Paying Cash Bail to the Court In some jurisdictions, the court may also allow you to post a property bond, which will use property that you own as collateral for your conditional release. Unfortunately, though, if your bail amount is high, you may not have the resources to post bail with the court on your own.
The defendant can post their own bail or ask a family member or friend to post it. If the defendant uses a bond company, the company may require the defendant to have a co-signer (someone who will help the company find the defendant should they fail to appear).
Companies can issue bonds, but most bonds are issued by governments.
For instance, a California judge might post bail at $50,000, letting the defendant secure their release for just $5,000. However, judges may not grant bail in some situations. When this happens, it can result in a “no bond” situation.
No bond status means a person cannot be released from jail by paying bail unless a judge later sets bail.
California Penal Code Section 825 says that a person arrested in California must be brought before a judge within 48 hours to be charged or released. These rules prevent law enforcement from holding suspects indefinitely while providing sufficient time to collect evidence and decide whether to take the case forward.