South Dakota

Surety Bonds South Dakota

Bonds issued in the state of S. Dakota serve the same purpose as they do elsewhere in the country, which is to provide a level of protection for one or more of the parties in a contractual agreement, involving some kind of professional work which must be done. A license and permit surety for instance, will give a professional such as an electrician or a plumber the necessary credentials to operate within the state of S. Dakota, and provide services for consumers who hire them. There are many different types of bonds issued within the state, but all of them serve the same general purpose of protecting hiring individuals or companies against financial loss or damages.

[NFP specializes in all bond types, especially Surety Bonds South Dakota. Let us show you how to get bonded in South Dakota. Only takes a few minutes to apply, and you could get bonded in South Dakota today (for some types).]

What is a South Dakota Surety Bond?

A bond is a legally binding contractual agreement between three parties who are individually identified as a principal, and obligee, and a surety company. The principal in this arrangement is a contractor or professional who purchases the surety, either because he has been required to by the obligee, or because he desires to instill a level of confidence in anyone choosing to pay for his services.

The obligee is a hiring organization or company which has a job or a project that needs to be accomplished, for which contractors and other professionals are being hired. In the event that any of the work done by these professionals is left incomplete or is guilty of shoddy workmanship, the obligee would then be entitled to make a claim against the bond to recover monetary damages.

The party which would have to pay the amount of those damages is the surety company, which acts something like an insurance company in this arrangement, paying out on a claim which has been determined to be legitimate. The surety company would then be reimbursed by the principal who defaulted on the terms of the bond agreement and caused a claim to be made on the bond.

The principal is legally obliged to reimburse the company in the amount of the damages, which can be quite severe in some cases. Any professional contractor suffering a claim against a surety he was associated with, is quite likely to suffer reputational damage because he failed to live up to the terms of the bond agreement.

(If you are ready to get bonded in South Dakota, please call our office. You are going to appreciate how easy our bonding process is. Apply online in a minute)

How Do Sureties Work?

In actual practice, a surety works something like an insurance policy. It provides protection for the obligee, which is the hiring company, in the event of malpractice, fraud or abandonment, and it penalizes the principal guilty of the poor performance. Although the company is initially required to pay out the claim against a surety, it is completely within its rights to force the principal to pay back the entire amount.

Functionally, the surety provides a level of confidence to the hiring organization, since the penalties for default are severe, and would not casually be violated by any principal. For the same reason, the bonding company can feel relatively confident that no claim will be made against the bond, and that it will not have to pay out all, or part of the dollar amount associated with the bond.

Common Types of Surety Bonds South Dakota 

Construction or contract bonds are one of the two main categories of sureties which are made available in the state of S. Dakota and elsewhere in this country. Within this broad category, there are also some categories of bonds such as bid bonds, performance bonds, supplier payment bonds, site improvement bonds, and others.

Every kind of bond which does not fall into the construction category would then fall into the second main category of bonds, which are commercial bonds. Sometimes called non-contractor bonds, commercial bonds are usually associated with businesses not contractors, and include subcategories such as court bonds, fidelity bonds, tax bonds, public official bonds, license and permit bonds, and fiduciary bonds. Within the grouping of commercial bonds, there are literally hundreds of different bonding types, all of which have a similar function.

We are the surety bond South Dakota specialists! Call us today for a free quote!

Industries that require bonds

Government organizations and agencies are one of the biggest users of bonding solutions, because they have an obligation to taxpayers to ensure that government projects are completed satisfactorily, and on time. Anything else would be an irresponsible management of taxpayers' funding, which would cause a backlash against whatever level of government was guilty of the indiscretion.

Another major industry which makes widespread use of bonds is the construction industry. Because major projects are so common, and so many contractors and subcontractors are necessary to complete the work on each of these, it's almost a requirement to have bonded professionals doing the work on these projects, so that there is some level of confidence in the quality of work being done, and in the guarantee that the work will be on time.

In truth, virtually every industry in this country makes use of sureties in some way or another, because they provide critical assurance against poor workmanship. Few industries however, make as widespread use of sureties as do government organizations and the construction industry.

Bonded in South Dakota?

To get started with obtaining a bond, you need to identify exactly which kind of bond you need in order to be hired for a specific job. Next you need to find a financial organization which will issue the surety to you at an agreed-upon price. One of the country's most trusted underwriters for both bonding and insurance policies is NFP, a company which is authorized to issue sureties in every state in the country.

Once your bond application is approved by the surety company, an indemnity agreement will be faxed or mailed back to you, listing the details of the bond agreement and the dollar amount of it. This must be signed by you personally, and notarized by a public official before returning it to the surety carrier. Once the bonding company is in receipt of your signed and notarized indemnity agreement, the surety can be issued.

Our team provides affordable South Dakota surety bonds and fidelity bond insurance. Every SD bond is prepared on a specific SD bond form, as prescribed by the entity requiring the bonding (aka the Obligee). Contact us today, and let us show you how to get bonded in South Dakota! Below is a list of surety types that are commonly requested in S. Dakota.

Apply for your South Dakota surety bond now by returning our online application.