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Contractor license bond for painters
Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly
Required if…
Required if your state's (or city's) licensing law conditions the painting-contractor license on filing a surety bond — the license won't issue or renew without it.
What it covers for painting contractors
A contractor license bond is a financial-guarantee instrument the contractor buys from a surety and files with the licensing authority; it protects the public, not the contractor. Where a state — or a city — conditions the painting-contractor license on one, it must be on file before the license will issue or renew; whether yours does, and for how much, depends on the licensing jurisdiction. Where it applies, the bond gates the license itself — a painting contractor in a bond jurisdiction cannot legally operate without one on file.
Sources: California Contractors State License Board — Bond Requirements (retrieved 2026-06-11) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries — Register as a contractor (retrieved 2026-06-11)
Painting-contractor bond requirements by state
Whether each state conditions the credential to contract painting work on a surety bond — and the amount. State-bond states show the filed figure; license-only, locally-licensed, and unlicensed states show "—".
4 of 51 jurisdictions pending verification.
| State | Requirement | State bond | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama's statewide contractor credentials reach painting only at size thresholds — the Licensing Board for General Contractors licenses prime and subcontract work of $100,000 or more, and the Home Builders Licensure Board covers residential building and remodeling — and neither credential is conditioned on a surety bond: the boards qualify applicants on financial statements (only the residential-roofer subset posts a $10,000 bond). | — | Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors — Law (definition of general contractor, Code of Alabama Title 34, Chapter 8) |
| Alaska | Alaska conditions the statewide specialty-contractor registration a business needs for painting contracting on a surety bond filed with the Department of Commerce — $10,000 for a specialty contractor, dropping to $5,000 where the whole project is $10,000 or less (AS 08.18.071(b)). | $5,000–$10,000 | Alaska DCBPL, Statutes and Regulations: Construction Contractors (AS 08.18.071 — Bond required) |
| Arizona | Arizona conditions its statewide ROC painting contractor license (C-34 commercial, R-34 residential, or CR-34 dual — Painting and Wall Covering) on a continuous surety bond or cash deposit whose amount the Registrar fixes by classification and gross volume: $2,500–$50,000 for commercial specialty painting and $4,250–$7,500 for residential, with dual licensees posting the combined amount. | $2,500–$50,000 | Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1152 (Bonds), Arizona State Legislature |
| Arkansas | Arkansas's Home Improvement Specialty license — painting is specialty #26 — covers residential painting jobs over $2,000 and is bond-free, qualified instead by a compiled balance sheet showing positive net worth; only commercial work of $50,000 or more falls under the commercial contractor license with its separate $10,000 Contractors Bond Law surety bond (A.C.A. §17-25-401). | — | Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board — Home Improvement Specialty New Application (official application packet; painting = specialty #26 'Painting, Wallcovering'; balance-sheet requirement, no bond) |
| California | California conditions the statewide contractor license that lets a business contract painting work (CSLB C-33 Painting and Decorating classification) on filing a $25,000 Contractor's Bond with the Contractors State License Board before the license can be issued, reactivated, or renewed. | $25,000 | CSLB — Bond Requirements (Contractors State License Board, CA.gov) |
| Colorado | Colorado has no statewide license or bond for painting contractors — among construction trades the state's Division of Professions and Occupations licenses only electricians and plumbers — and contractor licensing, where it exists, happens city by city and county by county. | — | Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — homepage occupational-professions program roster (DORA, dpo.colorado.gov) |
| Connecticut | Connecticut's statewide credential for residential painting is the DCP Home Improvement Contractor registration, and no surety bond attaches to it — consumer protection runs through the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund, replenished by annual assessments on registered contractors, from which a homeowner may recover up to $25,000. | — | Connecticut DCP — Information for Home Improvement Contractors (portal.ct.gov) |
| Delaware | Delaware issues no occupational license for painting — the statewide 'contractor license' is the Division of Revenue's business registration for gross-receipts tax, and the only bond in the regime is the tax-security bond non-resident contractors post on contracts of $20,000 or more. | — | Delaware Division of Revenue — Contractors (Resident and Non-Resident), revenue.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | The District of Columbia conditions its Home Improvement Contractor license — the credential a painting business needs for residential home-improvement work — on a $25,000 surety bond (or cash bond) filed with DLCP for the duration of each two-year license period. | $25,000 | DC DLCP — Home Improvement Surety Bond (official fillable bond form, dlcp.dc.gov) |
