Court Bond Cost by State — Judge-Set Premiums
Court bonds are not statutorily fixed like license bonds. The bond amount is sized by judicial discretion — FRAP 7 / FRAP 8 in federal court, the analogous appellate rule in each state. Premium typically runs 1% to 3% of whatever the order says.
The court order controls. The bond amount is not in a license statute.
Read the order setting the bond amount before pricing the premium. Federal supersedeas amounts come from FRAP Rule 8 practice; California money judgments use Cal. CCP § 917.1 (1.5× the judgment); Texas under Tex. R. App. P. 24 caps at the lesser of $25M or 50% of net worth. The premium — what you pay the surety — is a percentage applied to that judge-set amount. Closely related but distinct: probate / fiduciary bonds (executor, administrator, guardian, trustee) are also court-filed but sized by estate value — see probate bond cost by state for that family.
All 50 states + federal
FRAP for federal; appellate rule per state
Judge-set amounts
No statutory fixed cap on most types
1% – 3% premium typical
Civil court bonds; immigration 10–20%
T-Listed sureties only
Treasury Circular 570 carriers
Three court bond types — what the math actually produces
Same indemnitor (mid-700 FICO, ~1.5% applied rate). Three bond types, three sizing rules — each derived from a published .gov authority.
Appeal / supersedeas
$5,000 – $15,000/yr
$500,000 money judgment under FRAP 8 / Cal. CCP § 917.1: 100–150% of judgment = $500K–$750K bond face, premium 1–2% → $5K–$15K per year. Full appellate ladder runs 2–3 years.
Injunction / TRO
$500 – $1,500
Judge sets under FRCP 65(c). On a $500K alleged-damages dispute, judges typically set 10–50% = $50K bond, premium 1–3% → $500–$1,500.
Replevin
$450 – $1,350
$30,000 equipment recovery, replevin multiplier ~1.5× property value = $45,000 bond, premium 1–3% → $450–$1,350. Sized under each state’s replevin statute.
FRAP and state appellate rules verified May 2026. FRAP source PDF (uscourts.gov).
Court Bond Type Comparison — Sizing, Sizer, Premium Range
Verified May 2026 from FRAP / FRCP / state appellate rules
| Court Bond Type | Typical Multiplier | Who Sets It | Premium Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appeal (FRAP 7) / cost bond | $250 – $1,000 fixed | Trial court clerk | $250 – $1,000 (fixed deposit) |
| Supersedeas (judgment-stay) | 100% – 150% of judgment | Trial court (FRAP 8 / state rule) | 1% – 2% of bond face per year |
| Injunction / TRO (FRCP 65(c)) | 10% – 50% of alleged damages | Trial judge, full discretion | 1% – 3% of bond face |
| Attachment | 1× – 2× value of property | Trial judge per state attachment statute | 1.5% – 3% of bond face |
| Replevin | ~1.5× value of recovered property | Trial judge per state replevin rule | 1.5% – 3% of bond face |
| Sheriff / lis pendens / indemnity-to-sheriff | ~1× value of disputed property/lien | Trial court / sheriff filing rule | 1.5% – 3% of bond face |
| Immigration delivery (8 USC § 1226) | ICE/IJ-set, $1,500 minimum | ICE field office or immigration judge | 10% – 20% (collateral required) |
Court bond amounts are NOT statutorily fixed for most types. Bond face is sized by judicial discretion (or by ICE for immigration), and premium is a percentage of that judge-set amount. Surety carriers must be U.S. Treasury-listed (Circular 570) for federal courts; most state courts also require T-Listed status.
Sources: FRAP Rules 7-8, FRCP 65(c), 8 USC § 1226, state appellate rules. Verified May 2026.
In federal court the procedural pattern is simple: FRAP Rule 7 authorizes a cost bond (typically $250–$1,000, fixed by the trial-court clerk to secure the appellee’s costs on appeal), and FRAP Rule 8 governs the stay-of-execution (supersedeas) bond, which the rule contemplates be obtained from the district court before the court of appeals is asked. Petitions for U.S. Supreme Court review under 28 U.S.C. § 2101 also reference the supersedeas framework. The federal rules don’t pin a multiplier — they leave it to the trial court — but the practical baseline is 100% of the judgment plus an interest cushion.
State appellate rules diverge meaningfully. California requires 1.5× the money judgment under Cal. CCP § 917.1 — the highest fixed multiplier in any major state. Most states (AL, AR, CO, MS, NE, OK, OR, SC, SD, WI, WV, and others) statutorily require 125%. Texas under Tex. R. App. P. 24 caps at the lesser of $25M or 50% of appellant’s net worth — the most appellant-friendly cap. Florida caps at $50M; GA, VA, NC at $25M. IL, KY, MO, OH, TX use a 1.0× baseline plus court-set interest and costs.
