California Court Bonds: Appeal, Attachment, Injunction & Receiver
California does not run one court-bond formula — it runs five. An appeal undertaking is 1.5× the judgment when an admitted surety issues it, double if individuals do (CCP §917.1). An attachment undertaking defaults to $10,000 (§489.220). Injunction, receiver, and lis pendens bonds are fixed by the judge case by case (§§529, 566, 405.33–.34). This page shows which formula governs your case and what the clerk will actually require before your matter moves.
- Who requires it: California superior and appellate courts, under the Code of Civil Procedure (CCP §917.1, §489.220, §529, §566/.567 and §405.33/.34).
- Amount: Depends on the bond type. An appeal undertaking is 1.5x the judgment when an admitted surety issues it, or double if individual sureties do (CCP §917.1). The attachment undertaking defaults to $10,000 (CCP §489.220). Injunction, receiver and lis pendens bonds are judge-set.
- Timing: Same-day submission; most quotes within one business day.
Five bond types, eight formulas — read straight off the Code of Civil Procedure
“Attachment bond,” “receiver bond,” and “lis pendens bond” each describe two different undertakings running in opposite directions between the same two parties. Collapsing them into one row is exactly where generic court-bond guides go wrong for California cases — here they are separated:
California litigation bonds by statute
Who posts each undertaking and how the court sizes it
| Bond | Governing statute | Who posts it | How the amount is set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appeal undertaking | CCP §917.1(a)-(b) | Judgment debtor (via surety) | 1.5x judgment (admitted surety) / 2x (personal sureties) |
| Attachment — plaintiff's undertaking | CCP §489.210, §489.220 | Plaintiff | $10,000 default; raised to probable wrongful-attachment recovery on defendant’s showing |
| Attachment — release undertaking | CCP §489.310(c) | Defendant (to free the property) | Lesser of the property’s value or the amount specified in the writ |
| Injunction / TRO bond | CCP §529(a) | Applicant / plaintiff | Judge-set, to cover the enjoined party’s damages if wrongfully issued |
| Receiver — applicant's undertaking | CCP §566(b) | Applicant | Judge-set, covers damages if the receivership was wrongfully procured |
| Receiver — receiver's own bond | CCP §567 | Receiver (pays own cost) | Judge-set, conditioned on faithful discharge of duties |
| Lis pendens — bonding around | CCP §405.33 | Property owner / title holder | Judge-set to indemnify the claimant for damages from expungement |
| Lis pendens — forced undertaking | CCP §405.34 | Lis pendens claimant | Judge-set to indemnify the property owner if the claimant does not prevail |
All eight rows are Code of Civil Procedure sections unless noted. Confirm the exact amount and accepted form against your court's order — the table shows the statutory formula, not a quote.
How much is a California appeal bond?
A California undertaking on appeal is 1.5× the judgment when an admitted surety insurer issues it, or double the judgment if given by individual sureties, under Code of Civil Procedure §917.1(b). It stays enforcement of a money judgment while the appeal is pending and covers the judgment amount plus any interest that accrues during the appeal and costs later awarded against the appellant — not just the face amount on the judgment.
The amount on the judgment or order — not including interest or costs, which the undertaking also secures.
Admitted surety insurer
$375,000
1.5× the judgment — CCP §917.1(a)
Personal / individual sureties
$500,000
2× the judgment — CCP §917.1(a)
Estimate only — the court fixes the final undertaking amount, and interest accruing during the appeal plus any costs awarded on appeal are added on top under §917.1(a). No undertaking is required solely for costs under CCP Title 14, Chapter 6 (commencing with §1021).
Official California Requirements
"The undertaking shall be for double the amount of the judgment or order unless given by an admitted surety insurer in which event it shall be for one and one-half times the amount of the judgment or order."California Legislative Information • Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §917.1(b)
No undertaking is required under this section solely for costs awarded under CCP Title 14, Chapter 6 (commencing with §1021). And this is the first of a pattern that repeats across California’s fiduciary bonds too: use an admitted carrier and the state effectively gives you a discount over posting the bond with individual co-signers. Probate Code §8482(c) doubles a probate bond the same way when personal sureties stand in for a corporate surety — see how that plays out on our California probate bond page.
Attachment bonds: the $10,000 default most guides get wrong
California attachment involves two separate undertakings, not one — the plaintiff’s bond to obtain the writ, and the defendant’s bond to release the attached property. Confusing the two is the single most common mistake in attachment filings.
