Bond Certificate Guarantors
A bond certificate is a certificate acceptable in lieu of bail in traffic violations as authorized under the provisions of Article V of the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. Rule 9.1(c).
A guarantor is any company or association currently authorized which issues and guarantees the payment of a judgment and costs upon the failure of a holder of a bond certificate to appear for trial pursuant to the orders of the court. Rule 9.1(d).
Any automobile club or association which has been in existence for a period of 18 months or more and has an actual bona-fide membership of 1500 or more, or any trade union, surety or insurance company shall be permitted to issue bond certificates to their members or assured and to act as guarantors on bond certificates so issued in the Circuit Court of Cook County, if authorized by the Chief Judge of the Court. Rule 9.2(a)(iii).
The following information applies only to bond certificate guarantors in Cook County, Illinois:
- For Bonds-Sureties, Part 9 of the Rules of the Circuit Court of Cook County, click here.
- For a list of currently authorized bond certificate guarantors, click here.
- For information on petitioning the court for authorization to issue bond certificates, click here.
- For a downloadable petition application packet, click here.
- For information for Law Enforcement Officers on Bond Cards, click here.
- For information on the refund or substitution of a security or cash deposit for bond certificate guarantors, click here.
More Information on Bond Cards
Bond cards from the authorized companies, click here, are acceptable as bail in the Circuit Court of Cook County for only the following traffic offenses in the following amounts:
Traffic Offense | Bail Amount |
|---|---|
Minor traffic offenses that are subject to the bail schedule of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 526(a).
| $164 |
The Circuit Court of Cook County can recover the monies from the bond companies for the traffic offenders who fail to appear in court only if the bond cards accepted by law enforcement officers are valid. For a bond card to be valid in Cook County, it must:
1. be issued by an authorized company on the enclosed list;
2. not be expired on the date of the traffic offense;
3. be signed by the traffic offender whose name appears on the card; and
4. be accepted as bail for only the traffic offenses listed above.
If you have any questions, or if I can assist you in these matters, please feel free to contact Judge Raul Vega at 312-325-9014 or 312-325-9555.
For a downloadable version of this information, click here.