Common FAQs About Bail Bonds
What information should I know before I call a bail bonds office?
The bail bonds agent will need certain information in order to process your bond quickly. Try to gather as much of the information listed below as possible; it will certainly help speed the process:
- Know the jail or at least what city the person in custody is in. (If the defendant calls you from jail, be sure to ask exactly what jail they are in. Many large counties have a main jail but may have smaller jails for each of the suburbs around the city. If they don’t know the exact name of the jail, see if they can at least give you the name of the city.
- What is the exact name and book-in number of person in jail? The book-in number is helpful but we can generally get that information directly from the jail as long as we have the name of the jail and the name of the defendant.
- Do you already know the amount of the bond? It’s helpful for the agent, but most agents will need to call the jail anyway to get additional information, so you not knowing the bond amount isn’t a show stopper.
- Is there more than one charge? Often a defendant will have more than one charge. Bonds will need to be set for all of the charges in order for the defendant to be released on bail. For example: if a defendant has 3 charges but only has bonds set on 2 of the charges, posting bond for those 2 will not allow the defendant to be released because they will be continue to be held on the charge where no bond amount was set.
What should I bring to your office when I come in to purchase Dallas Bail Bonds?
You will need to bring these items:
- Valid state or military issued ID, or valid passport.
- Most recent pay stubs – if you have direct deposit you can bring in evidence of your pay deposits. Call us if you have questions.
- Proof of residency
- Funds or approved collateral to cover the cost or down payment of your bail bonds.
What if the person I bail out misses a court date?
If the defendant misses court, the court will issue a warrant for their arrest. Most of the time our office will be notified of the failure to appear. We can assist you in either getting the bond reinstated or we can also help you in surrendering the defendant back to custody so the co-signer is not responsible for the full amount of the bond.
What can be used for collateral?
Anything that has sufficient resale value to help cover the amount of the bond(s). This includes tools, electronics, jewelry, vehicles (auto & recreational, real estate and of course cash.
Most times if real estate is used, it will either have to have a clear title, or there needs to be sufficient equity to cover any related bonds.
In Texas a person’s primary residence can’t be used as collateral. Texas has homestead laws that only allow a person’s primary place of residence to be used as collateral for mortgages and taxes. If you are looking to use property as collateral, it will need to be a property that you are not living in, such as a rental property you own, or a vacant piece of land.
Also, you’ll want to be careful about using collateral to guarantee bonds. You’ll need to fully understand that if the defendant does not go to court, you will most likely lose the property unless you can come up with the required cash to cover the amount of bail and any court costs and forfeiture fees.
Do I need collateral?
Not always because every situation is different. Many times the co-signer is sufficient. But there are times when collateral may be needed, such as defendant having a high bond amount, or if the defendant has a history of not showing up for court.
Southern Bail Bonds will explain the process and let you know if collateral is needed.
How is bail amount determined?
Bail bond amounts are set by judges / magistrates. The county judge has the option to use a standard bail schedule that specifies the bail bonds amounts for the most common crimes, or the judge can make the determination of bail amount on a case-by-case basis. If bail is set, the defendant has the option to post the full bail bond amount or use a surety (a bail bonds agent) to post the bail bond.