(a) "Principal" means the person who gives a bond.
§ 995.170.Principal
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 995.170 defines principal as the person who gives a bond, and directs that terms like obligor used in other statutes calling for a bond be read to mean principal as defined here.
Full Text of § 995.170
(b) For the purpose of application of this chapter to a bond given pursuant to any statute of this state, the terms "obligor," "principal," and comparable terms used in the statute mean "principal" as defined in this section.
Plain-English Summary
The principal is the party on the hook — the one who gives the bond in the first place, whether to satisfy a court requirement, a licensing condition, or some other statutory demand. Section 995.170(a) keeps that definition simple and consistent across the chapter.
Subdivision (b) performs the same translation work found in the definitions around it: a statute elsewhere in California law that calls the bond-giver an "obligor," or uses a comparable term, is read under this chapter as calling that person a "principal."
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the "principal" under the Bond and Undertaking Law?
The person who gives the bond.
If a statute calls the bond-giver an "obligor," does that change the analysis under this chapter?
No, § 995.170(b) treats "obligor" and comparable terms as meaning "principal" 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: principal definition bond law californiaobligor meaning california bond