Bail Questions • Bail Basics • Arizona
What Is a Cash Only Bond?
A cash only bond is a court order requiring the full bail amount to be paid in cash before release, with no surety bond allowed.
Quick answer
A cash only bond is a court order requiring the full bail amount to be paid in cash before release, with no surety bond allowed. Arizona judges set it most often on bench warrants and repeat failures to appear, and a defense attorney can ask the court to change it to allow surety.
Why a judge orders cash only
A cash-only bond is one of the release options under A.R.S. 13-3967, and it is the strictest form of secured bond. The judge wants the money itself on deposit with the court, not a promise from an insurer. The usual reasons are a prior failure to appear, a bench warrant on the current case, or a history of bonds that were posted and then forfeited.
In Maricopa County you see cash-only bonds most often on bench warrants from Superior Court, the justice courts and city courts. The amount is frequently modest, a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, because the court is enforcing attendance rather than guarding against flight on a serious charge. Our bench warrant page explains how those warrants are set.
How to post a cash only bond in Maricopa County
The family pays the full amount in cash at the 4th Avenue Jail Bond and Fine Room, 201 S 4th Avenue, Phoenix, open 24 hours, or at the clerk's office or the court that set the bond during business hours. The county does not take payment by phone, app, wire or electronic transfer, and it never asks for payment by text or email.
Get a receipt in your own name. The court holds the money for the life of the case and refunds it to the person on the receipt when the bond is exonerated, less fines and fees the court applies. If the defendant misses court again, the court forfeits the cash under A.R.S. 13-3974. A licensed agent cannot post a surety bond on a cash-only order, but can tell you where to pay and what to bring. See our cash-only bonds page.
Cash only bond vs cash surety bond
These two phrases look alike and mean opposite things. Cash only restricts the bond: cash is the only acceptable form. Cash surety, sometimes written "cash or surety," opens the bond: the court accepts either the full amount in cash or a surety bond from a licensed agent. Most secured bonds in Arizona are cash or surety.
The practical difference is who can help. On a cash or surety bond, an agent posts the full amount for a premium, typically 10%, so a $5,000 bond costs about $500 up front. On a cash-only bond the family must produce the whole $5,000. If that is out of reach, a defense attorney can ask the judge to convert the bond to cash or surety, which judges often do once the person has a lawyer and a new court date. Compare with the cash bond vs surety bond guide.
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Related Questions
Can a bail bondsman post a cash only bond?
No. The court order excludes surety bonds, so a licensed agent has nothing to file. An agent can explain where to pay, check for additional warrants or holds, and post a surety bond immediately if the court later converts the order to cash or surety.
Can you pay a cash only bond with a credit card?
Not to Maricopa County. The Bond and Fine Room takes cash and the county does not accept phone, app or electronic payments. A licensed agent takes cards, but only for the premium on a surety bond, which a cash-only order does not allow.
Do you get a cash only bond back?
Yes, if the defendant attends every hearing. The court refunds it to the person on the receipt after the case ends and the bond is exonerated, often several weeks later, less fines, fees or restitution the court applies to it.
Why is a bond cash only for a bench warrant?
Because the person already missed court once. The judge wants a deposit that is forfeited on another missed date without a surety's grace period. Minor traffic and misdemeanor bench warrants in Maricopa County are often a few hundred to a few thousand dollars cash.
Can a cash only bond be changed to a surety bond?
Often, yes. A defense attorney can ask the assigned judge to modify the order, and courts frequently allow surety once the person appears with counsel. We post immediately when that happens. Call One Stop Bail Bonds any hour and an agent will walk you through it.