7 Steps to become a South Carolina Bail Bondsman/runner

Step 1
In order to become a licensed South Carolina bail bondsman/runner an individual must meet the SC state mandated requirements.

• Resident of the state of South Carolina
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Must be of good moral character
• May not have been convicted of a Felony or charge of moral turpitude in the previous 10 years

Step 2
If a prospective South Carolina bail bondsman/runner meets the preceding requirements they may enroll in one of the state mandated 30hr pre-licensing bail bondsman/runner class. Upon the completion of the course the instructor will provide the student a certificate of completion.

Step 3
Enroll in the South Carolina required series 19-16 pre-licensing examination offered by PSI. The test will cost $45. This examination will consist of 60 questions, and must be completed in 65 minutes.

Step 4
Complete the bail bondsman/runner application provided by the South Carolina Department of Insurance.

• Application may be found through SCDOI online services. 
• Pay a $400 license fee for a professional bondsman license application, and $200 for a runners license application
• Submit a recent passport sized photograph
• Submit proof of completion of a 30hr pre-licensing course.
• Submit original score from the required PSI examination; this score expires 12 months after the date taken
• Register for fingerprinting 
• Submit proof of net worth
• *If applying for a runners license an appointment of runner BB1102 form must also be submitted.  
• *If applying for a surety bail bondsman license the applicant must also take and pass the series 19-08 examination provided by PSI. This examination is 50 questions with a 1hr time limit. There is no longer any additional education requirement for surety bondsman; they must only take the mandatory 30hr pre-licensing requirement for all South Carolina bail bondsman/runners.

Step 5
Congratulations, wait for your application to be processed by the South Carolina Department of Insurance! The SCDOI will mail the application approval or denial to the mailing address provided via application.

Step 6
Upon receiving an approved license from the SCDOI an individual is deemed a licensed bail bondsman. The certified license must now be clocked in each county the bail bondsman wishes to conduct business. A $150 filing fee will be assessed in the home county to clock a certified license, and any other county the bondsman wishes to conduct business will assess a $100 filing fee to clock a certified license. A professional bondsman must place cash security with the home county clerk of court not to be less than $10,000. This cash deposit will allow a professional bondsman to post any one bond up to $5,000, and a total of all bonds (total liability allowable) of $40,000. A surety bondsman will present the clerk of court a power of attorney provided by the license holders insurance company. This power of attorney allows a surety bondsman to conduct business in behalf of the insurer up to the amount specified.  

Step 7
Now that you are a licensed bail bondsman in South Carolina you must keep your license in good standing. South Carolina has required 6 hours of continuing education to be completed annually in the past; however, this has been changed to 8 hours annually through recent legislation. All bail bondsman licenses expire June 30 of the given year. Therefore, 8 hours of continuing education must be completed prior to June 30 annually, and proof of completion submitted to the SCDOI. The South Carolina Bail Agents Association hosts multiple continuing education classes throughout the year. In addition to continuing education all bail bondsman must provide fingerprints annually by registering at.
 
*Note these steps are necessary only to become a bondsman/runner in South Carolina, These steps are to be used for reference only, SC legislation is ever-changing, and it is best to verify proper state procedure through the states governing body.   

4 Types of Bail Bondsman​ in South Carolina

A South Carolina bail bondsman is a designated agent licensed by the South Carolina Department of Insurance whom pledges consideration to the state of South Carolina in order to ensure the successful completion of a criminal defendants appearance to all court dates required by the court of competent jurisdiction pending the resolution of a criminal accusation. The state of South Carolina designates four types of bail bondsman as outlined in Chapter 38 Subsection 53 of the South Carolina Code of Laws. These types of bondsman will be listed as follows:

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” (1, 38-53-10, SC code of laws).
2. 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” (9, 38-53-10, SC code of laws).
3. 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” (12, 38-53-10, SC code of laws).
4. 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” (10, 38-53-10, SC code of laws).

The four types of bail bondsman listed are recognized as qualified bondsman in the state of South Carolina. A simple explanation of the four types of bail bondsman as found in the state of South Carolina can be acquired from the subsequent explanations. An accommodation bondsman is any person whom pledges a bail bond out of love and affection for those accused. An example of this type of bondsman is a parent who pledges a full cash bail bond for one of their children. Professional bail bondsman pledge their own resources (cash, property, etc...) to the state of South Carolina in order to conduct business. A surety bondsman, the most common type of bondsman in South Carolina, conducts business in behalf of an insurance company. A South Carolina runner must be licensed underneath a professional bondsman or surety bondsman who will assume all liability for the actions of the runner.