Wisconsin Surety Bonds
Contractor License & Permit Bonds in Wisconsin
Find the exact license, permit, right-of-way, or public-works bond your Wisconsin obligee requires — by city, county, and the state. License and permit bonds issue online.
How contractor bonding works in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s trade licenses are credential-only — with one optional state bond
Wisconsin’s Department of Safety and Professional Services licenses electrical, plumbing, and HVAC contractors on examination and credentials, not a surety bond. The one state-level contractor bond is the Dwelling Contractor financial-responsibility bond — and even it is optional: a contractor may post a surety bond of at least $5,000 or carry $250,000 in general-liability insurance instead.
The bonds are municipal — and unusually dense
Wisconsin cities run a thick patchwork of contractor bonds: sidewalk and concrete license bonds, right-of-way and excavation bonds, privilege-in-streets bonds, raze and building-mover bonds, and erosion-control assurances. Milwaukee, Madison (Dane County), Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha, and the City of Franklin (Milwaukee County — distinct from the Franklins in Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio) each set their own. The $10,000 figure that recurs on privilege-in-streets bonds is the Wis. Stat. 66.0425 statutory ceiling, not one shared bond — every city files its own.
Public works are bonded — at thresholds that move
On a Wisconsin public-works contract, a payment and performance bond is required when the price exceeds $369,000 for a State of Wisconsin contract or $148,000 for a local one, with the penalty not less than the contract price (Wis. Stat. 779.14). Those thresholds are indexed biennially under §779.14(1s), so confirm the current figure at each even-year adjustment. These are underwritten — see the public-works pages in the directory below.
Wisconsin bonds we write
Contractor License & Permit Bonds
Statewide
City
- Appleton Right-of-Way Excavation Bond
- Beloit Building Moving and Demolition Bond
- Beloit Street / Right-of-Way Excavation Performance Bond
- Brown Deer Right-of-Way Repair Performance Bond
- Cudahy Sidewalk Construction License Bond
- De Pere Concrete Worker’s License Bond
- Fond du Lac Excavation / Street-Opening Performance Bond
- Franklin Street / Right-of-Way Excavation Bond
- Glendale Building Moving Bond
- Glendale Privilege-in-Streets Bond
- Green Bay Concrete Sidewalk Builder’s License Bond
- Green Bay Right-of-Way Excavation Permit Bond
- Greenfield Right-of-Way Excavation Bond
- Janesville Plumber Performance and Indemnity Bond
- Janesville Street / Right-of-Way Excavation Performance Bond
- Kenosha Sidewalk / Driveway / Street Excavation Performance Bond
- Kenosha Sign Erectors Bond
- La Crosse Street and Sidewalk Excavation Indemnity Bond
- Madison Building Mover Surety Bond
- Madison Concrete Layer / Paver / Mudjacker License Bond
- Madison Sewer Drain Cleaner / CCTV Inspector License Bond
- Madison Sign Erector’s License Bond
- Madison Street Occupation Surety Bond
- Middleton Street / Sidewalk Excavation Permit Bond
- Milwaukee Plumber and Drainlayer Bond
- Milwaukee Street Construction / Work-on-Public-Ways Bond
- Milwaukee Wrecker’s and Mover’s Performance Bond
- Oak Creek Right-of-Way Excavation Permit Bond
- Oshkosh Annual Obstruction Bond
- Oshkosh Annual Right-of-Way Excavation Bond
- Oshkosh Site-Specific Excavation Bond
- Pleasant Prairie Sidewalk / Driveway Approach Bond
- Racine Public Street / Right-of-Way Excavation Bond
- Sheboygan Right-of-Way Excavation Performance Bond
- South Milwaukee Plumber’s Performance Bond
- Stevens Point Building Moving / Razing Bond
- Sun Prairie Excavation Permit Bond
- Sun Prairie Sidewalk Construction Permit Bond
- Sun Prairie Street Privilege Permit Bond
- Superior Bridge Excavation / Repair Permit Bond
- Verona Building Moving Bond
- Verona Excavation / Street-Opening Indemnity Bond
- Waukesha Building Relocation Bond
- Waukesha Drainlayers Bond
- Waukesha Materials / Machinery in Street Permit Bond
- Waukesha Sidewalk Builders Bond
- Wausau Building Moving Permit Bond
- Wausau Concrete / Bituminous Paving Contractor License Bond
- Wauwatosa Building Moving Bond
- Wauwatosa Plumbers’ and Drainlayers’ Bond
- West Allis Building Moving Bond
- West Allis Concrete Contractor License Bond
- West Allis Privilege-in-Streets Bond
- West Allis Temporary Obstruction / Excavation Bond
Performance & Payment Bonds
City
- Cudahy Demolition Performance Bond
- Fitchburg Erosion Control Financial Security
- Glendale Erosion Control Bond
- Green Bay Construction Site Erosion Control Bond
- Greenfield Erosion and Sediment Control Bond
- Kenosha Building Move Completion Bond
- Kenosha Raze / Demolition Performance and Payment Bond
- Madison Erosion Control Surety Bond
- Milwaukee Erosion Control Performance Bond
- Sun Prairie Erosion Control Surety Bond
- Verona Erosion Control Financial Security
- Waukesha Erosion Control / Stormwater Financial Assurance
- Wauwatosa Erosion Control Bond
Underwritten bonds in Wisconsin
Bid, performance, and payment bonds are individually underwritten — request a quote rather than the instant portal:
Wisconsin surety bond FAQ
- Does Wisconsin require a state contractor license bond?
- No. DSPS licenses electrical, plumbing, and HVAC contractors on credentials, not a bond. The only state contractor bond is the optional Dwelling Contractor bond — a $5,000 surety bond, or $250,000 in liability insurance instead.
- Which Wisconsin cities require a contractor bond?
- Many do — Milwaukee, Madison (Dane County), Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine, the City of Waukesha, Janesville, Appleton, La Crosse, and the City of Franklin (Milwaukee County) each set their own sidewalk, right-of-way, privilege, raze, or excavation bond. Find yours in the directory below.
- What is the Wisconsin privilege-in-streets bond?
- A bond a city may require to occupy or encroach on a public street. Wis. Stat. 66.0425 caps it at $10,000, and each municipality sets and files its own within that ceiling — a statutory limit, not a single statewide bond.
- Are Wisconsin public-works bonds different?
- Yes. A payment and performance bond is required above $369,000 (state) or $148,000 (local) at no less than the contract price under Wis. Stat. 779.14, and those thresholds are indexed biennially under §779.14(1s). These are underwritten.
- How fast can I get a Wisconsin license or permit bond?
- Sidewalk, right-of-way, privilege, and permit bonds issue online, usually in one sitting. Public-works bonds are underwritten and start with a quote request.
- Who is Wexford Bonds?
- Wexford Bonds is the surety bond brand of Wexford Insurance, LLC, licensed in 48 states. We write Wisconsin contractor, right-of-way, privilege, and public-works bonds.
Get bonded in Wisconsin
Find your bond above, or get a license, permit, or bid bond online right now.