(a) Each person signing as surety an undertaking of bail must be:

Terms Used In Alabama Code 15-13-22

  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • property: includes both real and personal property. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) A resident of this state; and
(2) Worth, exclusive of property exempt from execution, the amount expressed in the undertaking;

but the court or magistrate, in taking bail, may allow more than two persons to justify severally as bail in amounts less than that expressed in the undertaking, provided the whole is equivalent to two sufficient bails.

(b) The court or magistrate in taking bail, in lieu of the foregoing, may allow a corporation, foreign or domestic, qualified to do a bonding business in this state and authorized to execute the undertaking of bail, to execute such bail.
(c) Every person engaged in the business of making bail bonds and charging therefor, except corporations qualified to do a bonding business in this state, shall be required, in addition to all other requirements of this section, to furnish a bond with corporate surety in the amount of $25,000.00 ($10,000.00 in Cullman County), to be approved by the probate judge of each county in which such person engages in such business, conditioned to guarantee the payment of all sums of money that may become due the state or any political subdivision thereof by virtue of any judgment absolute being rendered against such person on a forfeiture of bail.
(d) Only one such bond set forth in subsection (c) of this section shall be required in each county where such person does business, and the liability of the surety company executing a bond under this section shall not exceed the face amount of such surety bond; provided, however, that the bond may be cancelled as to any future liability at any time by the surety’s giving 30 days’ written notice of such cancellation to the probate judge of the county in which the bond is filed.
(e) When there is a reasonable doubt as to the sufficiency of the bail, they may be required by the court or magistrate to answer fully on oath as to their qualifications.
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