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Bail School
What is the Bail School?
If you are interested in becoming a Bail Bondsman or Fugitive Recovery Agent, you’ve come to the right place! The Bail Resource Center and Career Academy provides powerful, high-impact training programs and courses with the information and resources you need to become a successful Bail Bondsman or Recovery Agent.
Information on how to get started:
Want To Become A Bail Bondsman and/or Fugitive Recovery Agent (aka Bounty Hunter)?
Getting Started:
a) Know the laws governing surety bail agents and recovery agents in your state and the qualifications of a bail agent. In most states, bail agents are licensed by the Department of Insurance. In some states, the license required to write bail will be a property & casualty insurance license. Four states do not allow commercial bail: Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon and Wisconsin.
b) Know the licensing standards and education requirements of your state. Many states have state residency requirements and/or prohibit felons from becoming licensed bail agents.
c) Contact the agency governing bail agents and request a bail agent (or property & casualty) application forms and ask about other requirements such as fingerprinting, personal references, photographs, background checks, etc.
d) Talk with existing bail agents in your area to discover the pros and cons of the industry and determine if becoming a bail agent is right for you.
Becoming a Bail Bondsman in California:
Bail agents are licensed by the California Department of Insurance (CDI). You may contact CDI for an application kit by calling (800) 967-9331 or you may download the necessary forms by visiting the CDI web site at www.insurance.ca.gov. (Producer licensing/Forms section)
The forms you will need are as follows:
* Application for Bail License (431-1) (include 2 passport type photos)
* Bond of Bail Agent (437-9)
* Action Notice of Employing Bail Agent or Permittee (438)
* Bail Agent Action Notice (437-23)
* Forms Filing List (obtained from the Surety/General Agent)
California law requires that you complete a minimum 12-hour bail-prelicensing course by a CDI approved provider. Call the Bail Resource Center for a class schedule or visit our Courses page for a list of class dates and locations. Register for the class early. Some classes fill-up quickly and there is an extra charge for walk-ins.
You must include your certificate of completion with your application to CDI. You may apply to CDI and take the exam prior to obtaining an appointment, however, you must obtain an appointment by an admitted Surety Company, Permittee or General Agent prior to receiving your license. The Department of Insurance will review your application and assign you a test date.
Bail Agent (BA)
Source: http://www.insurance.ca.gov
Authorizing Act:California State Insurance code chapter 7, Part 2, Division 1.
A bail agent is a person permitted to solicit, negotiate, and effect undertakings of bail on behalf of any surety insurer.
Qualifications:
Minimum Age: 18 years
Prelicensing Experience/Education: Require a minimum of 12 hours of approved prelicensing classroom study in subjects pertinent to the duties and responsibilities of a bail licensee, including, but not limited to, all laws and regulations related thereto, rights of the accused, and ethics.
Continuing Education: Required annually a minimum of 6 hours of approved continuing education study prior to the renewal of his or her license.
Entity: Individual/Corporation.
Fugitive Recovery Agent – Penal Code 1299-1299.14 Expired Effective January 1, 2010
Authorizing Act: California Penal Code 1299-1299.14; “Fugitive Recovery Persons Act” (Note: Act expired effective January 1, 2010).
Qualifications: Minimum Age is 18 years of age; shall not have been convicted of a felony; must qualify as one of the following:
* A California bail agent (Insurance Code Section 1800-1810.7) with specified training;
* A Bail Fugitive Recovery Person (Penal Code Section 1299-1299.14) with specified training;
* A California licensed Private Investigator (Business & Professions Code Section 7500); or
* A Bail licensee or licensed Private Investigator from another state.
Specified Training Requirements:
1. 40-hour POST certified Power to Arrest course certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training pursuant to Penal Code section 832. POST certified PC-832 is generally offered at community colleges and law enforcement training facilities. Visit the POST website, www.post.ca.gov ; course catalog section for locations.
2. 12-hours of classroom education certified pursuant to Section 1810.7 of the Insurance Code. [This is the 12-hour bail pre-licensing course. Visit our the courses page on this website for dates and locations]
3. BSIS certified Power to Arrest: A course of training in the exercise of the Power to Arrest offered pursuant to Section 7583.7 of the Business and Professions Code. [This is the 8-hour Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) approved Power to Arrest course.]
Exceptions: If a bail agent was licensed prior to January 1, 2000 AND is apprehending his/her own or his/her employer’s defendants, the agent is not required to have the specified training. If acting as an independent contractor OR was licensed after January 1, 2000, the agent must complete the specified training requirements.
Important Notes:
A Fugitive Recovery Agent qualified with specified training requirements shall carry certificates of completion with him or her at all times in the course of performing his or her duties. [PC-1299.04(b)]. Any person who violates this act (1299-1299.14), or who conspires with another person to violate this act, or who hires an individual to apprehend a bail fugitive, knowing that the individual is not authorized by Penal Code Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or by both that imprisonment and fine [PC-1299.11].
An individual authorized by Penal Code Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not carry a firearm or other weapon unless in compliance with the laws of the state.