North Carolina Landscape Contractor Bond
In order to become a licensed landscape contractor, the North Carolina Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board requires companies and individuals to secure a $10,000 Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Surety Compliance Bond. The bond is intended to give consumers a means of restitution, in the event that there are damages sustained from the contractor’s work.
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With Jet, you can count on getting your bond at the lowest price, with none of the red tape that slows you down! We at Jet believe in streamlining the process, removing the middlemen who charge commissions and bog you down in the application process.
How Much Does the Landscape Contractor Bond Cost?
With Jet, the Landscape Contractor Bond costs only $100 for the first year. Landscape contractors in North Carolina also have the option to prepay for multiple years or purchase the bond on a monthly basis.
| Term | Cost |
|---|---|
| Monthly | $10 |
| 1 Year | $100 |
| 2 Years | $175 |
| 3 Years | $250 |
Jet offers the NC Landscape Contractor Bond at a rate below the rest of the market, and we do it in the terms that work for you. With the monthly option, Jet’s convenient automated processing will make the payment seamless to the contractor, so you can focus on your business.
When you buy your bond through Jet, you are cutting out the brokers, agents, and middlemen, along with the commissions and fees they charge. With Jet, you can rest assured you are getting the best price and working directly with the Surety carrier.
Can Jet File the Bond with the Landscape Contractors’ Board for Me?
Absolutely! Jet will send the original bond form directly to the Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board for you. The other carriers out there will ship you the original bond at your expense, and then ask you to ship it to the board yourself (also at your expense). Not with Jet!
Should landscape contractors want to file the bond themselves, as may be the case for new licensee applicants, they may request Jet to send the bond to their address at checkout. The bond form will then need to be filed with the NC Landscape Contractors’ Board at the following address:
North Carolina Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board
Board Administrative Office
PO Box 20875
Raleigh, NC 27619
What Happens If I Need to Cancel My Bond?
When you need to cancel your license bond, you only need to notify Jet and we will cancel the bond and return any unearned premium. Other carriers typically retain a minimum premium amount, which would leave Landscape Contractors without any refund if they cancel their bond.
If you have chosen monthly payments, notify Jet to cancel the bond and we halt the recurring payments.
The bond will remain active until Jet files for the cancellation with the Landscape Board. The Landscape board will then keep the bond active for thirty days following receipt of the cancellation notice. Jet does have to take those thirty days into account when calculating the refund amount as the bond is still active at that time.
How Does a Landscape Contractor Avoid Bond Claims?
In North Carolina, the Landscape Contractors’ License Board works to hold landscape contractors to the standards of the profession: complying with contracts, performing adequate project planning, adhering to codes, and delivering work of acceptable quality to consumers. In order for a contractor to avoid intervention from the board, they need to be familiar and comply with the applicable statutes and minimum standards. These can be found on the NC Landscape Contractors’ Board website.
Any consumer who has sustained some damage by the contractor may file a complaint with the Contractors’ Licensing Board on its “File a Complaint” page, for a period of one year after the completion of the work. From that point, the Board will conduct an investigation of the complaint and submit a recommendation to the board, ranging from dismissing the complaint to imposing a disciplinary action.
The board may recommend that the contractor fix the issues identified, and the contractor has 48 hours to comply with the board’s recommendation. After thirty days, if the contractor has not remedied the problem, disciplinary action may be taken including civil penalties up to $2,000, suspension or revocation of license. A contractor should always endeavor to meet the board’s recommendations, to avoid disciplinary action and a potential claim against the surety bond.
What Happens if a Landscape Contractor Receives a Bond Claim?
Given the timelines involved, contractors should immediately notify Jet as soon as a complaint has been made against their work. Jet will investigate any claim made against a landscape contractor to ascertain if the complaint is valid.
If the claim is deemed valid, Jet will make the necessary payment to settle the case (up to the $10,000 limit of the bond). In this case, the contractor will need to reimburse Jet for the amount paid to settle the claim.
A surety bond acts as a form of guarantee that the contractor will fulfill the terms of their contract, comply with applicable regulations, and give consumers a means to be made whole in the event of damages. Think of it as a letter of credit to the Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board, vouching that the contractor’ will uphold the professional standards of the industry. In order for that guarantee to remain in place, and for the bond to remain intact, the contractor must repay the surety for claims against their bond.
Why Does the Landscape Contractors’ Board Require Contractors to Have this Bond?
The North Carolina Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board was established in 2014 (and preceded by the Registration Board) for the express purpose of safeguarding North Carolina’s consumers and their property, and maintaining a high-quality professional standard in the landscaping industry. The surety bond is a financial tool that allows the Board to guarantee that there is a means of restitution for consumers damaged by landscape contractors, whether fraudulent or incompetent.
Jet, as the surety carrier, will make payments to the public if the contractor is unwilling or unable. Typically, Jet and the rest of the surety industry vets bond applicants (landscapers) based on their reliability (based on credit score, years in business, etc), but in this case, Jet has determined NC Landscape Contractors to be trustworthy and need no additional screening for the amount of bonding needed.
How Does the Application Process Work With Jet?
With Jet, purchasing your bond can be done in minutes, and completely online. Once you have completed the process, Jet will mail the original bond to the board, and a copy will be available to you immediately, along with your proof of purchase.
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How Do Landscape Contractors Renew the Bond?
Jet will notify you well in advance of your renewal deadline, and all the contractor will need to do is to pay the premium. The bond is continuous until cancelled, so there is no need for you to notify the Landscape Board of your renewal.
If you have selected Jet’s easy monthly payments, then there is nothing you need to do to keep your bond in place with the Landscape Board. As long as your monthly payment is fulfilled from the account on file, your bond will remain in good standing.
Do Landscape Contractor Bonds in North Carolina Expire?
This bond does expire with Jet at the end of its term, unless you select the monthly payment option, in which case the bond does not expire. If Jet does not receive premium prior to the bond’s expiration, the irrigation contractor’s bond will cancel and the landscaper, should they continue to work without proper bonding, will face action against their license that may include its suspension.
Are There Other Bonds That a Landscape Contractor May Need?
Yes, if a landscape contractor is performing irrigation work in addition to landscaping, then they will also need a North Carolina Irrigation Contractor License Bond. Additionally, many city and county requirements exist in North Carolina (for example, well drilling has a county requirement in several counties in NC). Be sure to engage with the local authorities to ensure all work is in accordance with bonding requirements.
