OH marijuana cultivator bonds.
2% of the bond amount.

Ohio conditions a cultivator's certificate of operation on evidence of financial responsibility — an escrow account or a surety bond filed with the Division of Cannabis Control under OAC 1301:18-3-08: $750,000 for a level one cultivator, $75,000 for level two. The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, and the bond issues the moment you pay. The application includes a soft credit pull only — it never affects your score.

Required for a cultivator certificate of operation under OAC 1301:18-3-08 — filed before the division issues or renews it
Amount set by your license level — $750,000 for level one, $75,000 for level two, with rule-based reductions as you build compliant operating history
2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — checkout-priced, with your exact price at the application
2% rate$100 minimumInstantissuance at checkoutSoft pullnever a hard inquiry
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

The bond is one line on your certificate-of-operation checklist. Here's the entire process:

NOW · ONLINE

Apply online

Business details, your license level, the bond amount, an effective date, and a soft-pull credit consent — a soft inquiry only, so it never affects your score. That is the entire application.

INSTANTLY

Pay & e-sign

This bond is checkout-priced at 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, so it issues the moment you pay — no quote round-trip, no waiting on an underwriting queue.

SAME DAY

File with the Division of Cannabis Control

Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to submit with your certificate-of-operation filing or renewal. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the bond actually guarantees

Ohio's cannabis rules require every licensee to maintain evidence of financial responsibility before the Division of Cannabis Control issues or renews a certificate of operation. A cultivator satisfies it with either an escrow account at an Ohio-chartered financial institution or a surety bond from a carrier licensed in Ohio — $750,000 for a level one cultivator, $75,000 for level two. Most operators choose the bond: it keeps that capital working in the business instead of frozen in escrow.

It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the Division of Cannabis Control as the protected party. The financial responsibility is payable to the division if a licensee fails to meet its compliance obligations under the cannabis rules — and the surety cannot cancel the bond without the division's prior written authorization, so the filing stays continuous.

It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays, you repay the surety. The rule also rewards clean operation: after your first full year of compliant operation the required amount drops by one-third, after a second consecutive year it drops by another third, and after three consecutive compliant years the obligation can be eliminated entirely. We re-issue at each reduced amount the division approves.

OAC 1301:18-3-08Ohio Administrative Code 1301:18-3-08 (effective October 31, 2024) requires each licensee to maintain evidence of financial responsibility — an Ohio escrow account or a surety bond — before the Division of Cannabis Control issues or renews a certificate of operation: $750,000 for a level one cultivator and $75,000 for a level two cultivator, reducible by one-third after each of the first two compliant operating years and terminable after three. It replaced the former medical-marijuana rule, OAC 3796:2-1-05, which set the same cultivator amounts and was rescinded the same date. Confirm your required amount with the division before filing.

You need this bond if you're

A provisional cultivator licensee moving toward your certificate of operation — the bond files before the division issues it
A level one or level two cultivator renewing a certificate of operation with an expiring or non-renewing bond
Replacing an escrow account — freeing up capital the rule otherwise locks at an Ohio financial institution
Stepping down your bond amount after the division approves a compliance-based reduction

One application, issued instantly.

These are the actual issuing fields — business details, your license level, the bond amount, and a soft-pull credit consent that never affects your score.

Start the application →
FAQ

Common questions.

How much is the Ohio marijuana cultivator bond?The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — checkout-priced, so your exact figure appears at the application before you pay. The bond amount itself is set by your license level under OAC 1301:18-3-08: $750,000 for level one, $75,000 for level two.
Do I pay the $750,000 (or $75,000)?No. That figure is the bond's penal amount — the surety's maximum liability to the division — not a deposit, and nobody holds your money. You pay 2% of it as the premium, with a $100 minimum.
Bond or escrow — which should I choose?The rule accepts either an escrow account at an Ohio-chartered financial institution or a surety bond. Escrow locks the full amount in cash the institution cannot release without the division's written authorization; the bond satisfies the same requirement for a 2% premium and keeps your capital in the business. Most cultivators choose the bond.
Is there a credit check?The application includes a credit consent, but it authorizes a soft credit pull only — a soft inquiry that never affects your score. No hard inquiry ever runs on this bond, and the 2% rate does not change with the result.
Can the required amount go down?Yes. Under OAC 1301:18-3-08, after your first full year of compliant operation the required amount drops by one-third, after a second consecutive compliant year it drops by another third, and after three consecutive compliant years the obligation can be eliminated. When the division approves a reduction, we re-issue at the lower amount — and your premium drops with it.
Related bonds

Other Ohio bonds.

Clear the financial-responsibility line today.

2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, issued the moment you pay, soft pull only. Free until issued.

Your premiumfrom $100
Apply now →