Kentucky Highway Encroachment Permit Bond
Overview
Planning to dig, bore, or build within Kentucky's state highway right-of-way? You need a Kentucky Highway Encroachment Permit Bond before the state will issue your encroachment permit. This bond guarantees that any work you perform within the highway corridor — driveways, utilities, culverts, signage — will be completed properly and that the right-of-way will be restored to acceptable condition. If it isn't, the bond gives the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet a financial remedy to cover the cost of repairs.
Who Needs This Bond?
Your county road crew, utility company, or private contractor has been told to get bonded before breaking ground in a state highway right-of-way. Any contractor, utility provider, or property owner who applies to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for a highway encroachment permit must carry this bond. That includes work like installing driveway connections, laying pipelines or conduit under a state road, placing culverts, or erecting structures adjacent to the travel lane. If the permit triggers a bond requirement, this is the exact instrument you need.
What is this Bond For?
This bond protects the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet — and traveling public — from financial loss caused by improper or incomplete encroachment work. You, as the permitted contractor or applicant, are the principal. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is the obligee. If your crew leaves the highway surface damaged, fails to restore drainage, or abandons the work site in a hazardous condition, the Cabinet can make a claim against the bond rather than pursuing you through the courts first. The bond is not coverage for your crew — it is a performance guarantee to the state.
When is it Required?
Before the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will issue your encroachment permit, the bond must already be executed and on file. Work cannot legally begin until the permit is in hand, and the permit will not issue without the bond. Waiting until your crew is ready to mobilize is too late — secure the bond first, submit it with your permit application, and then schedule your work dates.
Where Does it Apply?
This is a statewide Kentucky requirement administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, not a city or county permit program. It applies wherever your encroachment activity intersects with a state-maintained highway right-of-way. Local municipal road projects operate under separate authority — this bond specifically covers state highway corridors across Kentucky.
How to Buy Online
Click 'Buy This Bond Online' on this page to open the secure surety portal in a new tab. Complete the application with your business details and encroachment project information, and your bond documents will be generated and delivered electronically. You can submit proof of bond directly to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet the same day.
Why Bond Titan?
Bond Titan is powered by The Southern Agency, giving you direct access to a nationwide surety bond catalog without waiting on an agent callback. You can purchase your Kentucky Highway Encroachment Permit Bond online right now, at any hour, and receive your documents instantly. No phone tag, no paperwork delays — just a fast, clean transaction so you can keep your project on schedule.