As used in this chapter:

(1) "Accommodation bondsman" means a person who has reached the age of eighteen years, is a resident of this State, who, aside from love and affection and release of the person concerned, receives no consideration for action as surety, and who endorses the bail bond after providing satisfactory evidence of ownership, value, and marketability of real property to the extent necessary to reasonably satisfy the official taking bond that the real or personal property will in all respects be sufficient to assure that the full principal sum of the bond will be realized in the event of breach of the conditions of the bond. "Consideration" as used in this item does not include the legal rights of a surety against a defendant by reason of breach of the conditions of a bail bond nor does it include collateral furnished to and securing the surety so long as the value of the surety's rights in the collateral does not exceed the defendant's liability to the surety by reason of a breach in the conditions of the bail bond.

(2) "Bail bond" means an undertaking by the defendant to appear in court as required upon penalty of forfeiting bail to the State in a stated amount and may include an unsecured appearance bond, a premium-secured appearance bond, an appearance bond secured by a cash deposit of the full amount of the bond, an appearance bond secured by a mortgage, and an appearance bond secured by at least one surety.

(3) "Bail bondsman" means a surety bondsman, professional bondsman, or an accommodation bondsman as defined in this chapter.

(4) "Clerk of court", unless otherwise specified, means the clerk of the circuit court of the county in the state where the bondsman is currently writing or obligated on the majority of those bail bonds which he has written or on which he is obligated.

(5) "Court", unless otherwise specified, means circuit, magistrate's, or municipal court.

(6) "Insurer" means any domestic, foreign, or alien surety company which has qualified generally to transact surety business and specifically to transact bail bond business in this State.

(7) "Obligor" means a principal or a surety on a bail bond.

(8) "Principal" means a defendant or witness obligated to appear in court as required upon penalty of forfeiting bail under a bail bond.

(9) "Professional bondsman" means any person who is approved and licensed under the provisions of this chapter and who pledges cash or approved securities with the clerk of court as security for bail bonds written in connection with a judicial proceeding and receives or is promised money or other things of value for the pledge.

(10) "Runner" means a person employed by a bail bondsman for the purpose of assisting the bail bondsman in presenting the defendant in court when required, assisting in the apprehension and surrender of the defendant to the court, keeping the defendant under necessary surveillance, and executing bonds on behalf of the licensed bondsman when the power of attorney has been recorded. "Runner" does not include an attorney or a law enforcement officer assisting a bondsman.

(11) "Surety" means one who, with the defendant, is liable for the amount of the bail bond upon forfeiture of bail.

(12) "Surety bondsman" means any person who is approved by and licensed by the director or his designee as an insurance agent, appointed by an insurer by power of attorney to execute or countersign bail bonds for the insurer in connection with judicial proceedings, and receives or is promised money or other things of value for the execution or countersignature.

(13) "Appropriate judge" means a magistrate, municipal, or circuit court judge who has jurisdiction over the defendant.

(14) "Good cause" means the violation of a specific term of the bail bond not to include the nonpayment of fees.

HISTORY: Former 1976 Code Section 38-53-10 [1975 (59) 127] has no comparable provisions in 1987 Act No. 155; Former 1976 Code Section 38-63-10 [1985 Act No. 189, Section 1] recodified as Section 38-53-10 by 1987 Act No. 155, Section 1; 1989 Act No. 179, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 686; 1998 Act No. 425, Section 2; 1999 Act No. 127, Section 1.