§ 59-1320. Registration of license and fee - Proof of residency - List of bondsmen - County not having licensed bondsman - Filing of appointment - Number of bonds which may be written.

A.  No bail bondsman shall become a surety on an undertaking unless he has first registered his license in the office of the sheriff and with the clerk of the district court in the county in which the bondsman resides or offices, but not both.  In the county in which a bondsman registers his license, he shall provide the court clerk with proof that he is a resident of said county or that he offices in said county.  The court clerk of the county shall provide a list of bondsmen permitted to write bail in that county to the judges and law enforcement offices of that county.  The list shall consist of professional, property, cash and surety bail bondsmen.  Only surety bail bondsmen with a current surety appointment shall be on the list.  In any county not having a licensed bondsman authorized to do business within said county, the court having jurisdiction shall allow and fix bail.

A surety bondsman shall also file a certified copy of his appointment by power of attorney from the insurer which he represents as agent with each of said officers.  A fee of Twenty Dollars ($20.00) shall be paid to the district court clerk for each county in which the bail bondsman registers his license.  The fee shall be payable biennially by the date of license renewal.  The clerk of the district court and the sheriff shall not permit the registration of a bail bondsman unless such bondsman is currently licensed by the Insurance Commissioner under the provisions of Section 1301 et seq. of this title.

B.  Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, a bondsman may write bonds on no more than ten defendants per year in each of the remaining seventy-six counties of this state in which the bondsman cannot register his license.  Provided, however, a bondsman shall not be limited to writing bonds on only ten defendants per year in a county which does not have a licensed bondsman registered in said county.  The bondsman shall advise the court clerk of each such county in writing of his intention to write bonds in the county and shall file a certified copy of his license with and pay a fee of Ten Dollars ($10.00) to each such court clerk.

Added by Laws 1965, c. 184, § 20, eff. Jan. 1, 1966.  Amended by Laws 1984, c. 225, § 21, emerg. eff. May 23, 1984; Laws 1987, c. 211, § 18, eff. Nov. 1, 1987; Laws 1989, c. 257, § 9, eff. Nov. 1, 1989; Laws 1992, c. 98, § 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 2013, c. 150, § 8, eff. Nov. 1, 2013.