Street Opening Permit Bond - McKees Rocks, PA in Pennsylvania
Table of Contents
Brief Summary
In McKees Rocks the bond is sized to your job, not pulled from a chart. The Borough's Foreman or Engineer estimates what it would cost to restore your cut, and that estimate is the bond amount, never less than $400. A corporate surety bond keeps your cash free while the Borough holds its guarantee through the year after final restoration.
McKees Rocks Borough Code Section 575-24 requires every street opening applicant to give the Borough a permit bond before the permit issues. The amount equals the cost to complete the restoration work as estimated by the Foreman or Engineer, with a $400 minimum unless the Borough Manager authorizes less in writing. The bond runs from permit issuance until up to one year after the Foreman or Engineer approves the final restoration.
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How to Apply for a Street Opening Permit Bond:
- File a written application with the Borough Manager on the Borough's street opening form, with a sketch showing location, length and width of the opening.
- Get the Foreman or Engineer's estimate of the restoration cost, which sets the bond amount.
- Obtain a permit bond for that amount, at least $400, from a corporate surety acceptable to the Borough.
- Pay the $250 application fee and the $150 first inspection fee, plus any degradation fee that applies.
- Provide certificates of insurance naming the Borough and its Engineer as additional insureds.
- Begin work within 60 days of permit issuance or the permit is automatically revoked.
Detailed Information About the Pennsylvania Street Opening Permit Bond:
No fixed amount
Chapter 575, Article IV of the McKees Rocks Borough Code, adopted December 12, 2017 by Ordinance No. 1745, governs street openings and excavations. The permit bond in Section 575-24 is set at the cost to complete the restoration work as estimated by the Foreman or Engineer. It can never be less than $400 unless the Borough Manager specifically authorizes a lower amount in writing. Because the figure tracks the restoration estimate, get the Borough's number before ordering the bond.
Old standing bonds no longer count
If your company kept a standing street opening bond or escrow with McKees Rocks before this ordinance, Section 575-24(G) declared all existing standing bonds, related agreements and dedicated escrow accounts void and returned them to the owner. A new bond under the current article is needed.
One bond, or an annual bond for utilities
An applicant pulling several permits may furnish one bond in an amount that covers all of the work. Public utilities may be required or permitted to post an annual bond with the Borough, at the discretion of the Borough Manager and the Foreman or Engineer. The bond can be backed by a cashier's or certified check payable to the Borough or by a corporate surety acceptable to the Borough.
What happens on default
If the Foreman or Engineer finds a default, the Borough Manager gives written notice to the permittee and its surety. If the permittee does not correct the problem within five days, the surety must either have the corrections made or pay the Borough the estimated cost of the corrections. The bond stays in force from the date the permit issues until up to one year after the final restoration is approved, which lines up with the one year settlement period in Section 575-22.
Fees and insurance
Section 575-20 lists a $250 application fee, a $150 fee for the first inspection, actual cost for engineer or consultant inspections, a $25 extension fee, and a degradation fee of $25 per square yard for roads resurfaced within three years. Fees are nonrefundable and may be changed by Borough resolution. Section 575-23 requires insurance of $500,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, $250,000 per occurrence for property damage, completed operations and underground coverage, with the Borough and its Engineer named as additional insureds.
Eligibility and Requirements for a Pennsylvania Street Opening Permit Bond:
- Borough of McKees Rocks named as obligee.
- Bond amount equal to the estimated restoration cost, minimum $400 unless the Borough Manager authorizes less in writing.
- Bond term from permit issuance until up to one year after approval of final restoration.
- Backfill with 2A limestone compacted to PennDOT Publication 408 specifications.
- Pavement replaced in kind to full depth of the existing pavement structure.
- Permits are not transferable and fees are nonrefundable.
Pennsylvania Street Opening Permit Bond FAQs:
It equals the cost to complete the restoration work as estimated by the Borough's Foreman or Engineer under Section 575-24. The floor is $400 unless the Borough Manager authorizes a lower amount in writing.
Section 575-24(G) declared all existing standing bonds, standing bond agreements and dedicated escrow accounts for street opening purposes void and returned to the owner. Post a bond under the current article.
Yes. An applicant may furnish one bond in an amount that covers all of the work. Public utilities may be required or permitted to post an annual bond at the discretion of the Borough Manager and the Foreman or Engineer.
It starts on the date the permit issues and continues until a date up to one year after the Foreman or Engineer approves the final restoration.
Section 575-19 lets emergency work begin without a permit when it cannot reasonably wait, but the application must be filed on the Borough's first business day afterward, and the permit bond requirement still applies to that permit.