The pricing implication: judicial discretion typically sets the premium-driver (the bond face amount), but state-law multipliers create the headline differences. A $1M judgment produces a $1.5M supersedeas in California (premium $15K–$30K/yr at 1–2%) but a $1M bond in Illinois under a 1.0× rule (premium $10K–$20K/yr) — same case, different state, materially different premium. See the detailed court-bond cost reference, the appeal bond calculator, and the appeal bonds product page for the underwriting flow.
Court Bond Premium by Indemnitor Credit Tier
Based on a $100,000 bond amount
- Excellent (740+)Rate: 0.75%$750 / yr
- Very Good (700–739)Rate: 1.0% – 1.25%$1,000 – $1,250 / yr
- Good (650–699)Rate: 1.5% – 2.0%$1,500 – $2,000 / yr
- Fair (600–649)Rate: 2.5% – 3.0%$2,500 – $3,000 / yr
- Collateralized only (<600)Rate: 3% + collateral$3,000+ / yr + 10–100% cash
- Immigration delivery (any tier)Rate: 10% – 20%$10,000 – $20,000 / yr + collateral
Premiums shown are annual on a $100,000 court bond face amount (typical mid-size supersedeas, attachment, replevin). Scale proportionally for larger or smaller judge-set amounts. Court bonds carry rate floors that license bonds do not — most carriers will not write court bonds below 1% even at 800+ FICO because case-outcome uncertainty is non-zero on every file.
A $50,000 motor-vehicle dealer license bond at 1.0% costs $500/yr. A $50,000 supersedeas bond on a money judgment costs $750–$1,500/yr on identical credit, before collateral. The 50–200% rate spread reflects four underwriting realities specific to the court-bond line:
- Case-outcome uncertainty is binary and non-zero on every file. A license bond loses when the licensee commits a violation; loss experience is highly predictable. A supersedeas bond loses if the appeal is lost — loss frequency on appellate cases is materially higher because every supersedeas-bonded case has a judgment already entered against the principal. Carriers price elevated baseline-loss frequency into the rate filing.
- The bond face is sized to the loss, not to a regulatory floor. A Texas dealer bond is $50,000 because TOC Ch. 2301 says so. A Texas supersedeas on a $5M judgment is $5M–$25M (under the 50%-of-net-worth cap). The procedural pattern across appellate cases is that bond face moves directly with judgment exposure, so aggregate exposure on any one case can be 100× a typical license bond — concentration risk that pushes per-bond rates upward and triggers reinsurance review on bonds above $5M.
- Personal indemnity alone is rarely sufficient on supersedeas. The standard SFAA court-bond underwriting model requires personal indemnity AND, on bonds above ~$250K, audited financials demonstrating liquidity to cover bond face if the appeal is lost. Many carriers also require partial cash collateral (10–30%) on supersedeas bonds above $1M regardless of credit. A $1M supersedeas at 1.5% prints as $15,000/yr, but the $200,000 collateral hold for the duration of appeal is the larger economic cost.
- Immigration bonds price on a separate, higher rate filing entirely. Per 8 U.S.C. § 1226, ICE-set delivery bonds carry a $1,500 statutory minimum and no cap. Carriers writing the immigration line file rates in the 10–20% range — an order of magnitude higher than civil court bonds — because the bonded individual is in removal proceedings and historic loss experience shows materially higher non-appearance rates. Most carriers also require near-full collateral.
Worked example: same indemnitor, license vs court. A 720-FICO contractor with clean bonded history quotes at 1.0% on a $50K state contractor license bond — $500/year, no collateral. The same contractor as appellant on a $500K money judgment files a supersedeas at $625K face (125% under most state rules), 1.5% rate — $9,375/year, plus a typical $50K–$100K cash collateral hold for the 2–3 year appellate ladder. Headline rate doubled; cash-cost-of-bond is ~200× the license bond.
Sources: SFAA-aligned court-bond rate scheme; FRAP Rules 7–8; 28 U.S.C. § 2101; 8 U.S.C. § 1226. Mechanics are general to the surety-court-bond line, not specific to any one carrier.
From the court order. Not a fixed statute.
Premium rate band
1% – 2%
Est. annual premium
$1,000 – $2,000
Estimates use SFAA-aligned court-bond rate bands, May 2026. Final premium and collateral are set by the underwriting Treasury-listed surety based on indemnitor financials, case posture, and bond type. Court orders, FRAP / state appellate rules, and 8 USC § 1226 are the controlling authorities.
