How Bail Bonds Work in Ohio

When and How Bail Bonds Work in Ohio

To understand how bail bonds work in Ohio, as an indemnitor (cosignor) you should really start at the beginning of the Ohio bail bonds process. If you or someone you know should become arrested for a crime in Ohio, the police or sheriffs deputy will take you to the nearest police station or county jail for the booking procedure. During this booking process, which may last from one to three hours depending on a number of factors, you will have your photo and fingerprints taken and will eventually appear before a judge at the end of the process.

It’s at this point, the judge will set the trial date and the amount of bail needed to be freed from jail until the trial begins. After the bail is set, you will have three choices on how you’ll be released from jail under Ohio law:
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• Stay in jail until the trial begins which may take weeks or months
• Pay the full amount of the bond to the court
• Hire a bail bonds Ohio agent

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Since waiting in jail for months can be quite difficult and paying the full amount is impractical for most people, the bail bonds Ohio agent is the one that most people turn to when they want to get out of jail until their court date arrives.

The Bail Bonds System in Ohio

At this point, co-signors of bail bonds in Ohio need to know that it all starts once the court date and the bail has been set. At that point, the defendant can call their local bail bonds agent who will charge a pre-set, non-refundable fee for their services. The bail bonds agent then takes responsibility from the court to ensure that the defendant will arrive for their court date.

However, if the defendant should not arrive for their court date, the bail bond agent, and the indemnitor, will be liable for the full amount of the bail to the court until the defendant does appear. In such cases, the agent may hire a bounty hunter who then finds and brings the defendant to the court in return for the release of the bail money.

Charges & Fees of Ohio Bail Bonds

In Ohio, the bail bonds agent cannot charge more that 10% of the total amount of the bail. However, if the defendant needs a loan in order to pay the 10%, then the bail bonds agent does have some leeway in terms of the fees, charges and interest amount that is applied to the bail bond loan.
In most cases, the bail bonds agent will use some type of collateral as part of getting the loan such as a vehicle or property. Credit rating and other forms of collateral may also be part of the lending process.

Here, the agent can make more money on the loan, but again they are restricted to a certain degree by the state rules and regulations for their lending practices.

To know how bail bonds work in Ohio, indemnitors must be prepared to go over all the procedures and vet the agents before making any commitment. In this manner, they can get the best deal possible when trying to post bail.

To understand better how bail bonds work in Ohio when they are dealing with any bail bonds agent, bounty hunter or surety company, an indemnitor/cosignor can consult with the Ohio Department of Insurance which provides licensing and oversight for all bail agents & surety companies.