| Florida | Florida has no state painting-contractor license and prohibits cities and counties from requiring one: s. 489.117(4), F.S. bars local governments from licensing job scopes outside the state contractor categories and names painting first among them — so no license, and no license bond, attaches to painting work at any level of government in Florida. | — | Florida Statutes s. 489.117(4) (2025), Florida Senate |
| Georgia | Georgia's contractor licensing stops above painting: residential and general contractors are state-licensed, but specialty occupations — painters included, per the state's own consumer-education office — are not required to be licensed by the state, and no statewide bond attaches to painting work. | — | Georgia Consumer Protection Division — Consumer Ed: Home Improvement (consumered.georgia.gov) |
| Hawaii | Hawaii licenses painting statewide through the Contractors License Board's C-33 Painting and Decorating classification, conditioned on liability insurance and workers'-comp compliance rather than a surety bond — HRS §444-16.5 only lets the Board require a bond of not less than $5,000 case-by-case, weighing the applicant's financial condition and experience. | — | Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 444 (Contractors), DCCA-hosted official compilation (files.hawaii.gov) |
| Idaho | Idaho requires painting businesses to register statewide under the Contractor Registration Act, conditioned on $300,000 of general liability insurance and workers'-compensation compliance — no surety bond appears among the registration requirements (Idaho Code §54-5210). | — | Idaho Code § 54-5210 (Contractor Registration — application requirements), Idaho Legislature |
| Illinois | Illinois has no statewide license or bond for painting contractors — the Attorney General's own contractor guide states that general contractors are not required to be licensed or certified, with roofing and plumbing the licensed exceptions — so painting credentialing, where it exists, is a matter of municipal permits and local registration. | — | Illinois Attorney General — Home Repair and Construction: How to Choose a Contractor (official consumer guide PDF) |
| Iowa | Iowa's statewide credential for a painting business is the Division of Labor contractor registration, required once construction earnings reach $2,000 a year — it carries no bond for Iowa-based contractors; only a contractor whose principal place of business is out of state files a $25,000 bond to register. | — | Iowa DIAL — Contractor Registration (dial.iowa.gov) |
| Kentucky | Kentucky has no statewide painting or general-contractor license — the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction licenses plumbers, electricians, boiler contractors, sprinkler and fire-alarm contractors and building inspectors, and painting is not among its programs — so contractor credentialing, where it exists, is set locally by cities and counties. | — | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction — agency homepage (dhbc.ky.gov) |
| Louisiana | Louisiana licenses painting businesses statewide once jobs cross size thresholds — commercial work over $50,000, residential work over $75,000, with a home-improvement registration covering residential remodeling from $7,500 up — and the Board qualifies licensees on financial statements rather than surety bonds. | — | Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors — FAQ (lslbc.gov) |
| Maine | Maine does not license home contractors at all — painting included — so no statewide credential or license bond exists; consumer protection runs through the Attorney General's Unfair Trade Practices Act and the home-construction contract statute (written contracts required over $3,000) instead. | — | Maine Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Law Guide / Home Construction and Repair (maine.gov/ag) |
| Maryland | Maryland licenses residential painting statewide through the MHIC home improvement contractor license, which is solvency-gated rather than bonded: an applicant who cannot meet the Commission's financial-solvency guidelines posts a $30,000 surety bond (or a $100,000 bond in lieu of financial documentation, or an indemnitor), and homeowners are backstopped by the MHIC Guaranty Fund up to $30,000 per claim. | — | Maryland Department of Labor — Maryland Home Improvement Commission (labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts's statewide credential for residential painting is the Home Improvement Contractor registration under MGL c.142A, and no surety bond attaches to it — the consumer backstop is the Residential Contractor's Guaranty Fund, funded by fees registrants pay at registration. | — | Massachusetts General Laws c.142A, § 9 (registration requirement), Massachusetts Legislature |
| Michigan | Michigan deregulated painting in 2018: Public Act 527 removed painting and decorating from the residential maintenance-and-alteration contractor crafts (MCL 339.2404, effective March 29, 2019), so a painting-only business needs no statewide license or bond in Michigan. | — | Michigan Compiled Laws § 339.2404 (maintenance and alteration contractor crafts and trades; as amended by 2018 PA 527), Michigan Legislature |
| Minnesota | Minnesota's residential building contractor license reaches businesses that offer two or more special skills — a painting-only contractor provides one special skill and is statutorily exempt (Minn. Stat. §326B.805 subd. 6(8)), so no statewide license or bond attaches to a business that only paints. | — | Minnesota Statutes § 326B.805 (license requirement; subd. 6 exemptions), Office of the Revisor of Statutes |
