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You Are Entitled to a Bail Bond or a Hearing
If you are arrested for a
felony or
misdemeanor
in Georgia, you are entitled either to
a bond or a hearing to determine if bond will be set. If bond is
set, you usually can post it in one of three ways.
Three
Ways to Post Bail Bond
Cash Bond
First, you can post cash in the full amount of bond. For large
bonds, coming up with that much money can be quite difficult. The
advantage is that all money is returned once your case is over.
Property Bond
Second, you can post a property bond. You will have to check with
the County Sheriff to find out what he wants you to do. Generally
the equity in the property must be twice the amount of the bond. The
obvious advantage is that no money is required.
Bail Bondsman
(Surety)
Third, and most popular, is paying a bail bondsman (also called a
surety) to go on your bond. Bondsmen charge a fee to sign onto your
bond. This fee is set by statute. For bonds up to $10,000 the
bondsman can charge you up to 12% of the bond amount. For bail bonds
in excess of $10,000 you can be charged up to 15%. This fee is not
refundable.
If you hire a bail bondsman, and if you are not local, the bondsman
might have you pay collateral in excess of the fee. This collateral
will be returned to you once your case is over.
Own
Recognizance
Sometimes a
judge will set an Own Recognizance (OR) bond. This means you just
have to sign your signature. No property or case is needed. This
type of bond is rarely granted.
More Detailed Bail Bond Information
If you need more detailed information on Georgia bail bonds, click
on the following links for material I prepared for a lecture to new
lawyers. It contains some legalese, but should answer any questions
you might have:
Quick Link
to our online questionnaire.
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