California's $25,000 LDA Bond Files at the County, Not the State
An individual legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant posts a $25,000 surety bond under Business & Professions Code § 6405 — running in favor of the State of California, but registered and filed with the county clerk where you do business, not with the Secretary of State or the Department of Consumer Affairs. Partnerships and corporations post more as their registered-assistant headcount grows: $25,000 for 1–4 assistants, $50,000 for 5–9, and $100,000 for 10 or more.
That county-level filing is where this bond gets genuinely practical — Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County each charge a different total to process an identical $25,000 bond, and offices in two counties mean two separate registrations. We cover the exact mechanics below, or price your bond on the right now.
- Who requires it: The State of California, as obligee under Business & Professions Code § 6405, registered and filed with the county clerk where you do business.
- Amount: $25,000 for an individual legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant. Partnerships and corporations post $25,000 for 1–4 assistants, $50,000 for 5–9 and $100,000 for 10 or more.
- Typical cost (estimate): about 1% to 3% of the bond amount per year, depending on credit ($250 to $750 a year on the $25,000 bond). County registration and recording fees are separate. The surety sets the final price.
- Timing: Same-day submission; most quotes within one business day.
One Statewide Bond Amount, 58 Different Filing Counters
Most California license bonds — auctioneer, tax preparer, immigration consultant — file with a single state office, so the process is identical no matter where you live. The LDA/UDA bond doesn't work that way. Section 6405 fixes the dollar amount statewide, but Section 6402 hands the actual registration and filing duty to the county clerk in every county where you keep a principal place of business or a branch office. The clerk then forwards your bond to the county recorder, who records it as a public document.
If you prepare tax returns for pay, the separate CTEC registration bond is covered on our California tax preparer bond page.
That single design choice is why two LDAs holding the exact same $25,000 bond can pay noticeably different totals and follow different filing procedures depending on which county they operate in.
Official California Requirements
"A person shall not act as a legal document assistant or unlawful detainer assistant unless that person has posted a bond ... in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000)."California Business & Professions Code § 6405 • B&P Code § 6405
Same $25,000 Bond, Three Different County Totals
Individual registration — verified against each county clerk's current fee schedule
| County | Total Registration Cost | Registration Term | Filing Method | Filing Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $202 (single-page bond) | 2 years | Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, in person or by appointment | Los Angeles County RR/CC |
| San Diego | ~$224 ($175 registration + $35 bond filing + $14 recording) | 2 years | In person only, Main Office, Mon–Fri 8am–3pm | San Diego County ARCC |
| Orange | $189 (single-page bond) | 2 years | OC Clerk-Recorder Department | Orange County Clerk-Recorder |
Totals include the county's registration, bond-filing, and recording fees layered on top of the identical $25,000 bond — not the bond premium itself, which is priced separately by credit tier below.
Sources: lavote.gov (LA County RR/CC), sdarcc.gov (San Diego County ARCC), ocrecorder.com (OC Clerk-Recorder)
What § 6400 Actually Lets You Do — and What It Doesn't
Section 6400 defines an legal document assistant as anyone (outside certain exemptions) who provides self-help services for compensation to people representing themselves — things like completing legal documents in a ministerial manner and giving general published factual information about legal procedures. An unlawful detainer assistant is defined separately as anyone who, for compensation, assists in the prosecution or defense of an eviction claim.
What's in bounds
Completing forms at the customer's direction, filing documents they've chosen, and providing published factual information about court procedure — none of it requires you to select a legal strategy for the customer.
What crosses the line
Advising which forms to file, interpreting how the law applies to someone's specific facts, or choosing a legal remedy on their behalf is the unauthorized practice of law — the exact conduct the registration exists to keep you out of.
Section 6410 backs this up with a disclosure requirement: your written contract with every client must state, in 12-point boldface, that you are “not an attorney and may not perform the legal services that an attorney performs.” The same section gives clients a 24-hour right to rescind the contract, and a contract that skips the required disclosures is voidable at the client's option — with a full refund. That consumer-protection chapter is currently set to sunset January 1, 2030, so confirm it hasn't been extended or replaced before relying on it years from now.
How the Bond Amount Scales From $25,000 to $100,000
An individual registrant never pays more than $25,000 regardless of how much business they do. The moment you register as a partnership or corporation, § 6405 switches the amount to a headcount-based tier — counting registered assistants working under the entity, not employees generally.
California LDA/UDA Bond Amount by Registration Type
B&P Code § 6405 — individual vs. partnership/corporation tiers
Individual registrant
$25,000
Any headcount — one flat amount
Partnership/corp — 1 to 4 assistants
$25,000
Same floor as an individual
Partnership/corp — 5 to 9 assistants
$50,000
Doubles once you cross 5
Partnership/corp — 10+ assistants
$100,000
Top tier, no ceiling above 10
Source: California Business & Professions Code § 6405
Because the tiers are step functions rather than a formula, hiring your fifth assistant mid-registration period doubles your required bond overnight — from $25,000 to $50,000 — even though nothing about your business model changed. Budget for the step-up before you cross a threshold, and notify your county clerk once the higher bond is filed.
