Surety Bond Encyclopedia

Home Energy Performance Score Contractor ($15,000) Bond - Statewide in Oregon

Brief Summary

If your business assigns Oregon home energy performance scores, this $15,000 bond goes in with the Construction Contractors Board application for the Home Energy Performance Score Contractor endorsement. You pay a premium to a surety instead of setting aside $15,000, and the endorsement is one of the restricted residential types, so the bond and insurance minimums are the lowest the CCB sets.

Under ORS 701.081(8), an Oregon Home Energy Performance Score Contractor must file a $15,000 surety bond with the Construction Contractors Board, carry general liability insurance of at least $100,000, and have an owner or employee certified by the board as a home energy assessor. The endorsement covers one activity, assigning home energy performance scores. OAR 812-003-0131(8) bars the holder from any other contractor work.

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How to Apply for a Home Energy Performance Score Contractor ($15,000) Bond:

Confirm an owner or employee holds a current CCB home energy assessor certificate, or has finished the Oregon Department of Energy designated training and applied for one.
Have the business legal name and entity details exactly as they will appear on the CCB application.
Complete the bond application so the surety can review the owners.
Receive the executed $15,000 bond on the CCB residential surety bond form.
Send the bond with the license application. The CCB says bonds sent separately delay the license.
Pay the CCB license fee, listed at $400 for applications beginning July 1, 2025.

Detailed Information About the Oregon Home Energy Performance Score Contractor ($15,000) Bond:

What this endorsement lets you do

ORS 701.534 says the endorsement authorizes the holder to operate a business assigning home energy performance scores. ORS 701.527 defines that score as one assigned to a residential building using the system adopted by the State Department of Energy under ORS 469.703. OAR 812-003-0131(8) adds the limit people miss. The licensee may not engage in any other contractor activities. If a score points to new insulation or a furnace replacement, a company holding only this endorsement cannot do that job.

Who needs it

ORS 701.529 says a business may not undertake, offer or bid to assign scores unless it is licensed by the CCB under chapter 701 or endorsed under ORS 701.534, and has an owner or employee certified as a home energy assessor. The person doing the scoring needs a separate certificate. The CCB issues it under ORS 701.532 after proof of passing a training program designated by the Oregon Department of Energy, and it must be renewed every year. The contractor license runs two years.

How the bond works

The $15,000 amount is flat. There are no tiers. ORS 701.068 requires a corporate surety authorized to do business in Oregon, and the bond pays amounts the board determines on complaints under ORS 701.145. It stays in effect for at least one year or until used up, and the surety may continue it by continuation certificate. The surety's total liability never exceeds $15,000 no matter how many years the bond runs.

One exception to the flat figure. Under ORS 701.068(5) and (6) the board can require a bond of up to five times the normal amount as a condition of reinstating a suspended license, or under conditions it sets by rule.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Oregon Home Energy Performance Score Contractor ($15,000) Bond:

$15,000 surety bond under ORS 701.081(8) from a corporate surety authorized in Oregon.
General liability insurance of not less than $100,000.
An owner or employee certified as a home energy assessor under ORS 701.532.
Work limited to assigning home energy performance scores, with no other contractor activity.
Assessor certificate renewed every year and contractor license renewed every two years.

Oregon Home Energy Performance Score Contractor ($15,000) Bond FAQs:

Can my company also do the upgrades the score recommends?

Not under this endorsement. OAR 812-003-0131(8) lets the holder assign scores and nothing else. Repair and upgrade work falls under other CCB endorsements, and OAR 812-003-0131(16) allows only one residential endorsement on a license.

I am a certified home energy assessor. Do I still need the bond?

The certificate qualifies you as an individual. A business that offers scoring still needs a CCB license, and for this endorsement ORS 701.081(8) requires the $15,000 bond and at least $100,000 of liability insurance.

How often does the assessor certificate renew?

Every year. ORS 701.532 sets a one-year certificate and caps the application, initial certificate and renewal fees at $100 each. The contractor license itself is valid for two years under ORS 701.063.

How long does the bond stay in force?

ORS 701.068 says at least one year or until depleted by payments, unless the surety cancels sooner. The surety can continue it by continuation certificate, and continuing it does not raise the $15,000 limit.

What will the bond cost me?

The surety sets the premium after reviewing the owners, mostly their credit and business history. The $15,000 is the most the surety can pay on board determined claims, not the price you pay.