| Mississippi | Mississippi's contractor credentials reach painting at size thresholds — a commercial Certificate of Responsibility for jobs over $50,000 and a Residential Remodeler license for remodeling over $10,000 — and MSBOC qualifies applicants on exams, financial statements and liability insurance, with no surety bond conditioning either credential. | — | Mississippi State Board of Contractors — How Do I? / one-stop licensing overview (msboc.us) |
| Missouri | Missouri has no statewide painting or general-contractor license — contractor credentialing happens city by city and county by county (the City of St. Louis, for example, requires contracting businesses to hold its Construction Industry Contractor Graduated Business License), and bond requirements likewise vary with each local program. | — | City of St. Louis — Apply for a Construction/Contracting Business License (stlouis-mo.gov) |
| Montana | Montana's statewide credential is the construction contractor registration, required once a painting business has employees (or is a corporation or manager-managed LLC) — a workers'-compensation compliance regime with a $70 fee and no surety bond or insurance minimums attached. | — | Montana DLI, Employment Relations Division — Construction Contractor Registration (erd.dli.mt.gov) |
| Nebraska | Nebraska requires every painting business working on others' property to register with the Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act — a registration conditioned on workers'-compensation proof for employers, with no surety bond at the state level. | — | Nebraska Department of Labor — Contractor Registration (dol.nebraska.gov/conreg) |
| Nevada | Nevada conditions the contractor's license a painting business needs — the C-4 Painting and Decorating classification issued by the Nevada State Contractors Board — on filing a surety bond (or cash deposit) in an amount the Board fixes between $1,000 and $500,000 based on the licensee's financial and professional responsibility and the magnitude of its operations. | $1,000–$500,000 | Nevada Revised Statutes, NRS 624.270 (Bond or deposit: Requirements; amount; conditions), Nevada Legislature |
| New Jersey | New Jersey's home improvement contractor registration — the statewide credential for residential painting — carries a tiered compliance bond (or irrevocable letter of credit or securities): $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 depending on the business's largest contract value and trailing-12-month volume (N.J.S.A. 56:8-142(e)–(f), as amended by P.L.2023, c.237), replenished as claims are paid. | $10,000–$50,000 | P.L.2023, c.237, § 32 (amending C.56:8-142 — proof of insurance, posting of bond), New Jersey Legislature (enacted chapter law) |
| New Mexico | New Mexico conditions every Construction Industries Division contractor's license — painting falls to the GS-29 'Specialties' catch-all classification — on furnishing a fixed $10,000 proof-of-responsibility surety bond (NMSA 1978 §60-13-49), and §60-13-51 bars municipalities from demanding additional contractor bonds. | $10,000 | NMSA 1978 § 60-13-49 (Construction Industries Licensing Act — proof of responsibility), official copy hosted by NM Regulation and Licensing Department |
| New York | New York has no statewide license or bond for painting contractors — home improvement licensing is municipal, and bond practice varies by jurisdiction: New York City's Home Improvement Contractor license, for instance, takes either DCWP Trust Fund enrollment or a $20,000 surety bond. | — | New York Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection — consumer alert on home improvement contractors (dos.ny.gov) |
| North Carolina | North Carolina requires a license only when an undertaking reaches $40,000 — painting jobs below that need no state credential — and the general contractor license that covers larger work is qualified by examination and financial responsibility, not by any surety bond. | — | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-1 (definition of general contractor), North Carolina General Assembly |
| North Dakota | North Dakota licenses painting businesses statewide once a job exceeds $4,000, conditioning the Secretary of State contractor license on a certificate of liability insurance and workforce-safety good standing — no surety bond appears among the requirements. | — | North Dakota Secretary of State — Contractors (licensing requirements), sos.nd.gov |
| Ohio | Ohio licenses five construction trades statewide — HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing and hydronics — and painting is not one of them: a painting business needs no Ohio license or bond, though individual municipalities may require their own contractor registration. | — | Ohio Legislative Service Commission — Occupational Regulation report: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (lsc.ohio.gov) |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma's Construction Industries Board licenses the electrical, mechanical and plumbing trades and registers roofing contractors — painting is outside the Board's programs, so no statewide painting license or bond exists in Oklahoma. | — | Oklahoma Construction Industries Board — agency homepage (oklahoma.gov/cib) |