What the $25,000 LDA Bond Covers
Section 6405 ties the bond directly to harm caused by three categories of misconduct.
Violation of the chapter
Operating without a current registration, skipping the required § 6410 contract disclosures, or otherwise violating the registration statute itself.
Fraud or dishonesty
Misrepresenting your qualifications, taking fees without delivering the service, or otherwise dealing dishonestly with a client.
Incompetency
Preparing or filing documents so carelessly that a client is harmed — a missed deadline, a wrong form, a filing in the wrong court.
Section 6402 also bars anyone currently disbarred or suspended from the practice of law from registering as an LDA or UDA during that suspension period — closing the obvious loophole of a sidelined attorney continuing to work under a different title. For how a claim actually moves from complaint to payout, see our guide on avoiding bond claims.
Not Sure Which County Fee Schedule Applies?
Tell us your county and whether you're registering as an individual, partnership, or corporation — we confirm your exact bond amount and filing steps before you pay for anything.
Confirm My Filing RequirementThe Registration Sequence, County by County
Confirm the education and experience path you qualify under
Sections 6400, 6402, and 6408 set out the education/experience routes to qualify — most county clerks require documentation before they'll accept your application.
Get the $25,000 bond issued with a 2-year term
Every county requires the bond to state a commencement and expiration date spanning the full 2-year registration period — not an evergreen or auto-renewing bond.
File in person with your county clerk
Bring government-issued photo ID and the original bond. San Diego requires an in-person appointment at its Main Office (Mon–Fri, 8am–3pm); other counties publish their own hours and ID-photo requirements.
The clerk forwards your bond to the county recorder
Under § 6405, “the county clerk shall, upon filing of the bond, deliver the bond forthwith to the county recorder for recording” — this is what makes your registration a searchable public record.
Renew every 2 years with 15 hours of continuing legal education
Both LA and San Diego County renewal packets require signed confirmation of 15 hours of continuing legal education completed during the preceding 2-year term.
How Much Does the $25,000 Bond Itself Cost?
The $25,000 (or higher, for larger entities) figure in § 6405 is the bond's penal sum — the maximum a surety pays out on a valid claim — not your premium. You pay an annual premium, typically 1% to 3% of the bond amount depending on personal credit, separate from every county filing and recording fee covered above.
California LDA Bond — Estimated Annual Premium by Credit Tier
Based on a $25,000 bond amount
- Strong credit (~1%)Rate: ~1% of bond amount$250/yr
- Good credit (~1.5%)Rate: ~1.5% of bond amount$375/yr
- Fair credit (~2%)Rate: ~2% of bond amount$500/yr
- Challenged credit (~3%)Rate: ~3% of bond amount$750/yr
Estimates reflect typical surety market pricing of 1%–3% of the $25,000 individual bond amount; partnership/corporation tiers ($50,000–$100,000) scale the same percentage against a larger base. Not published by any county or state regulator.
For how credit tiers affect pricing across bond types generally, see our surety bond cost guide. Need the bond the same day you apply? Check instant bonds, or review bad-credit bond options if a past credit issue has you worried about approval.
The Branch-Office Trap Nobody Warns You About
Most license bonds are a one-and-done filing: get the bond, file it once, renew on schedule. The LDA/UDA bond isn't, because § 6402 ties registration to the county, not to you as a person. Expand from a Los Angeles office into a San Diego satellite location and you don't just tell your existing county clerk about it — you owe San Diego its own registration, and in practice most clerks want their own filed copy of the bond, not a photocopy of the Los Angeles one.
That catches growing practices off guard because nothing about the underlying $25,000 obligation changed — you're still bonded, still covered, still compliant in the county where you started. What's missing is the second county's paperwork, and that gap is exactly what a competitor complaint or a routine county audit finds first.
The other detail worth knowing before you file: because the county recorder records your bond as a public document, opposing counsel in a dispute — or a UDA client's landlord attorney — can and does pull county recordings to verify your registration is current before a hearing. Treat the recorder's copy as the record that actually gets checked, not just an administrative formality.
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov). BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-listed surety carriers.
California LDA/UDA Bond FAQs
County filing mechanics, branch offices, and what actually separates an LDA from a notary
Do I file my California LDA bond with the Secretary of State?
Why does the total cost differ between Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County if the bond is always $25,000?
I have offices in two counties — do I need two bonds?
Is a legal document assistant the same as a paralegal or notary?
Does the LDA bond cover an unlawful detainer assistant, or do I need a separate UDA bond?
What happens if my bond lapses before my 2-year registration expires?
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