West Virginia Surety Bonds
Contractor License & Permit Bonds in West Virginia
Find the exact license, permit, right-of-way, or public-works bond your West Virginia obligee requires — by city, county, and the state. License and permit bonds issue online.
How contractor bonding works in West Virginia
West Virginia repealed its state contractor license — there is no statewide contractor bond
West Virginia is a genuinely low-bond state, and the honest place to start is what it does not require. The West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act (W. Va. Code §21-11) was dismantled by the 2021 Legislature — its core sections are repealed — so there is no statewide general-contractor license and no state contractor license bond to post. The specialty trades the state still oversees — plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians, elevator mechanics, and crane operators — are licensed by examination and fee, not by bond. So unlike most states, the bond a West Virginia contractor needs is rarely a license bond at all.
The bond West Virginia contractors most often need is the wage bond
West Virginia’s most common construction bond is its wage bond, the employer bond required by W. Va. Code §21-5-14. A business new to the state, or just starting in construction or mineral work, must post it with the Division of Labor before beginning, securing its employees’ wages and fringe benefits. The penal sum is not a flat figure: the statute sizes it to four weeks’ gross payroll at full capacity plus fifteen percent, so it rises and falls with payroll. Established and larger out-of-state employers are exempt, and the Commissioner can waive it for a financially sound employer. Because the amount scales with payroll and the surety underwrites the employer’s solvency, this bond is financially underwritten — it starts with a quote rather than instant portal issuance. It is a wage bond, not a contractor-license bond, but for many West Virginia contractors it is the bond they actually have to post.
Trade and permit bonds: water wells, manufactured housing, and the state right-of-way
Two state trades do carry a bond. A water well and pump-installation contractor must keep a current bond payable to the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health as a condition of certification, and a manufactured-housing manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or installer furnishes a bond — or another approved form of assurance — to the state Manufactured Housing board. Both amounts are set by the agency, so we carry them as portal products and confirm the figure at issuance. Work inside a state highway right-of-way takes the West Virginia Division of Highways permit bond (WVDOH Form SM-6), which the Division of Highways sizes per permit to guarantee restoration of the road.
Local permit bonds and statewide products
West Virginia cities do not re-license contractors, so the local bonds that recur are permit-class and discretionary: most towns condition a street-opening or excavation permit on a bond set by the public-works official, and several municipalities add stormwater and erosion-control bonds for land-disturbing work. Rather than list dozens of near-identical municipal pages, we carry two statewide general-use products — a street-opening / right-of-way bond and a land-disturbance / stormwater bond — whose obligee and amount are set by the issuing city and confirmed when you start the bond.
West Virginia bonds we write
Contractor License & Permit Bonds
Statewide
Statewide / General-Use Bonds
Performance & Payment Bonds
Statewide
Underwritten bonds in West Virginia
Bid, performance, and payment bonds are individually underwritten — request a quote rather than the instant portal:
West Virginia surety bond FAQ
- Does West Virginia require a state contractor license bond?
- No. West Virginia repealed the core of its Contractor Licensing Act in 2021, so there is no statewide general-contractor license and no state contractor license bond. The trades the state still licenses — plumbing, HVAC, electrical, elevator, and crane work — are licensed by exam and fee, not by bond.
- What bond do most West Virginia contractors actually need?
- The West Virginia wage bond. Under W. Va. Code §21-5-14, an employer new to the state or to construction or mineral work posts it with the Division of Labor to secure employee wages, sized to four weeks’ payroll plus fifteen percent. Established and larger out-of-state employers are exempt, and the Commissioner can waive it. It is financially underwritten, so it starts with a quote.
- Do water well drillers and manufactured-home contractors need a bond in West Virginia?
- Yes. A water well and pump-installation contractor keeps a current bond payable to the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health, and a manufactured-housing manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or installer furnishes a bond or other approved assurance to the state Manufactured Housing board. Both amounts are set by the agency and confirmed at issuance.
- What bond do I need to cut a street or work in the right-of-way in West Virginia?
- For a city street or right-of-way, a street-opening or excavation permit bond from the town, set by its public-works official. For a state highway right-of-way, the West Virginia Division of Highways permit bond (Form SM-6), which the Division sizes per permit. Where a city publishes no fixed amount, we carry a statewide general-use right-of-way product.
- What is a statewide general-use bond?
- For West Virginia jurisdictions that require a street-opening, right-of-way, or land-disturbance bond but publish no fixed amount, we carry a statewide general-use product. The issuing city sets the exact obligee and amount, which we confirm when you start your bond in the portal or by phone.
- How fast can I get a West Virginia bond?
- The trade, permit, and right-of-way bonds issue online through the portal, usually in one sitting, with the obligee-set amount confirmed at issuance. The wage bond is financially underwritten and starts with a quote request.
- Who is Wexford Bonds?
- Wexford Bonds is the surety bond brand of Wexford Insurance, LLC, licensed in 48 states. In West Virginia we write the §21-5-14 wage bond, the water well and manufactured-housing trade bonds, the Division of Highways right-of-way permit bond, and the statewide general-use street-opening and land-disturbance products.
Get bonded in West Virginia
Find your bond above, or get a license, permit, or bid bond online right now.