If a statute or court order pursuant thereto providing for a bond does not specify the beneficiary of the bond, the bond shall be to the State of California.
§ 995.830.Statute Or Court Order Not Specifying Beneficiary of Bond
Title 14. Of Miscellaneous Provisions · Chapter 2. Bonds and Undertakings · Article 8. Bonds to the State of California · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 995.830 makes the State of California the default beneficiary of a bond whenever the statute requiring it, or the court order made under that statute, doesn't itself name a beneficiary.
Full Text of § 995.830
Plain-English Summary
Not every statute requiring a bond bothers to say who benefits from it. This section fills that gap directly: if neither the statute nor a court order made under it specifies a beneficiary, the bond runs to the State of California by default.
This is the general counterpart to § 995.820's more specific rule for court officers' bonds. Together, the two sections make sure no bond given under this chapter ends up with an undefined or absent beneficiary -- someone can always enforce it, even when the underlying statute never addressed the question.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a statute requiring a bond doesn't name a beneficiary?
The bond is deemed to be to the State of California.
Does this rule apply only to statutes, or also to court orders?
Both -- a court order made pursuant to a statute that doesn't specify a beneficiary triggers the same default.
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: bond with no named beneficiary californiadefault beneficiary bond california