Bail Bonds
How bail works in California, what a bail bond costs, and how bail agents can work with Sunset National Insurance Company.
For bail agentsWhat is a bail bond?
A bail bond is a surety undertaking posted with a California court that guarantees a defendant will appear at every required hearing. Instead of depositing the full bail amount in cash, the defendant — or a friend or family member acting as indemnitor — pays a licensed bail agent a premium, and the agent posts the bond on the surety insurer's power of attorney. When the case ends and the defendant has appeared as required, the bond is exonerated.
Who needs a bail bond?
Anyone held on a bail amount who cannot, or prefers not to, deposit the full amount in cash. Bail is arranged through a licensed bail agent — usually within hours, at any time of day — and the agent handles the paperwork with the jail and the court.
How much does a bail bond cost?
Bail premium rates in California are filed with the Department of Insurance. The standard premium is 10% of the bail amount, and some sureties file lower rates for qualifying cases — for example, when the defendant is represented by a private attorney or the bond is fully collateralized. The premium is earned when the bond is posted and is not refunded when the case ends. Larger bonds usually require collateral and a co-signer.
How to get a bail bond
Call a licensed California bail agent with the defendant's name, the jail and the bail amount.
Complete the application and indemnity agreement; the agent verifies the booking, bail amount and court.
Pay the premium and provide any collateral the agent requires.
The agent posts the bond and the defendant is released. Keep every court date until the case ends and the bond is exonerated.
Frequently asked questions
The court forfeits the bond. California law then gives the surety a set period — generally 180 days, which the court may extend — to return the defendant to custody and have the forfeiture set aside. If that does not happen, the surety pays the full bail amount and looks to the indemnitor and any collateral for repayment.
No. The premium is the fee for posting the bond and is earned once the defendant is released, even if the charges are later reduced or dismissed.
Bail agents and the surety insurers that appoint them are licensed and regulated by the California Department of Insurance under the Insurance Code and Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations. Forfeiture and exoneration are governed by the Penal Code.
Partner with Sunset National Insurance Company.
Sunset National Insurance Company plans to appoint experienced, licensed California bail agents and general agents once its Certificate of Authority is granted, with powers of attorney at competitive limits, straightforward build-up fund terms, responsive forfeiture and motion support, and direct access to decision-makers at our Culver City office. We are not yet appointing agents or issuing bail bonds.
A carrier, not a middleman
Appointments, powers of attorney and limits are decided in-house at our Culver City home office.
Forfeiture support
Deadline tracking, motion support and recovery coordination so exonerations are not lost to the calendar.
Build-up fund terms that make sense
Transparent BUF accounting and release provisions for agents with clean forfeiture histories.
Built by people who know the courts
Our leadership includes California attorneys with two decades in state and federal courts.
Related bonds
Need bail today?
Bail must be arranged through a licensed California bail agent; the Department of Insurance's license lookup lists them. Sunset National Insurance Company is not yet issuing bail bonds.
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