What you are responsible for
- The premium, and the payment schedule if you financed it.
- The full face amount of the bond if it is forfeited and the defendant is not returned within the appearance period.
- Reasonable recovery costs incurred locating and surrendering the defendant.
- Keeping the agency informed of address and contact changes — yours and theirs.
What you are not responsible for
- Any new crime the defendant commits. Criminal liability does not transfer.
- Their fines, restitution, or the outcome of the case.
- Physically supervising them or reporting their movements to law enforcement.
- Their attorney's fees, unless you separately agreed to pay them.
Your practical leverage
You are not powerless between signing and the end of the case. You can ask the surety to surrender the defendant under PC 1300 if they stop complying — see how to remove yourself as a cosigner. You can also insist on being copied on court dates, which is the single cheapest way to prevent a forfeiture.