How Bail Bonds Work in Utah

Loved One In Jail And Don’t Know How Bail Bonds Work in Utah?

Understanding how bail bonds work in Utah, those who have been arrested and those who are searching for how bail works will first have to understand the process in which a person becomes eligible for bail.

When a person is arrested for a crime, they are taken to the nearest police station and undergo the booking process which can last from one to three hours depending on a number of factors.
At the end of the booking process is a judge who will read the charges, choose the trial date and then set the amount for bail. At this point, the defendant has one of three choices to make;

1. Stay in jail until the first trial date to try and lower your bond amount
2. Pay the full amount of the bail to the court which most people can’t do
3. Hire a licensed Utah bail bonds agent

Since court dates can be several weeks, if not months; and most hard working people do not have the full amount of bail to pay the Utah courts, the bail bonds agent has become the most viable alternative for most families.

How Does The Bail Bonds System in Utah Work?

The bail bonds Utah agent will take a set percentage of the bail from the defendant which is non-refundable. Even if the defendant was falsely arrested, the fee cannot be refunded. At this point, the bail bonds agent signs an agreement with the court that promises the defendant will be there at the appointed court date for their trial.

However, if they defendant does not show up for their court date the agent will owe the court the full amount of the bail. At this point, the agent may hire a bounty hunter who will find and bring the defendant to court which will in turn restore the money to the bail bond agent.

Utah Bail Bonds Charges & Fees

Here, Utah is different than most states when it comes to the amount that a bail bonds agent can charge. An agent can charge no less than 10% and no more than 20% of the total amount of the bail that was set. This gives the bail bond agent a considerable amount of latitude when it comes to what they can charge, however this does not mean that an agent is required to lower their price in providing bail services.

For agents who loan their clients money, there is some leeway in terms of what the bail bonds agent can charge in terms of fees and interest rates as long as it complies with the standards set by the state. In the case of a loan, the bail bonds agent can conceivably make additional money in this regard. In many cases, the agent will take as collateral a vehicle or property that is worth as much, if not more than the non-refundable fee so that the defendant can make bail and pay off the loan on a pre-set schedule.

Need more information on how bail bonds work in Utah? Visit the website of the Utah Insurance Department that oversees bail bond agents. They can provide additional information about how the Utah bail system works and how bail bond agents are licensed by the state.