The Corporate Surety Bond is the bond form that the District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) requires from applicants for a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license, making it one document in the DC business license process for that trade. The bond must accompany the license application. On this page you can fill out the Corporate Surety Bond online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original form is published by DLCP at dlcp.dc.gov.
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What is Corporate Surety Bond – Washington, DC?
The Corporate Surety Bond is the DLCP form in which a business (the principal) and a corporate surety jointly bind themselves to the District of Columbia to support a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license, so that people harmed by the dealer's conduct can recover against the bond.
The form states that all applicants for a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license use it and that the bond must accompany the application. It recites that the principal is about to apply to DLCP for a license and to engage in business under the Consumer Goods Repair Regulation, No. 74-3, of the District of Columbia, adopted March 15, 1974. It also covers any renewal or re-issuance of the license.
Under its terms, the obligation is void if the principal conducts business in accordance with the regulation. Otherwise it stays in force through the license period, which ends not more than two years from the bond's effective date. A person aggrieved by the principal's acts may sue the surety, alone or together with the principal, for damages up to the penalty of the bond. The surety's total liability never exceeds the bond amount.
The bond amount depends on the dealer's size: the form sets one amount for dealers and a higher amount for a dealer who employs more than five repairmen. The form also says the surety must immediately notify the Business Service Division of any payment made on the bond, and that a licensee must restore the bond to its original amount after any recovery.
Who needs to file Corporate Surety Bond – Washington, DC?
All applicants applying for a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license use this form, according to its own text. The applicant is the principal and may be a corporation, an LLC or a sole proprietor doing business under a trade name.
- Dealers employing more than five repairmen must file a bond in the higher amount printed on the form, instead of the standard one.
- The surety must be a corporation authorized to do business in the District of Columbia. It issues the bond and signs through an attorney-in-fact.
- Corporate and LLC applicants also sign through a President and a Secretary who attests, with the corporate seal.
The form does not say it applies to any other license type, and it does not say who may sign on behalf of a sole proprietor other than the licensee. Applicants for other kinds of DLCP licenses should check DLCP's requirements for those licenses rather than assume this bond applies.
When to file Corporate Surety Bond – Washington, DC
Submit the bond when you apply for a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license: the form states that the bond must accompany the application. No separate due date is printed on it.
The bond carries an effective date written on the form. The license period it supports ends not more than two years from that date, and the bond also supports any renewal or re-issuance of the license.
Later events matter too. The surety must immediately notify the Business Service Division when it makes any payment on the bond, and the licensee must restore the bond to its original amount after any recovery. A surety may end its bond by giving thirty days' notice, served personally or by registered mail, to the principal and to DLCP; it is then released from liability for acts or omissions occurring after those thirty days.
Documents you need
- The Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license application: the bond must accompany it, according to the form.
- Proof of the authority of the executing officers or attorney-in-fact for the surety, attached to the bond; the form requires this attachment.
How to fill out Corporate Surety Bond – Washington, DC
Enter the bond number and issuer
At the top, write the Bond No. and the name, address and phone number on the Issued By and Address lines.
Name the principal
On the line under "Know all persons by these presents," enter the Corporation/LLC or Sole Proprietor and Trade Name. Then enter the Location of Business in the District of Columbia.
Name the surety company
On the next line, write the name of the corporation authorized to do business in the District of Columbia that acts as surety.
Write the bond amount
Fill in the sum in dollars the bond secures, using the amount the form sets for your dealer size. A dealer who employs more than five repairmen uses the higher amount.
Enter the signing and effective dates
Fill in the day, month and year the bond is signed with seals, and the effective date of the bond. The license period ends not more than two years from that date.
State the license applied for
In the first "Whereas" clause, write the type of license the principal is applying for from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.
Complete the witness lines
Have two witnesses sign and date lines (1) and (2) when the bond is signed in their presence.
Sign for the licensee
The licensee signs and dates the Licensee Signature line. A corporation or LLC also has its President sign and date, with the corporate seal.
Add the attestation and attorney-in-fact
The Secretary signs and dates the Secretary-Attest line. The surety's Attorney-in-Fact signs and seals the bond.
Review, download and attach authority
Check every line, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF. Attach the proof of authority of the executing officers or attorney-in-fact, and confirm any correction is sealed and initialed.
How to submit Corporate Surety Bond – Washington, DC
The form names one route: the bond accompanies the license application filed with DLCP. It prints no separate mailing address, portal or appointment rule for the bond itself.
- With the license application: include the completed, signed and sealed bond in the application package for the Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license.
- Attachments: the surety's proof of authority for the executing officers or attorney-in-fact must be attached to the bond.
- Contact: DLCP's address printed on the form is 1100 4th Street, SW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20024; phone (202) 671-4500; website dlcp.dc.gov. Ask DLCP how and where to deliver the application package.
Make sure the bond is signed in the presence of two witnesses before it goes in. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Filing the bond separately from the license application when the form says the bond must accompany the application.
- Leaving off the attachment showing the authority of the executing officers or attorney-in-fact for the surety.
- Making erasures, corrections or alterations that are not sealed and initialed by the attorney-in-fact.
- Signing without two witnesses; the form is signed in the presence of two witnesses, each with a date.
- Writing the standard bond amount when the dealer employs more than five repairmen and the higher amount applies.
- Using the surety of a company not authorized to do business in the District of Columbia; the form requires an authorized corporation.
- Leaving out the effective date of the bond, which fixes the license period of not more than two years.
- Using this bond for a license other than Consumer Goods Repair Dealers, which is the license the form names.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DC Corporate Surety Bond form for?
It is the bond that applicants for a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license give to the District of Columbia through DLCP. A corporate surety backs the dealer, and an aggrieved person may recover damages from the bond up to its penalty.
Is this the form for a DC business license?
Not for business licenses in general. This bond is used by applicants for a Consumer Goods Repair Dealers license, as the form states; it does not apply to other license types. Check DLCP's requirements for other licenses.
Who has to sign the Corporate Surety Bond?
Two witnesses, the licensee, the surety's attorney-in-fact and, for a corporation or LLC, the President and the Secretary who attests, with the corporate seal. Each signature has its own date line on the form.
Do I have to attach anything to the bond?
Yes. The authority of the executing officers or attorney-in-fact for the surety must be attached to the bond. The bond itself must also accompany the license application.
How long does the bond last?
It stays in force through the license period, which ends not more than two years from the effective date written on the bond. It also supports any renewal or re-issuance of the license.
Can the surety cancel the bond?
Yes, by giving thirty days' notice, served personally or by registered mail, to the principal and to DLCP. After that period the surety is released from liability for later acts or omissions of the principal.
What happens if someone collects on the bond?
The surety must immediately notify the Business Service Division of any payment. The licensee must then restore the bond to its original amount, as the form requires.
Can I fill out the Corporate Surety Bond online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is independent of DLCP and does not file the bond; it goes in with your license application.
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