Property Bail Bondsman

In addition to the general licensure requirements, what other requirements must be met to obtain a property bail bondsman license?
  1. Additionally, prior to the issuance of a property bail bondsman license, each property bail bondsman applicant shall provide the following:
    1. Proof of collateral with a minimum equity of $200,000 on their bonds and
    2. Proof of collateral with a minimum equity of $200,000 on the bonds of each of their agents.
    3. The Department shall specifically approve any collateral that is not in the form of real estate, cash, or certificates of deposit issued by a FDIC-insured financial institution before it may be used as collateral.
  2. If the property used as collateral is real estate, such real estate shall be located in the Commonwealth. In addition, the property bail bondsman applicant shall submit to the Department:
    1. A true copy of the current real estate tax assessment thereof, certified by the appropriate assessing officer of the locality wherein such property is located or, at the option of the property bail bondsman, an appraisal of the fair market value of the real estate, which appraisal shall have been prepared by a licensed real estate appraiser, within one year of its submission.
    2. An affidavit by the property bail bondsman applicant that states, to the best of such person's knowledge, the amount of equity in the real estate and the amounts due under any obligations secured by liens or similar encumbrances against the real estate, including any delinquent taxes, as of the date of the submission. At its discretion, the Department may require additional documentation to verify these amounts.   This form can be accessed here.
  3. ​If the property used as collateral consists of cash or certificates of deposit, the property bail bondsman applicant shall submit to the Department verification of the amounts, and the names of the financial institution in which they are held.
I own the property that is used for my bail bonding business. Must each one of my agents obtain a property bail bondsman license?

Yes, each agent is defined as a property bail bondsman and must have a bail bondsman license in order to provide bail-bonding services in the Commonwealth.

When must the outstanding monthly bond report be submitted to the department?

The form must be submitted to the department by the 5th of the month. 

Can a bonding company submit one report per company, which includes all agents bonds?

No. Each licensed bail bondsman is required by statute to submit a monthly outstanding bond report. 

What if the Case numbers are not available when a perfecting a bond?

If you cannot locate a case number at the time of the reporting period, use the words "Unable to obtain" in the case number field. The next month you should be able to locate the case number by working with the clerks or on the Internet courtroom case information site. 

What if a different case number is assigned to each charge; therefore one defendant could have unlimited case numbers for one bond?

Consecutively you need to enter each case number on each row of the report. Put the bond amount on the top one. On the others in the bond amount column put the following words: "See case number #" (include the case number of the total amount). 

What if the courts have deferred a case and will drop the charges if the defendant meets stipulations?

The property bail bondsman must include the outstanding amount on every monthly report until the court releases the bond. 

What if the defendant is found guilty and the courts will not release the bond until the sentencing of the defendant?

The property bail bondsman must include the outstanding amount on every monthly report until the court releases the bond. 

What if the bail bondsman has perfected a bail piece and is waiting for the courts to release the bond?

The property bail bondsman must include the outstanding amount on every monthly report until the court releases the bond. 

What if the bail bondsman has a show cause hearing and knows that the defendant is back in jail?

The property bail bondsman must include the outstanding amount on every monthly report until the court releases the bond.