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Marion raises required roofer bond to $25,000, council debates whether bond applies per job
Summary
The council approved an amendment to ordinance 1861 raising the required contractor bond for roofing licenses from $10,000 to $25,000; staff said annual premiums for a $25,000 bond are roughly $325 and council discussed whether bonds apply per job and the resource implications for inspections and enforcement.
Marion’s City Council voted to increase the required bond amount for roofing contractors from $10,000 to $25,000, a change staff said better reflects current roof-replacement costs and gives property owners a larger fund of recovery if a licensed roofer defaults on a job.
Wendy, who presented the amendment to ordinance 1861, explained the proposed change and said Tim Stotler, the codes director, had checked local insurance markets and quoted about $325 per year for a $25,000 bond. "I believe it was 325," Wendy said when reporting the insurance quote.
Councilors probed whether the bond requirement is applied on a per-job basis or as a single license-level bond. Staff clarified that the ordinance requires a bond to obtain a roofing license and that a city permit is still required for roof replacements; they said the city does not typically require a separate bond for each job and that raising the bond is intended to better match current roofing costs.
Members also discussed enforcement and the practicality of requiring job-by-job bonds, acknowledging that requiring permits and additional inspections would increase administrative workload and could necessitate hiring code personnel or increasing permit fees. The council approved the amendment (listed in the meeting as ordinance 3997 amending ordinance 1861) by roll call.
The ordinance change updates local contractor safeguards; staff said homeowners can file claims against the bond if work is left incomplete or defective, and that the city will continue to verify state licensing and insurance when issuing permits.