Plaintiff’s undertaking to attach
Before the writ issues, CCP §489.210 requires the plaintiff to file an undertaking to pay the defendant for any wrongful attachment. §489.220 fixes that undertaking at a flat $10,000 — regardless of how much property is being attached — unless the defendant shows the probable recovery for a wrongful attachment would exceed $10,000, in which case the court raises it to that assessed figure.
Freezing a $2M account is still a $10,000 bond by default.
Defendant’s undertaking to release
To get attached property back, the defendant posts a release undertaking under CCP §489.310(c), sized at the lesser of the property’s value or the amount specified in the writ. On a writ specifying a $150,000 claim against a $400,000 property, the release bond is $150,000 — the smaller figure controls.
This is the bond that scales with the claim, not the plaintiff’s.
Official California Requirements
"Except as otherwise provided by statute, the amount of an undertaking filed pursuant to this article shall be ten thousand dollars ($10,000)."California Legislative Information • Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §489.220
Injunction and TRO undertakings: the judge’s call, not a formula
On granting a preliminary injunction or TRO, CCP §529(a) requires the court to set an undertaking amount to cover the damages the enjoined party may sustain if the injunction is later found wrongful — there is no statutory multiplier here, so the number comes straight from the judge’s order, usually tied to the plaintiff’s own estimate of the defendant’s exposure during the injunction period.
The enjoined party has a narrow procedural weapon here: under §529(a), they may object to the undertaking within five days after service of the injunction. If the court finds the undertaking insufficient and a sufficient one isn’t filed within the time required by statute, the order granting the injunction must be dissolved — a deadline that runs from service of the injunction, not the hearing date, and is easy to miss.
Who doesn’t need one
Receiver bonds: two bonds, not one
California receiverships require two separate undertakings running the opposite direction — the applicant’s bond protecting the defendant if the receivership was wrongfully sought, and the receiver’s own bond protecting the estate from the receiver’s misconduct.
Applicant’s undertaking — CCP §566(b)
Before appointing a receiver ex parte, the court requires the applicant to post an undertaking, in an amount the court fixes, guaranteeing payment of the defendant’s damages if the appointment was procured wrongfully, maliciously, or without sufficient cause. The applicant pays for this one.
Receiver’s own bond — CCP §567
Before taking the oath and entering on duties, the receiver posts a bond, “in such sum as the court or judge may direct,” conditioned on faithfully discharging the office and obeying the court’s orders. Under §567(b), the receiver “shall be allowed the cost of the undertaking,” so the receiver is reimbursed for it as the court directs.
Lis pendens bonds run in both directions
A California lis pendens can be bonded around by the property owner to clear title, or bonded against by an interested party to keep the claimant honest — two different motions, two different undertakings, both under Code of Civil Procedure §405.
Bonding around — CCP §405.33
If the real property claim has probable validity but “adequate relief” can be secured to the claimant with an undertaking, the court must order the lis pendens expunged once that bond is posted, sized to indemnify the claimant for damages the expungement causes. The claimant’s interest shifts from the property to the bond.
Forced undertaking — CCP §405.34
Runs the other way: any person with an interest in the property can move to require the claimant to post an undertaking as a condition of keeping the notice recorded, recoverable if the claimant doesn’t ultimately prevail and the moving party proves damages from the notice staying on title.
The exception that breaks §405.33: courts ordinarily disregard the presumption that real property is unique when weighing whether a bond is “adequate relief” — except when the property is a single-family residence the claimant intends to occupy. For that kind of home, the uniqueness presumption still applies, which makes it harder to show that a bond is adequate relief.
Have your order, writ, or judgment amount in hand? We prepare the undertaking to the court’s exact figure and file it on the accepted form.
Start my quoteThe rule that cuts across all five bonds: admitted surety, personal sureties, and public entities
Two patterns repeat across every bond on this page. First, wherever California lets a private party post a bond, it distinguishes between an admitted surety insurer (a corporate carrier authorized by the California Department of Insurance) and individual sureties — and it is never cheaper to use individuals, only more expensive or more restrictive. Second, public entities are carved out entirely.
Official California Requirements
"Notwithstanding any other statute, if a statute provides for a bond in an action or proceeding, ... the following public entities and officers are not required to give the bond and shall have the same rights, remedies, and benefits as if the bond were given: ..."California Legislative Information • Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §995.220
§995.220 exempts the State of California and its agencies and officers, counties, cities, other local public entities, and the federal government from giving any of the bonds described on this page when acting in an official capacity — appeal, attachment, injunction, receivership, or lis pendens alike.
