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California Superior Court, probate division

California Conservatorship Bond

Appointed conservator of an adult's estate? The court requires a bond before you take control of the conservatee's finances, and rule 7.207 sets it above the value of the estate itself. Conservatorships run for years, so the amount is revisited as the estate changes.

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Key facts
Bond amount
Set by the court under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.207
Authority
California Superior Court, probate division
Statute
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.207; Prob. Code §2320(c)(4)

The premium is a percentage of the bond amount, set by underwriting. The figures above are the bond amounts, not what you pay.

Illustration for the California Conservatorship Bond

What it is

A conservatorship bond guarantees that a conservator of the estate manages an adult conservatee's finances honestly and in their interest. Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.207 requires it of every conservator of the estate and builds the amount from the conservatee's personal property, the probable annual income and gross payments, and a cost-of-recovery addition under Prob. Code §2320(c)(4). Because a conservatorship can run for decades, the figure is reviewed as the estate grows or shrinks.

Which conservatorship, and of the person or the estate?

This is the bond for a probate conservatorship of the estate. Two distinctions matter. Conservatorship of the person concerns care and living arrangements and carries no bond; conservatorship of the estate concerns money, and does. Separately, an LPS conservatorship under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act deals with grave mental disability and follows its own track. If there is an estate to manage, the bond question still arises, but the appointment is not the same proceeding.

Who needs it

  • Court-appointed conservators of an adult conservatee's estate
  • Family members conserving a parent after a capacity decline
  • Professional fiduciaries appointed as conservator of the estate

Bond amounts and requirements are general guidance and can change. Confirm the current requirement with the listed agency before you file. We will quote your exact bond.

Tough credit or a prior claim? It's welcome here. See how we place hard-to-place surety bonds, or get a quote and we'll place your exact bond.

Questions

Conservatorship Bond FAQs

What is a conservatorship bond?
A conservatorship bond guarantees that a conservator of the estate manages an adult conservatee's money honestly. The court requires it under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.207, and it protects the conservatee. If the conservator takes or misapplies funds, recovery runs against the bond, and the surety then pursues the conservator personally.
How is the conservatorship bond amount calculated?
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.207 adds up the conservatee's personal property, the probable annual income and the probable annual gross payments, then adds a cost of recovery under Prob. Code §2320(c)(4): 10% up to and including $500,000; 12% above $500,000 up to and including $1,000,000; 2% above $1,000,000. The cost-of-recovery layer covers attorney's fees and costs, which is why the bond exceeds the estate it protects.
Do I post a bond as conservator of the person?
No. Conservatorship of the person covers where the conservatee lives and how they are cared for, and no bond attaches to it. The bond belongs to conservatorship of the estate, which is authority over the money. If you hold both, the court bonds the estate half of the appointment.
Does the bond change as the conservatorship goes on?
It can, and it is worth expecting. A conservatorship may run for many years while the estate changes shape: a house sells, a settlement lands, income starts or stops. The court can require the bond to be increased when the assets under your control grow, and your accountings are where that gets noticed.
Can the conservatorship bond be reduced?
Yes, most reliably by restricting your own access. Assets placed in a blocked account, reachable only on a court order, are not exposed to the conservator, and courts set the bond against what you can actually reach: the principle Prob. Code §8483 applies to decedents' estates. For a conservatee whose funds are largely dormant, that can cut the premium substantially.
Can I get a conservatorship bond with poor credit?
Usually yes. Family conservators are often appointed at the worst moment in their own finances, and sureties know it. Credit affects the rate and the amount of review, not automatically the outcome. MM Bonding & Insurance Services, Inc. places court bonds for applicants that instant-issue sites decline, so it is worth a conversation rather than an assumption.
When does a conservatorship bond end?
On the conservatee's death, or when the court restores their capacity and terminates the conservatorship, and then only once your final account is settled and the court discharges you. The bond renews annually until that order, so the premium is an ongoing cost of the conservatorship, not a one-off.
Is a conservatorship bond the same as a probate bond?
They are different bonds for different proceedings. A probate bond covers a deceased person's estate and is sized under Prob. Code §8482. A conservatorship bond covers a living adult's estate under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.207, with the cost-of-recovery addition that rule requires, and it lasts as long as the conservatorship rather than as long as an administration.
Court & Probate

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