Building and Zoning Bonds
When bonds are required
Bonds are required for demolition, demolition leveling, sign (billboard), private sewage disposal system, restoration performance (construction trailer), restoration performance (excavation, grading and foundation) and wireless telecommunication contractors.
Bonds are also required for construction of public facilities and infrastructure improvements as part of a Final Planned Unit Development (PUD) Approval. A construction performance bond shall be posted to guarantee construction of required infrastructure. The performance bond shall be payable to Cook County and be sufficient to cover the full cost of the facilities and improvements plus 15 percent.
Please note that each bond must be accompanied by a $2.00 recording fee, made payable to the Cook County Clerk (money order only).
Bond forms are listed below and can be downloaded, completed and submitted with evidence of the power of attorney at the time of registration. Below is also a link to the list of currently authorized civil surety companies.
Bond requirements
Bonds must be signed by the owner/officer of the company, the notary and surety company (or others, as required) before being submitted. Bonds must maintain original signatures throughout their approval process and cannot be copies, so they must be either mailed in or dropped off in person. After submission, bonds have to be approved by the State's Attorney, the Comptroller and the County Clerk. Understand that these agencies are outside the Department of Building and Zoning's jurisdiction, and we have no line of sight on their approval process or queues. If there are any errors with your bond, it will be sent back to us "unapproved," and we will mail them back to you to be corrected, and then you must re-submit/re-start the process. Use this Sample Bond Form for guidance.
In order to facilitate this process, you can email a copy of your bond to bonds.bnz@cookcountyil.gov, and we will perform a soft review for the general errors for which we see bonds not be approved. This is only a soft review, performed as a courtesy to save you turn around time, and is not final. Your bond is still susceptible to not being approved by either the State's Attorney, Comptroller and/or County Clerk. We will notify you via mail when you may officially mail in or drop off the original signature bond along with the recording fee.
Forms/lists
- Demolition Bond ($20K) Bond Demolition for Three Stories or Less
- Demolition Bond ($40K) Bond for Demolition for Four Stories or More
- Demolition and Leveling Bond ($500) Bond for Demolition/Leveling
- Sign (Billboard) Bond ($25K)
- Private Sewage Disposal System Bond ($10K)
- Restoration Performance Bond (Construction Trailer) ($10K)
- Restoration Performance Bond (Excavation, Grading and Foundation) ($10K)
- Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Bond ($20K)