Getting a California litigation bond filed
Identify the exact bond
Appeal, plaintiff’s attachment, release attachment, injunction, receiver (either bond), or lis pendens (either direction) — the wrong bond means a rejected filing.
Read the amount off the order or writ
For an appeal undertaking we compute the CCP §917.1 figure from the judgment. Every other bond on this page is judge-set — we work from the court’s order, writ, or your reference figure.
Confirm the court and county
Which of California’s 58 superior courts, or which appellate district, is the obligee — each accepts its own bond form and we match it.
Apply with the principal’s details
A quick underwriting look at the principal’s credit and the case. Choosing an admitted surety over individual sureties is what keeps an appeal undertaking at 1.5x instead of 2x.
File the executed undertaking with the clerk
We place the bond on the court-accepted form and get it filed so the stay, writ, injunction, receivership, or expungement can proceed.
Related California and court bonds
Litigation and fiduciary matters in California often touch more than one of these:
Need the broader court-bond picture, including federal Treasury-listed sureties? See our court bonds overview or the general court bond calculator.
What California litigants and counsel ask about court bonds
Why is my appeal bond 1.5x the judgment when I read online that it should be double?
Both figures are correct — they apply to different sureties. Code of Civil Procedure §917.1(b) sets the undertaking on appeal at double the judgment by default, but cuts that to one and one-half times the judgment when the undertaking is given by an admitted surety insurer. Individual (personal) sureties get no discount and post double. On a $1,000,000 judgment that is a $500,000 difference — the single biggest lever you control on an appeal bond.
I'm attaching a $2 million bank account — why does the plaintiff's bond only need to be $10,000?
Because the plaintiff's undertaking under CCP §489.220 is not sized to the property being attached — it is a flat $10,000 default meant to cover the defendant's damages if the attachment turns out to be wrongful. The court only raises it above $10,000 if the defendant affirmatively shows the probable recovery for a wrongful attachment would exceed that amount. This is a different bond from the one a defendant posts to release attached property (§489.310(c)), which is sized to the lesser of the property's value or the amount in the writ — and that confusion is where most non-attorneys get the two bonds backwards.
Can I get an injunction issued against me lifted by objecting to the bond amount?
You can challenge the amount, not the injunction itself, and the window is short. Under CCP §529(a), the person enjoined may object to the undertaking within five days after service of the injunction. If the court finds the undertaking insufficient and a sufficient undertaking is not filed within the time required by statute, the order granting the injunction must be dissolved. It's a narrow, procedural attack — confirm the deadline with counsel, because it runs from service of the injunction, not from the hearing.
Who pays for the receiver's own bond — the person who asked for the receivership, or the receiver?
The receiver gives it, and it's a separate bond from any undertaking the applicant posts. When a receiver is appointed on an ex parte application, CCP §566(b) requires the applicant to post an undertaking protecting the defendant if the receivership was procured wrongfully, maliciously, or without sufficient cause. CCP §567(b) then requires the receiver, before taking office, to give their own undertaking conditioned on faithfully discharging their duties and obeying the court's orders — and the statute says the receiver "shall be allowed the cost of the undertaking," so the receiver is reimbursed for it as the court directs.
Can I sell or refinance my house while a lis pendens is recorded against it?
Often yes, by posting an undertaking under CCP §405.33 to “bond around” the lis pendens — the claimant's interest shifts from the property to the bond proceeds and the notice comes off title. But there's a hard exception: courts disregard the usual presumption that real property is unique for this test, except when the property is a single-family residence the claimant intends to occupy. For a single-family home the claimant intends to occupy, the uniqueness presumption still applies, which makes it harder to show that a bond is adequate relief.
Does a public agency have to post any of these bonds when it sues or is sued?
No. CCP §995.220 exempts the State of California, its agencies and officers, counties, cities, other local public entities, and the federal government from giving these bonds at all — they get the same rights and remedies as if the bond had been given. It applies across the board: appeal undertakings, attachment, injunctions, receivership, and lis pendens actions involving a public entity or officer acting in an official capacity.
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov). BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-listed surety carriers.
General information, not legal or underwriting advice. California litigation bond requirements, amounts, and forms are set by statute (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§917.1, 489.210–.220, 489.310, 529, 566–567, 405.30–.34, 995.220) and by the court handling the matter, and they change over time. Confirm the current requirement with your court and request a quote for your specific bond form and amount.
Bond the exact figure your court ordered
Tell us the bond type, your court and county, and the judgment, writ, or order amount. We place the undertaking on the court’s accepted form and file it — same-day service available for emergency filings. Free quote, no obligation.
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