THE QUICK ANSWER
Cosigning can create a financial obligation beyond the company's initial fee. An indemnity agreement may require repayment of a loss on the bail bond and actual costs if the defendant fails to appear. Read the actual agreement before signing or pledging property.
Have a question about a bail bond?
What is collateral for a bail bond?
Collateral is money or property pledged as security for the bail bond company’s financial risk. A company may require it to help cover a loss if the person does not appear in court. It is separate from the fee paid for the company to sign the bail bond.
Ask which assets the company accepts, how it values them, when they could be used and what must happen for them to be returned. Those terms depend on the actual agreement and company requirements.
Ask what your signature makes you responsible for
Find the provisions dealing with the bail bond amount, expenses, missed appearances, payment balances, collateral and release from the agreement. Keep a copy of everything signed. A quoted premium does not describe the whole financial obligation.
Who can cosign and what paperwork is needed?
Ask the company to confirm whether it will accept you as a cosigner and which identification, financial information and signatures it needs. The application and indemnity agreement determine what you are being asked to provide and promise. Read the repayment and collateral terms before agreeing.
What if I don’t have a cosigner or collateral?
Tell the company which requirement you are concerned about and ask whether it can consider your situation. Ask what information it needs to review the request and whether it can accept a bail bond without that requirement. If it proposes an arrangement, confirm the fee, amount due now and any other conditions before agreeing. Acceptance depends on the company and the situation.
Identify each item of collateral
Get a receipt and written terms describing what is pledged, when it can be used, when it should be returned, and whether a lien or title must be released. A provider's decision to accept a particular asset is not the sheriff approving that asset for a direct property bail bond.
Source: Forsyth County Sheriff · Georgia AG: 1994 indemnity opinion
If you want to stop cosigning
Contact the company about how a request would affect the bail bond and your agreement. Georgia law lists a cosigner’s written request for release as one reason the company may retain its signing fee when it surrenders the defendant before final disposition. That provision does not by itself resolve obligations under your agreement.
Not sure what you would need to sign?
Ask about cosigner requirements and collateral before committing.
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Sources for this guide
- Forsyth County Sheriff: Real Property Bonds
- Georgia SB 63, 2024 signed legislation, section 6
- Georgia Attorney General U94-17 (1994): indemnity agreements
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Follow the current order and the official instructions for the case.