What are Oregon CCB bond and insurance minimums?

Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) sets the floor at a 20,000 dollar surety bond for residential general contractors plus general-liability insurance with minimums of 500,000 dollars per-occurrence and 1,000,000 dollars aggregate for residential work. Those numbers are higher than Washington L&I's 12,000 dollar contractor bond equivalent, which matters when you compare cross-border quotes.

The governing body is the Oregon CCB, an independent state agency that licenses, bonds, and disciplines construction contractors. Every active CCB license carries a unique number that the contractor must display on advertising, written bids, contracts, signage, and vehicles. License lookup is free at search.ccb.state.or.us and returns bond status, insurance status, complaint history, and any pending suspensions in under two minutes.

The practical homeowner decisions are short but high-leverage. Verify the CCB number before signing. Confirm the bond is active (suspended bonds void the license). Confirm general-liability insurance is current and meets the residential minimums. For projects above 100,000 dollars, ask for a higher bond, since the 20,000 dollar floor rarely covers a major dispute.

The most expensive gotcha is hiring a contractor whose CCB number is technically active but whose bond has lapsed; the licensee can still operate for a short window before the state suspends, and homeowners discover the gap only when they need to file a claim. The second is assuming a CCB license confers competence in your specific scope; the license is a baseline, not a competency certification.

Baily verifies CCB number, bond status, GL insurance, and complaint history on every contractor in our Portland network before any homeowner introduction, and we re-verify quarterly. Chat with Baily for a vetted shortlist.