(a) "Beneficiary" means the person for whose benefit a bond is given, whether executed to, in favor of, in the name of, or payable to the person as an obligee.
§ 995.130.Beneficiary
Title 14. Of Miscellaneous Provisions · Chapter 2. Bonds and Undertakings · Article 1. Preliminary Provisions and Definitions · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 995.130 defines a bond's beneficiary as the person for whose benefit the bond is given, or, when the bond runs to the State of California or its people, as the court, officer, or other person tasked with determining the sureties' sufficiency or approving the bond.
Full Text of § 995.130
(b) If a bond is given for the benefit of the State of California or the people of the state, "beneficiary" means the court, officer, or other person required to determine the sufficiency of the sureties or to approve the bond.
(c) For the purpose of application of this chapter to a bond given pursuant to any statute of this state, the terms "beneficiary," "obligee," and comparable terms used in the statute mean "beneficiary" as defined in this section.
Plain-English Summary
Every bond has someone it protects. Subdivision (a) calls that person the beneficiary, regardless of the label the bond itself uses — executed to, in favor of, in the name of, or payable to that person as an obligee, it's all the same relationship under this chapter.
Subdivision (b) handles the special case of bonds running to the State of California or the people of the state. Since the state itself doesn't act to approve or challenge a bond, the beneficiary in that setting becomes whichever court, officer, or other person is charged with determining the sureties' sufficiency or approving the bond.
Subdivision (c) does the same translation work § 995.120 does for sureties: wherever another statute uses "obligee" or a comparable term, this chapter reads it as "beneficiary."
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the "beneficiary" of a bond under this chapter?
The person for whose benefit the bond is given, whatever label — obligee or otherwise — the bond itself uses.
Who counts as the beneficiary of a bond given to the State of California?
The court, officer, or other person required to determine the sufficiency of the sureties or approve the bond, under § 995.130(b).
Does "obligee" mean something different from "beneficiary" under this chapter?
No, § 995.130(c) treats "obligee" and comparable terms in other statutes as meaning "beneficiary" as defined here.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 998, Sec. 1.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: beneficiary bond definition californiaobligee meaning california bond law