Bail Agent ($1,000) Bond - Statewide in California

Brief Summary

The $1,000 bail agent bond is a license bond, not the bail you write for defendants. It guarantees to the people of California that money collected by you, your licensed solicitors and your employees is properly applied and handled. The Department of Insurance will not issue the license until form LIC 437-9 is on file, and the bond has to stay on file without a gap for as long as you hold the license.

California Insurance Code section 1802(a) bars the Department of Insurance from issuing a bail agent license until a $1,000 bond is filed with the Commissioner. The bond must have an admitted surety insurer as surety, is filed on CDI form LIC 437-9, runs in favor of the people of the State of California, and covers the proper application and disposal of all money collected or received by the agent, the agent's licensed solicitors and the agent's employees. Bail licenses are issued for two-year terms.

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How to Apply for a Bail Agent ($1,000) Bond:

• Complete at least 20 hours of approved bail prelicensing classroom study.
• Pass the bail agent examination administered through PSI.
• Submit fingerprints, unless you already hold an active California insurance or bail license.
• Obtain the $1,000 Bond of Bail Agent on form LIC 437-9 from a California admitted surety.
• Submit the bond with your application and the $622 nonrefundable license fee.
• Have a surety insurer file a notice of appointment so you can write bail on its behalf.

Detailed Information About the California Bail Agent ($1,000) Bond:

The bond new agents confuse

A bail agent writes undertakings of bail on behalf of a surety insurer that has filed a notice of appointment for that agent under Insurance Code section 1802.1. Those undertakings are the insurer's obligations. The $1,000 bond on this page is something else. It is the agent's own license bond under section 1802(a), and it protects the people of California if money collected by the agent, the agent's licensed solicitors or the agent's employees is mishandled.

Amount and form

The amount is a flat $1,000 with no tiers. CDI requires the Bond of Bail Agent on form LIC 437-9, executed by a California admitted surety, with the license application.

Other bail licenses carry their own bonds. A bail permittee files a $5,000 bond under section 1802.5, and a bail solicitor files a separate $1,000 bond under section 1803. A bail fugitive recovery agent normally files a $1,000 bond plus liability insurance under section 1802(b), but section 1802(c) exempts bail agents who already have a current surety bond and liability insurance policy on file with the Commissioner.

Keeping it in force

Renewal requires at least one active appointment and one bond on file. If your bond becomes inactive, CDI gives you 30 days to file a new LIC 437-9 with an effective date on or before the date the old bond became inactive. There can be no gap in coverage. Only the surety company can cancel the bond. The licensee or an employer cannot.

License basics

Applicants complete at least 20 hours of approved prelicensing classroom study, pass the exam through PSI, and submit fingerprints unless they already hold an active California insurance or bail license. The initial license fee is $622 for a two-year term and is nonrefundable. Before each renewal the agent needs at least 12 hours of approved continuing education, and CDI does not permit late renewals.

Eligibility and Requirements for a California Bail Agent ($1,000) Bond:

• Flat $1,000 penal sum under Insurance Code section 1802(a).
• Surety must be an admitted surety insurer in California.
• Bond runs in favor of the people of the State of California.
• Bond must remain on file with no gap in coverage for the life of the license.
• At least 12 hours of approved continuing education before each renewal.

California Bail Agent ($1,000) Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the California Bail Agent ($1,000) Bond: