No professional or surety bondsman may become a surety on an undertaking unless he has registered his current license in the office of the clerk of the circuit court in the county in which he resides and registered a certified copy of the license with the clerk of the circuit court in any other county in which he writes bail bonds.

A surety bondsman shall also annually register a certified copy of his current power of appointment with the clerk of the circuit court where he resides and in any other county where he writes bail bonds on behalf of an insurer.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 38-53-260

  • Appointment: means an individual designated by an official or authorized representative of an authorized insurer to act on its behalf as a producer. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • 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.
  • Insurer: means any domestic, foreign, or alien surety company which has qualified generally to transact surety business and specifically to transact bail bond business in this State. See South Carolina Code 38-53-10
  • License: means a document issued by the state's director or his designee authorizing a person to act as an insurance producer for the lines of authority specified in the document. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Surety: means one who, with the defendant, is liable for the amount of the bail bond upon forfeiture of bail. See South Carolina Code 38-53-10
  • 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. See South Carolina Code 38-53-10
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