(a) Any party, litigant, or other person required or permitted by law to give or post bond or bail as surety or security for the happening of any event or act in all civil matters may discharge the requirement by depositing cash in the amount of the bond so required with the appropriate person, official, or other depository.
§ 9-10-10.Cash bonds permitted; docketing
Chapter 10. Civil Practice and Procedure Generally · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 1982 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceAnyone required or permitted to post bond or bail as security in a civil matter may satisfy that obligation by depositing cash instead, and the official who receives it must issue a receipt and record the transaction on the case docket or, if none exists, in a dedicated docket capturing the payer’s details and the reason for the bond.
Full Text of § 9-10-10
(b) Any official or other person receiving any such bond shall give a receipt therefor and shall cause the fact of the receipt to be entered and recorded on the docket of the case in which it was given. If bond is given in a matter not appearing as a separate court case on a docket, a docket shall be prepared, maintained, and kept of all such transactions. The name and address of the person giving or making the bond, the date of the receipt of the bond, the name of the person receiving the bond, the amount of the bond, and a description of the cause for giving the bond, together with any and all other desirable information concerning the bond, shall be a part of the record in that separate docket.
Plain-English Summary
Georgia law lets a party swap out a traditional surety bond for cash. Whenever civil practice requires or allows someone to post bond or bail as security for something happening in the future, this section gives that person the option of depositing the cash amount instead, with whichever person, official, or depository is supposed to hold the security.
Once the cash comes in, the recipient has to give a receipt and log it on the docket of the case it relates to. Not every bond ties to a separate court case, though — for those situations, the section requires a standalone docket built for tracking these deposits, capturing the payer’s name and address, the date received, who received it, the amount, and why the bond was posted, plus anything else worth noting.
The result is a paper trail. Whether the cash sits inside an existing case file or in its own dedicated record, anyone can look back and see who put up the money, how much, and what it was for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cash deposit substitute for a traditional surety bond in a civil matter?
Yes, any party or person required or permitted to give bond or bail may discharge that requirement by depositing cash in the amount required.
What must happen when an official receives a cash bond?
The official must give a receipt and cause the receipt to be entered and recorded on the docket of the case in which it was given.
What if the bond does not relate to a separate court case on a docket?
A docket must be prepared, maintained, and kept specifically for recording that transaction.
What information has to go into that separate docket?
The payer’s name and address, the date the bond was received, the name of the person receiving it, the amount of the bond, a description of why it was given, and any other desirable information about it.
Who can use this cash-deposit option?
Any party, litigant, or other person required or permitted by law to give or post bond or bail as surety or security in a civil matter.
Amendment History
Ga. L. 1969, p. 41, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 9.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: cash bond instead of surety georgiapost cash bail civil case georgiabond receipt docket requirement georgiacash deposit security civil matter georgia