Talent Agency ($50,000) Bond - Statewide in California

Brief Summary

The Labor Commissioner will not issue or renew a California talent agency license without a $50,000 bond on the prescribed DLSE 306 form. We issue it with the notarized surety signature DIR requires, and the bond is continuous, so it carries forward through each renewal of the same license.

California Labor Code 1700.15 requires every talent agency to deposit a $50,000 surety bond with the Labor Commissioner before a license is issued or renewed. The bond is payable to the people of the State of California and covers money the agency receives on behalf of artists and damages caused by fraud, misrepresentation or unlawful acts of the agency or its employees.

We can help with all California bonds!

How to Apply for a Talent Agency ($50,000) Bond:

• Name of the individual, partnership or corporation exactly as it appears on the talent agency application.
• Owner, partner or officer details for the surety's underwriting review.
• Bond executed on DLSE 306 for $50,000.
• Notarized signature of the bonding company representative.
• Original bond submitted to the Labor Commissioner with the application.
• License fee of $225, filing fee of $25, and $50 for each branch office.

Detailed Information About the California Talent Agency ($50,000) Bond:

Calling yourself a manager does not change the rule

The Talent Agencies Act applies to anyone who procures, offers, promises or attempts to procure employment or engagements for an artist. The DIR's licensing page defines a person broadly enough to include managers and their agents or employees. If you look for work for actors, writers, musicians, models or other artists, the license and its $50,000 bond apply to you. The one carve out in Labor Code 1700.4(a) is narrow: procuring, offering or promising to procure recording contracts does not by itself require a license.

The bond amount and what it covers

Labor Code 1700.15 sets a single amount of $50,000 for every talent agency. Section 1700.16 makes the bond payable to the people of the State of California and conditions it on the agency complying with the act, paying all sums it receives on behalf of an artist, and paying damages caused by misstatement, misrepresentation, fraud, deceit or unlawful acts of the agency, its agents or employees.

The prescribed form

DIR requires the prescribed Talent Agency Bond, DLSE 306. The original must be submitted and the bonding company representative's signature must be notarized. The form is continuous and stays in effect through all succeeding license periods.

Fees, term and renewal

The DIR instructions list a $225 main office license fee and a $25 filing fee, for $250 total, plus $50 for each branch office. A new license runs to the applicant's next birthday and is renewed within the 30 days before that birthday. For a partnership the date is the oldest partner's birthday, and for a corporation it is the anniversary of the date the corporation was formed. Applications can be filed online or mailed to the DLSE Licensing and Registration Unit.

A different bond for fee related talent services

DIR handles fee related talent services separately from talent agencies, with its own bond form. If you are applying for a talent agency license, make sure the bond you order is the DLSE 306 Talent Agency Bond.

Eligibility and Requirements for a California Talent Agency ($50,000) Bond:

• Bond in the penal sum of $50,000, as set by Labor Code 1700.15.
• Bond payable to the people of the State of California.
• Bond on file before the license is issued and kept for each renewal.
• Original bond, not a copy.
• Renewal within the 30 days before the licensee's birthday, or the corporation's formation anniversary.

California Talent Agency ($50,000) Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the California Talent Agency ($50,000) Bond: