§ 478 Termination of surety's liability

If someone (called a surety) has promised to pay money to guarantee that a person will show up in court or follow court orders, that promise is called an undertaking. Sometimes there's a legal claim, or "lien," placed on the surety's property to back up that promise.

This rule explains what happens once the surety no longer has to keep that promise. When the surety's responsibility ends, the court must officially state this in a written order. This makes it clear, on the record, that the surety is off the hook.

Once the court issues that order, someone needs to bring a certified copy to the county clerk's office. When the clerk gets this copy, they must remove the lien from the public records. This clears the surety's property of any claim connected to the original promise, so they no longer have to worry about that financial responsibility.