Not in Kentucky? Public official bonds in other states
Kentucky public official bonds.
From $100.
Many Kentucky elected and appointed officials must post a bond guaranteeing the honest and faithful performance of their duties before taking office. The amount is set by the statute that governs your specific office, and the bond is approved locally — pricing is 0.35% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, calculated for you below.
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Three steps to bonded before you take office.
A public official bond is one of the simpler surety filings — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with whoever approves the bond. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the office and obligee, the bond amount your office requires, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with the fiscal court or appointing authority
Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to be approved and recorded with the county clerk or appointing authority. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever they insist.
What it is and who needs it.
What the public official bond actually guarantees
A public official bond is a faithful-performance guarantee. It promises that an elected or appointed official will honestly and faithfully perform the duties of the office and honestly account for all public money entrusted to them. Kentucky’s general oath-and-bond provisions live in KRS Chapter 62, and the bond amount for a given office is set by the statute that governs that office.
Different offices carry different requirements. A sheriff, for example, must execute a general bond of at least $10,000 under KRS 70.020, in addition to the tax-collection bond required by KRS 134.230. Other officials who handle public funds are bonded under their own statutes. Because the figures vary, the application lets you enter the amount your office requires.
The bond protects the public — if an official misuses public funds or fails to perform official duties, the harmed party (often the county or the Commonwealth) can recover against the bond. It is not insurance for the official — if the surety pays a claim, the official repays the surety.
You need this bond if you are
One application, soft pull only.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and the executed bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Kentucky bonds.
Public official bond, sorted today.
Priced at 0.35% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, one soft pull that never affects your score. Enter the amount your office requires and file before you take office.