| Oregon | Oregon licenses painting businesses through the Construction Contractors Board and conditions the license on a surety bond set by endorsement — $20,000 for a residential specialty contractor and $25,000 to $55,000 on the commercial specialty side (level 2 / level 1) — with a business holding both endorsements filing two bonds. | $20,000–$55,000 | Oregon CCB — Guide to Becoming a Licensed Contractor (endorsement/bond tables) |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania's statewide credential for residential painting is the Attorney General's HICPA home improvement contractor registration — an insurance-gated regime requiring at least $50,000 of personal-injury and $50,000 of property-damage liability coverage, with no surety bond; businesses doing under $5,000 of home improvements a year are exempt. | — | Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General — Home Improvement Contractor Registration Application Instructions (HICPA) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island's statewide credential for painting businesses is the CRLB contractor registration, conditioned on a $500,000 liability-insurance certificate (plus workers' comp for employers) — no surety bond; Rhode Island's dramatic per-project bonds attach only to the commercial roofing license, not to painting. | — | RI Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board — FAQs for the contractor (crb.ri.gov) |
| South Carolina | South Carolina registers painting contractors statewide as residential specialty contractors — 'painters and wall paperers' are a named registration trade — and bonds them per undertaking rather than per license: a registered painter posts a commission-approved surety bond only when an individual job for a property owner exceeds $5,000 (S.C. Code §40-59-240(D)). | — | S.C. Code of Laws, Title 40, Chapter 59 (Residential Builders Commission — §40-59-20 definitions; §40-59-240(D) specialty-contractor bond), South Carolina Legislature |
| South Dakota | South Dakota's only statewide contractor credential is a tax license — the contractor's excise-tax license, a Department of Revenue registration with no occupational vetting — so painting carries no license or license bond in South Dakota (electrical work, by contrast, is separately licensed and bonded). | — | South Dakota Department of Revenue — Contractor's Excise Tax (dor.sd.gov) |
| Tennessee | Tennessee's statewide contractor license (projects of $25,000 and up) is conditioned on a CPA-prepared financial statement that sets the monetary limit — not on a surety bond — while the separate home improvement contractor license for mid-size residential projects in the counties that require it takes $10,000 of financial security (surety bond, cash, property bond, or irrevocable letter of credit). | — | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors — Guaranty Agreement and Bond Information / licensing indemnities instructions (tn.gov) |
| Texas | Texas issues no statewide license or bond for painting work — the Governor's own business-permits guide states that general contractors are not required to obtain a license to practice in Texas — and TDLR's licensed-program roster has no painting program; any requirements are local permits or city registration. | — | Office of the Texas Governor — Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide (General Contracting – Construction – Home Builder section) |
| Utah | Utah's DOPL contractor license — the statewide credential a painting business holds — carries no across-the-board bond: applicants demonstrate financial responsibility by questionnaire, and a license bond enters only as the alternative when that demonstration fails (Utah Code §58-55-306, amounts per rule R156-55a-602). | — | Utah Code § 58-55-306 (Financial responsibility), Utah State Legislature |
| Vermont | Vermont's residential contractor registration — whose statutory definition of residential construction names painting expressly — applies to homeowner projects over $10,000 and is insurance-gated at $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, with no surety bond anywhere in the chapter. | — | Act 182 of 2022 (S.226), Sec. 14 — 26 V.S.A. ch. 106 (Residential Contractors), Vermont General Assembly (enacted text) |
| Virginia | Virginia licenses painting businesses statewide — Class A, B or C by contract size, with the PTC Painting and Wallcovering Contracting specialty — and requires no surety bond: the $50,000 bond in the statute is an option an applicant may elect in lieu of demonstrating net worth for financial responsibility. | — | Code of Virginia § 54.1-1106 (Class A contractors' licenses; financial responsibility), Virginia Law Portal |
| Washington | Washington conditions the contractor registration a painting business carries — the specialty-contractor tier under RCW 18.27 — on filing a continuous $15,000 surety bond with Labor & Industries (general contractors post $30,000), alongside liability insurance. | $15,000 | RCW 18.27.040 — Bond or other security required (Washington State Legislature) |
| West Virginia | West Virginia writes painting out of contractor licensing entirely: the Contractor Licensing Act's definition of contractor expressly excludes a person who performs landscaping or painting services for commercial or residential customers, so a painting business needs no WV contractor license — and no license bond — at any job size. | — | W. Va. Code § 30-42-3 (Contractor Licensing Act — definitions; exclusions from 'contractor'), West Virginia Legislature |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin's Dwelling Contractor certification — with its election between a surety bond of at least $5,000 and $250,000-per-occurrence liability insurance — attaches to pulling building permits on one- and two-family dwellings, and painting does not ordinarily involve a building permit: a painting-only business needs no statewide credential or bond in Wisconsin. | — | Wis. Stat. § 101.654 (Certification of financial responsibility for contractors of dwellings), Wisconsin Legislature |
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