cumberland require the bond but set the amount by the public-works director or a fee schedule, and several accept cash or a letter of credit in lieu of the bond.

Does Rhode Island have county contractor bonds?

No. Rhode Island has no functional county government, so every licensing and bonding requirement is either state or municipal. There are no county-level contractor bonds in Rhode Island.

Who is Wexford Bonds?

Wexford Bonds is the surety bond brand of Wexford Insurance, LLC, licensed in 48 states. In Rhode Island we write the state underground utility contractor bond, the municipal drain-layer bonds (Woonsocket, Smithfield, Newport, Johnston), the street-opening and excavation bonds (Newport, Portsmouth, Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Cranston, Cumberland), the burglar-alarm business bond, and the statewide drain-layer and street-opening general-use products.

Rhode Island Surety Bonds

Contractor License & Permit Bonds in Rhode Island

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

Get Your Bond Online Call 317-942-0549

How contractor bonding works in Rhode Island

Rhode Island registers general contractors with insurance, not a bond

Rhode Island has no state general-contractor or home-improvement surety bond. The state’s Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board (RICRLB) requires a registered contractor to carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation — not a surety bond — so a general contractor registers and insures rather than bonding at the state level. The one state-level contractor surety bond Rhode Island does require is the underground utility contractor bond: a mandatory $20,000 bond filed with the RICRLB before you can install, repair, or replace sewer, storm-drainage, or water lines (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-65.3-10). That is the state anchor — everything else Rhode Island bonds is municipal.

Drain-layer bonds are Rhode Island’s signature requirement

Where Rhode Island bonds contractors, it does so town by town — and the most common requirement is the drain-layer bond, posted by a contractor connecting to a city or town sewer or storm-drain system. Several municipalities fix the amount by code: the City of Woonsocket requires a $3,000 drainlayer bond (§ 13-33), and the Town of Smithfield and the City of Newport each require a $5,000 drain-layer bond payable to the town (Smithfield Ch. A361 Art. IV; Newport Ch. 13.08). The Town of Johnston also requires one, with the amount set by the town’s fee schedule. For the long tail of Rhode Island towns that bond drain layers, we also carry a statewide drain layer general-use product.

Street-opening, sidewalk, and excavation bonds before you cut a public road

Rhode Island’s second signature is the street-opening / excavation bond, required before a contractor digs into a municipal street, sidewalk, or right-of-way. Two cities fix the amount by code: the City of Newport requires a $5,000 excavation and curb-cut performance bond (Ch. 12.08) and the Town of Portsmouth a $5,000 excavation bond (Excavations and Curb Cuts ordinance). Several other towns require the bond but set the amount by the public-works director or a fee schedule — and many accept cash, a certified check, or a letter of credit in lieu of the surety bond — so we carry the Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Cranston, and Cumberland bonds without a fixed dollar on the page and confirm the exact figure when you start your bond. A statewide street opening / right-of-way general-use product covers the rest.

The alarm-business bond, and what Rhode Island does not run

Beyond construction, Rhode Island requires a licensed burglar and hold-up alarm business to file a state surety bond — but because the statute lets a licensee deposit cash with the state in lieu of the bond (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-57-21), it is one option rather than a fixed mandate, so we carry it without a dollar amount and confirm the figure at issuance. Note too that Rhode Island has no functional county government — every licensing requirement here is either state or municipal, so there are no county contractor bonds to post. And the state’s Contractors’ Registration board, again, is an insurance requirement, not a bond: if a surety quotes you a “Rhode Island contractor license bond,” they are describing the underground utility bond or a local municipal bond, not a statewide general-contractor bond.

Rhode Island bonds we write

Contractor License & Permit Bonds

Statewide

Rhode Island Burglar and Hold-Up Alarm Business Bond — Rhode Island licensing authority (Burglar and Hold-Up Alarm Businesses) · Portal
Rhode Island Underground Utility Contractor Bond — Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (RICRLB) · $20,000

Statewide / General-Use Bonds

Rhode Island Drain Layer Bond — Rhode Island municipal sewer/drain authorities (general-use drain-layer product) · Portal
Rhode Island Street Opening Bond — Rhode Island municipal public-works departments (general-use street-opening / ROW product) · Portal

City

Coventry Street and Sidewalk Excavation Bond — Town of Coventry (Department of Public Works) · Portal
Cranston Public Improvements Surety Bond — City of Cranston (Building Inspector / Department of Public Works) · Portal
Cumberland Public Works Permit Bond — Town of Cumberland (Department of Public Works) · Portal
East Greenwich Excavation Bond — Town of East Greenwich (Director of Public Works) · Portal
Johnston Drain Layer Bond — Town of Johnston (Johnston Treasurer) · Portal
Newport Drain Layer Bond — City of Newport (Finance Director / Department of Public Services) · $5,000
Newport Excavation Bond — City of Newport (Department of Public Services, Engineering Division) · $5,000
North Kingstown Street Opening Bond — Town of North Kingstown (Director of Public Works) · Portal
Portsmouth Excavation Bond — Town of Portsmouth (Director of Public Works) · $5,000
Smithfield Drain Layer Bond — Town of Smithfield (Town Treasurer / Sewer Authority) · $5,000
Woonsocket Drainlayer Bond — City of Woonsocket (City Clerk) · $3,000

Underwritten bonds in Rhode Island

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

Rhode Island surety bond FAQ

Does Rhode Island require a state contractor license bond?: No. Rhode Island’s Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board requires a registered contractor to carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation, not a surety bond. The only state-level contractor surety bond is the $20,000 underground utility contractor bond filed with the RICRLB.
What is Rhode Island’s most common contractor bond?: The drain-layer bond — posted by a contractor connecting to a municipal sewer or storm-drain system. It is required town by town: Woonsocket fixes it at $3,000 and Smithfield and Newport at $5,000 each, while other towns set the amount by their fee schedule.
Which Rhode Island bonds have a fixed amount?: The state underground utility contractor bond is $20,000; the Woonsocket drainlayer bond is $3,000; and the Smithfield drain-layer, Newport drain-layer, Newport excavation, and Portsmouth excavation bonds are $5,000 each. Each is fixed by statute or ordinance.
Are Rhode Island street-opening and excavation bonds mandatory?: Yes, before you cut into a public street, sidewalk, or right-of-way. Newport and Portsmouth fix the amount at $5,000; Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Cranston, and Cumberland require the bond but set the amount by the public-works director or a fee schedule, and several accept cash or a letter of credit in lieu of the bond.
Does Rhode Island have county contractor bonds?: No. Rhode Island has no functional county government, so every licensing and bonding requirement is either state or municipal. There are no county-level contractor bonds in Rhode Island.
Who is Wexford Bonds?: Wexford Bonds is the surety bond brand of Wexford Insurance, LLC, licensed in 48 states. In Rhode Island we write the state underground utility contractor bond, the municipal drain-layer bonds (Woonsocket, Smithfield, Newport, Johnston), the street-opening and excavation bonds (Newport, Portsmouth, Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Cranston, Cumberland), the burglar-alarm business bond, and the statewide drain-layer and street-opening general-use 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 18, 2026 · Reviewed by Nate Jones, CPCU · Contact a producer

Get bonded in Rhode Island

Find your bond above, or get a license, permit, or bid bond online right now.

Get Your Bond Online