California Code of Civil Procedure §917.1 governs the appeal bond on a money judgment. The bond runs at 1.5× the judgment amount with no statutory cap — one of the country's highest multipliers without a ceiling. We write California appeal bonds in all six districts of the California Court of Appeal, the California Supreme Court, and the four U.S. District Courts for California.
A California money judgment becomes enforceable immediately upon entry — the prevailing party can record an abstract of judgment against the appellant's real property under CCP §697.310, levy on personal property under §699.510, garnish wages and accounts under §706.020. Without a supersedeas bond, the collection clock starts the day the judgment is entered.
The California appellate stay framework is codified at CCP §917.1: a money judgment is stayed if the appellant gives an undertaking equal to one and one-half times the amount of the judgment. The 1.5× multiplier accounts for interest accrual during the appeal at California's 10% statutory judgment rate. Different rules apply to non-monetary judgments — CCP §917.2 for personal property, §917.4 for real property, §917.5 for orders to deliver specific personal property.
The bond is filed with the Superior Court clerk that entered the judgment. The judgment creditor has notice of the undertaking and may object to the sufficiency of the sureties under CCP §995.930. Once the undertaking is filed and any objections resolved, execution is stayed for the duration of the appeal.
California's appellate stay rules are contained in CCP §§917.1-917.9, with general undertaking rules at §§995.010-996.495. The 1.5× multiplier in §917.1 is the most-cited authority, but the practitioner needs the related provisions for non-monetary judgments and the general undertaking requirements applicable across all California court bonds.
California appeal bonds are collateral-typical given the 1.5× multiplier and the absence of a statutory cap. Full collateral is the standard requirement, posted in cash, irrevocable letter of credit, or U.S. Treasury securities. Real estate is not accepted.
Non-collateralized placement is available through our non-standard program for principals with substantial unencumbered net worth and strong liquid position. The 1.5× multiplier makes non-collateralized California bonds significantly more capital-intensive than supersedeas bonds in cap states.
Filing is with the Superior Court clerk that entered the judgment. The bond is on Treasury-listed paper from a surety with a current California certificate of authority. The judgment creditor has the right to object to surety sufficiency under §995.930; we provide standard surety financial documentation with every bond issuance to anticipate and resolve any sufficiency challenge.
Send the judgment and notice of appeal. We post-process the 1.5× calculation and quote same-day for qualified files.