Sign contractors

Forms and details:

Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 326B.865, sign contractors may post an $8,000 bond with the state of Minnesota in lieu of obtaining city bonds to get licensed as a sign contractor. All sign contractor licensing is still done at the city level and the "state bond" is not mandatory. It is an option for sign contractors who prefer to get this bond instead of city-required bonds.

Although the bond must be on a form approved by the state of Minnesota, the bond must be obtained through an insurance company. After you have received the bond from your insurance agent, you must sign the front of the bond form on the space provided in the lower right corner and sign the appropriate "acknowledgment of principal" section on the back (or page two) of the bond. This signature must be notarized. After you have signed both parts of the bond, attach the insurance company's power of attorney form to the bond and send the original documents to:

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
CCLD - Enforcement Services
443 Lafayette Road N.
St. Paul, MN 55155-4344

The original bond will be kept on file at the Department of Labor and Industry. You should keep several copies of the bond in your files to provide to cities when you apply for their licenses. Cities cannot require you to obtain a city bond if you have a valid state bond. Cities can verify your state bond status by calling (651) 284-5069 or sending an e-mail message to dli.contractor@state.mn.us. Questions regarding the sign contractor bond can also be directed to this number and e-mail address.