- Appeal / supersedeas bonds: Federal supersedeas baseline under FRAP 8 is 100% of the judgment; state rules range from 1.0× (IL, TX, OH, KY, MO) to 1.5× (CA, LA). Most states cap absolute bond at $25M–$50M to prevent appellate gridlock on high-judgment cases. Cornell LII (FRAP 8).
- Injunction and attachment bonds: Federal injunction bonds are governed by FRCP 65(c) — the court “considers proper” sets the amount. Attachment operates under each state’s pre-judgment attachment statute (NY CPLR Article 62, CA CCP § 489.210). Both types historically settle at 10–50% of alleged-damages.
- Replevin bonds: Sized at ~1.5× the personal property the plaintiff seeks to recover. Each state’s replevin or claim-and-delivery statute fixes the multiplier (CA CCP § 515.010 = 2×; NY CPLR Article 71 = court discretion). Bond protects the defendant if recovery turns out wrongful.
- Sheriff / lis pendens / indemnity-to-sheriff: Posted by a plaintiff who asks the sheriff to seize property under a writ. Indemnifies the sheriff and property holder if the writ is set aside. Multiplier typically 1× the property value or disputed lien.
- Immigration delivery bonds (8 U.S.C. § 1226): Set by the ICE field office or immigration judge. Statutory floor $1,500. The carrier rate filings indicate immigration bonds price at 10–20%/yr with most carriers requiring 10–100% cash collateral. ICE field office directory lists where the bond is posted.
- FRAP 7 cost bonds: The other half of the federal-appellate bond pair. FRAP 7 secures only the appellee’s costs on appeal (filing fees, transcript, brief preparation). Trial courts typically set FRAP 7 at $250–$1,000 as a fixed deposit rather than a surety bond per se.
FRAP / FRCP / state appellate rules verified May 2026 against uscourts.gov FRAP PDF and Cornell LII. Court orders supersede any external citation.
- Read the court order setting the bond amount. Court bonds are not in a license statute — the dollar amount is in the trial court’s order or judgment. Pull the docketed order from PACER (federal) or the state court’s public-access portal. Judicial discretion typically sets the bond on the underlying judgment, alleged damages, or property value — not on a fixed schedule. The amount printed in the order controls.
- Identify the bond type. Appeal (FRAP 7), supersedeas / stay-of-execution (FRAP 8), injunction / TRO (FRCP 65(c)), attachment (state pre-judgment attachment statute), replevin (state claim-and-delivery rule), sheriff / lis pendens (state writ statute), or immigration delivery (8 U.S.C. § 1226). Each carries different premium logic — supersedeas at 1–2%, replevin / attachment at 1.5–3%, immigration at 10–20%. Federal bonds reference FRAP 7 / FRAP 8.
- Confirm whether a cash deposit is permitted in lieu of surety. Most state appellate rules (and FRAP 8) permit a cash deposit with the court clerk as an alternative. Cash-in-lieu eliminates the premium entirely but ties up the full bond face for the duration of the appeal. For a $500K supersedeas, cash-in-lieu costs the time-value of $500K (~$25K/yr at 5% T-bill yields) versus $5K–$15K/yr in surety premium — surety is cheaper unless your cost-of-capital is below the premium rate.
- Pull a quote from a Treasury-listed surety and identify the court’s filing window. Federal courts and most state courts require the surety to appear on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Circular 570 list of acceptable sureties (~245 active T-Listed carriers). Filing windows are tight: FRAP 7–8 supersedeas typically must be filed before the appellate stay begins; injunction bonds before the TRO order is signed; attachment bonds before the writ is served. Run the inline court bond cost calculator first to confirm the carrier’s quote sits inside the SFAA band.
External links above are .gov / Cornell LII / Treasury primary sources. FRAP, FRCP, and state appellate rules verified May 2026.
What is the difference between an appeal bond and a supersedeas bond?
A FRAP Rule 7 cost bond (often loosely called an appeal bond) secures only the appellee’s costs on appeal — typically a fixed $250–$1,000 set by the trial court clerk. A supersedeas bond under FRAP Rule 8 stays execution of the underlying money judgment during appeal — bond face is 100–150% of the judgment, depending on state rule. Court records show appellants conflate the two: securing FRAP 7 costs alone does not stay collection. For a $500,000 judgment, the FRAP 7 cost bond may be a $500 fixed deposit while the FRAP 8 supersedeas would be $500K–$750K face with $5K–$15K annual premium.
