Sidewalk & Curb Performance and Payment ($10,000) Bond - Hartford, CT in Connecticut

Brief Summary

Hartford will not issue a curb and walk license until a $10,000 performance bond on the City's own form is on file with Public Works. The bond is a one page filing for most contractors, and keeping it in force is what keeps your license active.

The City of Hartford requires every licensed curb and walk contractor to file a $10,000 performance bond from a surety authorized to do business in the City, on the form the City provides. The requirement comes from Hartford Municipal Code Section 31-65 and is administered by the Department of Public Works, which issues the license. The bond must stay in force for five years after the license expiration date, and cancelling it automatically suspends the license.

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How to Apply for a Sidewalk & Curb Performance and Payment ($10,000) Bond:

• Get the City of Hartford bond form from the Department of Public Works. The bond must be written on the form the City provides.
• Have the business name and business address exactly as they will appear on the license application.
• Complete the surety application and review the quoted premium.
• Receive the executed $10,000 performance bond from a surety authorized to do business in the City.
• File the bond with the Certificate of Liability Insurance and the license application with Public Works.
• Keep the bond in force for five years after the license expiration date and renew the license each year before December 31.

Detailed Information About the Connecticut Sidewalk & Curb Performance and Payment ($10,000) Bond:

The part most contractors miss

This is not a one season bond. Under the Department of Public Works rules for curb and walk layers, the performance bond must remain in force for five years after the expiration date of the license. Every curb and walk license expires on December 31, so a contractor who drops the bond at year end is still on the hook for keeping it active. Cancellation of the bond automatically suspends the license.

Who has to post it

The Director of Public Works issues licenses to curb and walk contractors and street excavation contractors. To get one, the applicant files a satisfactory performance bond of a surety company authorized to do business in the City, in the amount of $10,000 and on the form provided by the City, as required by Hartford Municipal Code Section 31-65. The applicant also files a Certificate of Liability Insurance in the amount shown on the City's insurance form, and cancelling that insurance suspends the license just as a cancelled bond does.

Work done by an unlicensed contractor is rejected, and the abutting owner or contractor pays to correct it. The one exception in the rules is that an abutting property owner or the owner's agent may make minor repairs, as the Director defines them, under Municipal Code Section 31-56.

License term and fees

Licenses run on the calendar year and expire December 31. The rules list a $75 fee for a new license and $50 for a yearly renewal, with fees subject to Consumer Price Index adjustment. A contractor who has gone five years without a license must be retested. Renewal can be denied if past performance was unsatisfactory, and the licensee or, for a corporation, an authorized agent must appear at the Public Works office to sign for the renewal.

The DPW rules document is dated July 2014, so confirm the current bond form, insurance limits and fees with the Hartford Department of Public Works Permits Division before the bond is issued. The Division now takes permit and license applications online.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Connecticut Sidewalk & Curb Performance and Payment ($10,000) Bond:

• Performance bond of exactly $10,000 under Hartford Municipal Code Section 31-65.
• Surety company authorized to do business in the City of Hartford.
• City of Hartford as obligee, on the City's prescribed form.
• Certificate of Liability Insurance in the amount on the City's insurance form.
• Applicant regularly engaged in curb and walk work. Contractors without a license in the last five years must retest.

Connecticut Sidewalk & Curb Performance and Payment ($10,000) Bond FAQs:

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