---
source: https://cannabissuretybonds.com/guide/
site: Cannabis Surety Bonds, a Surety One, Inc. platform
author: C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, CICS
last_reviewed: 2026-09-21
---

# The Cannabis Operator's Guide to Surety and Fidelity Bonds

A practical reference for cultivators, processors, dispensaries, testing laboratories, distributors and delivery operators. Seventeen pages, free, and there is no form between you and the file.

[](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/downloads/cannabis-surety-bond-guide.pdf)

Surety One, Inc. published this guide for current and prospective clients. It explains what a cannabis surety bond is, the nature of the obligations these bonds secure, how underwriting works in this class, where bonds are required, the parallel hemp program and the role of fidelity bonds as an operational risk tool.

[Download the guide (PDF)](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/downloads/cannabis-surety-bond-guide.pdf)[Read it in your browser](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/downloads/cannabis-surety-bond-guide.pdf)

## Who should read it

Owners, chief financial officers, compliance officers and license consultants who need a working knowledge of cannabis and marijuana bonding before an application deadline, a renewal or an expansion into a new state. It is also a useful handout for lenders, landlords and investors who ask why a surety wants personal indemnity from the owners.

## Chapter by chapter

**What a surety bond actually is.** The three parties, why the bond is not insurance for the operator, and the five public policy goals regulators pursue with bonds. **The nature of cannabis bond obligations.** Compliance, tax, reclamation and performance, asset replacement and hemp bonds, each with state examples. **Underwriting and pricing.** What the underwriter looks at, the standard and non-standard programs, and the documents required at each bond size. **State by state requirements.** Statewide, local and hemp tables. **Claims, cancellation and reinstatement.** How a claim unfolds, what the indemnity agreement means, and how an operator rebuilds bonding capacity after a loss. **Fidelity bonds.** Coverage, common cannabis claims, manuscript endorsements, limits and underwriting. **Best practices.** Operational, financial and internal control habits that protect a bonding record. The guide closes with frequently asked questions and a five step application walk through.

## Inside the guide

- What a surety bond is, the three parties and why states require one

- The five categories of cannabis bond obligation

- Underwriting, pricing and documentation

- A table of statewide, local and hemp bond requirements

- Claims, indemnity, cancellation and reinstatement after a claim

- Fidelity bonds for cannabis operators

- Best practices for bonded operators: operational, financial and control environment

- Frequently asked questions and a five step application walk through

Requirements move quickly. Where the guide and a state page on this site differ, the state page is the more recent. Confirm any requirement with the licensing authority before you rely on it.

You may share the guide freely in its complete, unaltered form. To cite it: Surety One, Inc., *The Cannabis Operator's Guide to Surety and Fidelity Bonds*.

**Written and reviewed by [C. Constantin Poindexter](https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantinpoindexter/), MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, CICS.** Founder of Surety One, Inc., Cannabis Insurance Coverage Specialist, attorney and surety underwriter for more than thirty years. Author of [The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds](https://constantinpoindexterauthor.com/). [View his cannabis insurance credentials.](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/about/) Last reviewed September 21, 2026.

## Get your cannabis bond quoted today

Application review and quoting are free, and there is no obligation to buy. Bonds of $25,000 or less are usually issued the same business day.

[Apply for a bond](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/apply/)[Talk to an underwriter: (919) 859-5294](tel:+19198595294)[Toll free (800) 373-2804](tel:+18003732804)