No Collateral Bail Bonds

Families often assume a house or a car title has to be signed over before anyone can be bailed out. On most bonds, no collateral is required. Whether collateral comes up at all depends on the size of the bond and the underwriting of the independent bail bond company handling it — and an agent can answer that in the first few minutes of the call.

Call (818) 805-0467

Answered live 24/7/365. Start with the inmate's name, date of birth, and city or jail.

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No collateral required on most bonds
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Any jail · any court · statewide

What collateral actually means

Collateral is security held against the bond — usually real property or another asset with documented value — that can be looked to if the bond is forfeited because the defendant stops appearing in court. It is not a payment. When a case ends and the court exonerates the bond, collateral is released according to the terms written in the agreement.

On the large majority of bonds, a signed indemnity agreement with a qualified co-signer does the same job, and no asset is pledged at all.

When collateral is more likely to come up

Very large bail amounts. The higher the exposure, the more underwriting the surety applies.
Serious or high-risk charges. Some statutes carry a greater risk of non-appearance.
No available co-signer. If nobody can sign as indemnitor, other security may be discussed.
Out-of-state or travel factors. Ties to the area are part of how risk is judged.

Questions worth asking

Does this bond require collateral, or is a co-signer sufficient?
If collateral is used, exactly what is pledged and how is it documented?
What conditions release it, and how long does release take after the case ends?
What is the co-signer responsible for if a court date is missed?

Get all of it in writing before signing. If something is explained on the phone but is not in the agreement, ask why.

What to have ready when you call

Full name and date of birth
Spelled as it appears on ID. Jails file bookings by name and DOB, so this is what lets an agent find the record.
City, county, or jail
Where the arrest or booking happened. Even the city is enough to narrow down the facility.
Booking number or charge, if you have it
Not required, but it speeds up the lookup. A charge code such as PC 245 or VC 23152 helps too.
Who will sign
Bonds are signed by an adult who can be reached by phone. The agent will explain what signing involves before anything is finalized.

If you are missing something, call anyway — an agent can often work from a name and a city.

Talk to a California bail agent now

One call reaches a licensed independent California bail bond company. Nights, weekends, and holidays included.