Article 1. General of California Government Code >> Division 4. >> Title 1. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 1.

Unless otherwise provided, every official bond shall be filed in the proper office within the time prescribed for filing the oath.

The approval of every official bond shall be indorsed thereon and signed by the officer approving the bond.

No officer with whom any official bond is required to be filed shall file such bond until approved.

Official bonds shall be recorded in a book kept for that purpose entitled "Record of Official Bonds."

Unless otherwise provided, the official bonds of state officers prescribed by law shall be approved by either the Governor or the Director of General Services and filed and recorded in the office of the Secretary of State.

Unless otherwise provided, all official bonds of state officers and employees not expressly prescribed by law shall be forwarded to the Department of General Services for recordation. Upon such recordation the Department of General Services shall forward the bonds to the Secretary of State where they shall be filed.

Unless otherwise provided, the official bonds of officers of a county and judicial district shall be approved by the presiding judge of the superior court, recorded in the office of the county recorder, and then filed in the county clerk's office.

The bonds of supervisors, treasurers, county clerks, auditors, sheriffs, tax collectors, district attorneys, recorders, assessors, surveyors, superintendents of schools, public administrators, and coroners shall be approved by the presiding judge of the superior court before the bonds can be recorded and filed.

After being recorded, the official bond of the county clerk shall be filed in the office of the county treasurer.

Every officer with whom official bonds are filed shall carefully keep and preserve the bonds. He shall give certified copies thereof to any person demanding copies, upon being paid the same fees as are allowed by law for certified copies of papers in other cases.

The county recorder shall record the bond and return it to the county officer with whom it is required to be filed. Such officer shall keep the bond on file for one year following the expiration of the term of the office for which the bond was issued at which time said bond may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of.

Any person appointed to fill a vacancy shall give a bond, corresponding in substance and form with the bond required of the officer originally elected or appointed, before entering upon the duties of the office.

No fee shall be charged by any officer to file or record any official bond of any official of this state or any political subdivision of this state.

For the purposes of this chapter, a government crime insurance policy or employee dishonesty insurance policy, including faithful performance, may be provided as an alternative to the official bond by any county or city, subject to approval by the presiding judge of the superior court and recording and filing as provided in Sections 1457 to 1460.1, inclusive. An insurance policy procured pursuant to this section may be used as a master bond as though it were an official bond, subject to approval of the appointing power or the legislative body as provided in Section 1481.