Steps Necessary for Acquiring a Bail Bond License
The first step a person interested in acquiring a bail bond license must typically complete is finding a local bail school and signing up for training. Each state prescribes the specific courses that must be completed for certification and licensing, as well as the number of hours of training that it requires before the candidate qualifies for a bail bond license.
After successfully completing the required training and passing the certification examination, the candidate can move on to the second step of the agent licensing process: submitting an application to the Department of Insurance Office in the future bondsman's state. Application forms for the license, which is officially referred to as a Limited Surety Agent's License, can generally be accessed online. Some states also mandate that new agents work under an already-licensed bail bondsman for a prescribed period of time (generally not exceeding one year) before they qualify for full licensing.
Prospective bail agents will also need to be fingerprinted and pass a background check before receiving a license.
Once licensed, agents should be prepared to meet their states' requirements for keeping their bail bond license current, as some states require a specific minimum number of continuing education hours annually for bail bond license renewal.
Powers Granted by a Bail Bond License
A bail bond license confers on an agent all the rights and responsibilities prescribed for fulfilling the role of bail agent in each individual state. Since these can vary significantly by state, it's important for a license applicants to research the specific rights and responsibilities of agents in their own states. While several states do not allow commercial bail at all, of the ones that do, some only allow professional bail agents (i.e. agents who use their own assets to secure a bond, rather than the assets of the accused individual or his/her family members).
The powers generally granted by most states to agents who hold a valid license follow:
The right to post bail on behalf of incarcerated individuals The right to charge a fee for the service, based on a specific percentage of the bond amount, which is prescribed by state law (generally 10-15%) The right to track the client's whereabouts at all times to ensure that the client appears in court for all proceedings The right to arrest defendants who jump bail and take them to jail The right to break and enter a defendant's house for the purpose of arrest The right to pursue defendants into any of the 50 states to bring them back for oversight and ensure their appearance at trial The right to surrender uncooperative defendants they've apprehended to the custody of the courtThe reason agents who hold a valid license have so many rights with regard to pursuing and arresting defendants is that they are responsible for knowing their clients' whereabouts at all times and ensuring that they make every court date.
We make every effort to use our bail bond license to help cooperative clients remain free while awaiting trial.
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