Why does a TRO injunction bond amount vary so widely?
FRCP 65(c) requires the movant for a preliminary injunction or TRO to give security in an amount the court “considers proper.” Pure judicial discretion. The procedural pattern across federal cases is that judges set 10–50% of the alleged damages the enjoined party would suffer if the injunction is wrong. A $500,000 alleged-harm dispute often produces a $50K–$250K bond — premium 1–3%, so $500–$7,500 annually. Public-interest cases sometimes see $1 nominal bonds.
How does federal FRAP Rule 7 differ from FRAP Rule 8?
FRAP 7 covers the cost bond — security for appellee’s costs on appeal only. FRAP 8 covers the stay bond — security to suspend execution of the trial-court judgment during appeal. Judicial discretion typically sets FRAP 7 at $250–$1,000 (often a fixed deposit); FRAP 8 is sized to the full money judgment plus interest and costs. Petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court under 28 U.S.C. § 2101 also reference the supersedeas framework.
Why are immigration bond premiums so much higher than other court bonds?
Immigration delivery bonds posted under 8 U.S.C. § 1226 carry premium rates of 10–20% versus 1–3% for civil court bonds. The carrier rate filings indicate this reflects three loss factors: the bonded individual is in removal proceedings and may not appear, ICE bond minimums are $1,500 with no statutory cap, and historic loss experience shows materially higher non-appearance rates. Most carriers also require 10–100% cash collateral. A $10,000 ICE-set delivery bond runs $1,500–$2,000 in annual premium plus collateral, filed at the ICE field office with jurisdiction over the case.
What is the difference between a replevin bond and an attachment bond?
A replevin bond is posted by a plaintiff who wants to recover specific personal property already in the defendant’s possession (equipment, vehicle from a lienholder). Bond is typically 1.5× the property value — protecting the defendant if recovery was wrongful. An attachment bond is posted by a plaintiff seeking pre-judgment seizure of defendant’s property to secure an eventual money damages award — typically 1× to 2× value. Both are 1.5–3% premium on face. Replevin is property recovery; attachment is pre-judgment security. See the injunction and attachment bonds page.
Does my premium go up if a judgment is appealed multiple times?
Yes — the supersedeas bond stays in force for the duration of every appellate level (trial-court appeal, intermediate appellate court, state supreme court, U.S. Supreme Court under 28 U.S.C. § 2101). Premium is paid annually on the same face amount each year. A $750,000 supersedeas at 1.5% ($11,250/year) running through three appellate levels totals $33,750 in carrier premium — separate from underlying judgment, court costs, and post-judgment interest. Some carriers re-rate upward if appellate posture worsens. Use the court bond calculator to model multi-year carrier cost.
Court bond product pages
Cost references & siblings
Methodology: Court bond rules and federal authorities verified May 2026 against uscourts.gov FRAP PDF, Cornell LII for FRCP 65(c), 28 U.S.C. § 2101, 8 U.S.C. § 1226, plus state appellate rule primary sources for the supersedeas multipliers shown. Premium ranges reflect SFAA-aligned court-bond carrier rate filings cross-referenced against Treasury-listed surety quotes. Verified May 2026. The bond amount on any given file is judge-set; only the rule citation is fixed, so always read the order before pricing the premium.
YMYL disclaimer: Research compilation, not legal or financial advice. Final bond requirements are set by the trial or appellate court order. Final premium and collateral are set by the underwriting Treasury-listed surety based on indemnitor financials, case posture, and bond type. Court bonds protect the opposing party and the court — not the principal. Consult appellate counsel on filing-window requirements before relying on any cost estimate.
Send the court order. We’ll come back with the actual carrier rate.
Court bonds are too case-specific for an estimate-only quote. Drop us the order setting the bond amount and the bond type (FRAP 7, FRAP 8 supersedeas, FRCP 65(c) injunction, replevin, attachment, or ICE delivery), and a producer pulls a Treasury-listed surety rate against the file the same business day — including any collateral requirement and the filing-window math against the court’s deadline.
- FRAP 7 cost bond — same-day issuance against trial-court order
- FRAP 8 / state supersedeas — multi-carrier comparison on $500K+ judgments
- FRCP 65(c) injunction / TRO — rapid issuance against pending order signature
- Replevin, attachment, sheriff bonds — quoted against state writ statutes
- ICE delivery bonds (8 USC § 1226) — T-Listed carrier with collateral handled
Or call 1-844-810-BOND (2663) — a producer reads the order live with you.