Primer on Park City Bail Bond Types Available

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Primer on Park City Bail Bond Types Available

bail bond types available

For anyone who has been arrested and is looking to secure their release via a bail bond (or for their friends or family assisting them), it’s important to realize that there is more than one type of bail bond out there. Which is used will depend on a few different factors, from the type of arrest to the funds available to the person arrested.

At Beehive Bail Bonds, we’re happy to offer 24/7 bail bonds to clients in Park City and many other parts of Utah, and we’ll walk any client through their bond options during initial conversation. What are the various types of bonds out there that might allow for the secured release of someone who was jailed, and which will be right for you or someone you’re assisting with this process? Here’s a primer.

Surety Bonds

The surety bond is likely the most common type of bail bond used, and is the one most people are broadly familiar with. It involves a bail bond agency like ours paying the entire bail amount that’s been set for the defendant on the condition that they will appear in court at any and all future hearings. If they do not, we must pay the bail amount ourselves.

In return, the defendant will pay a fee up-front to the bail bond agency to cover this cost. The fee is usually 10% of the bail set by the court, which means that if someone has a $10,000 bail on their head and they decided to use a bond service like ours, they’d be expected to hand over $1,000 up-front. We would then handle all other payments involved in securing their release.

Typically, the process of a surety bond will go something like this:

  • The arrest takes place
  • A bail amount is set by the judge
  • The person arrested, or a friend or family member, contacts our bail bond agents
  • The initial 10% payment is handed over, and we start work on getting the defendant released
  • When the defendant is released after bail has been paid, they will be required to return for all scheduled court dates. If this does not happen, they will be considered to be skipping bail, and an immediate warrant will be issued for their arrest

Property Bonds

Another type of bond that may be used to help secure the release of someone who has been jailed is the property bond. As the name indicates, these bonds involve the posting of some kind of property which can be seized and sold off by authorities if the defendant fails to show up for their future court dates.

As with the surety bond, this type of bond is posted at the time that bail is first set. If it’s not paid right away, then the defendant will sit in jail until they can post it.

To be clear, property bonds are not legal in every state. There are some where they are expressly forbidden, while others prohibit their use for misdemeanor charges while allowing them for felony charges. The state of Utah generally allows property bonds; we can inform you of any specific restrictions that might be present in your case.

The biggest difference between surety and property bonds: The amount of time it takes to arrange them. A surety bond can typically be arranged within just a few hours of a person reaching out to us, while a property bond might take a few more hours — or possibly a day or two in certain circumstances.

Immigration Bail Bonds

Exclusively meant for people who are not citizens of the United States at the time of their arrest, immigration bail bonds are a special category of bond that allow non-citizens to be released from jail while still ensuring their appearance in court. These bonds work in many of the same ways as standard surety bonds, only that they’re applicable to non-citizens instead of others.

Because there are plenty of international laws that must be considered here, however, this can be an arduous process in many cases. There may be a few different forms to complete, and there may be requirements for identifying information that’s typically not required.

Federal Bail Bonds

Another simple variation of standard bail bonds is the federal bail bond, which applies specifically to cases being tried at the federal level. This type of bond covers federal crimes, and may be a bit more complex than others.

Other Types of Jail Release

There are also certain cases where no bond at all will be required to secure release from jail, though they’re rarer. They include:

  • Cash on-hand: If the defendant has enough money to cover the amount of their bail themselves, then they may be released from jail without having to use a bond. However, they will still be on the hook for the bail amount they pay if they fail to show up for court.
  • Recognizance release: In some cases, especially if the arrest was minor and/or was the first offense, a judge may choose to release the defendant without bail. However, this will typically be considered a promise that they’ll show up for future court dates.
  • Citation release: In other cases, the simple payment of a citation will be all that’s required for release from jail. This kind of release will not require the person to show up for future court dates, but they’ll still have a criminal record as a result of their arrest.

For more on the different kinds of bail bonds out there and other release formats possible from jail, or to learn about any of our 24/7 bail bond services in Park City or other parts of Utah, speak to the team at Beehive Bail Bonds today.