(1)  Any insurance company that is qualified to transact a surety business in Utah may contract to become surety for any guaranteed arrest bond certificates issued by it or by a motor club, by filing with the commissioner an undertaking to become surety. The undertaking shall be in a form prescribed by the commissioner and shall state the following:

Terms Used In Utah Code 31A-11-112

  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • 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.
  • Certificate: means evidence of insurance given to:
(a) an insured under a group insurance policy; or
(b) a third party. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Filing: when used as a noun, means an item required to be filed with the department including:
    (a) a policy;
    (b) a rate;
    (c) a form;
    (d) a document;
    (e) a plan;
    (f) a manual;
    (g) an application;
    (h) a report;
    (i) a certificate;
    (j) an endorsement;
    (k) an actuarial certification;
    (l) a licensee annual statement;
    (m) a licensee renewal application;
    (n) an advertisement;
    (o) a binder; or
    (p) an outline of coverage. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Form: means one of the following prepared for general use:
    (i) a policy;
    (ii) a certificate;
    (iii) an application;
    (iv) an outline of coverage; or
    (v) an endorsement. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Insurance: includes :
    (i) a risk distributing arrangement providing for compensation or replacement for damages or loss through the provision of a service or a benefit in kind;
    (ii) a contract of guaranty or suretyship entered into by the guarantor or surety as a business and not as merely incidental to a business transaction; and
    (iii) a plan in which the risk does not rest upon the person who makes an arrangement, but with a class of persons who have agreed to share the risk. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Motor club: means a person:
    (a) licensed under:
    (i) Chapter 5, Domestic Stock and Mutual Insurance Corporations;
    (ii) Chapter 11, Motor Clubs; or
    (iii) Chapter 14, Foreign Insurers; and
    (b) that promises for an advance consideration to provide for a stated period of time one or more:
    (i) legal services under Subsection 31A-11-102(1)(b);
    (ii) bail services under Subsection 31A-11-102(1)(c); or
    (iii) 
    (A) trip reimbursement;
    (B) towing services;
    (C) emergency road services;
    (D) stolen automobile services;
    (E) a combination of the services listed in Subsections (126)(b)(iii)(A) through (D); or
    (F) other services given in Subsections 31A-11-102(1)(b) through (f). See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: includes :
    (a) an individual;
    (b) a partnership;
    (c) a corporation;
    (d) an incorporated or unincorporated association;
    (e) a joint stock company;
    (f) a trust;
    (g) a limited liability company;
    (h) a reciprocal;
    (i) a syndicate; or
    (j) another similar entity or combination of entities acting in concert. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • (a)  The name and address of the motor club or clubs issuing the guaranteed arrest bond certificates on which the company will be surety, and whether the motor club will issue the certificates itself.

    (b)  The unqualified obligation of the company to be surety to pay, up to a specified dollar amount, the fine or forfeiture of any person who fails to make an appearance to answer the charges for which the guaranteed arrest bond certificate is posted.
  • (2)  Any guaranteed arrest bond certificate under Subsection (1), when posted by the signatory, shall be accepted in lieu of cash bail or other bond in an amount not exceeding the dollar amount specified under Subsection (1)(b), to guarantee the appearance of the person when required by any court in Utah when the person is arrested for violation of any Utah motor vehicle law, or any motor vehicle ordinance of any Utah municipality, except for driving under the influence of drugs or intoxicating liquors or for any felony. A law enforcement officer who issues a citation to an operator of a vehicle who has a valid guaranteed arrest bond certificate in his possession shall obtain the necessary information for the arrest citation, and if the guaranteed arrest bond certificate covers the fine for the violation, the officer shall release the vehicle and operator after serving the citation and receiving the guaranteed arrest bond from the operator. The officer shall deliver the guaranteed arrest bond to the appropriate court to be held as a bail bond.

    (3)  A guaranteed arrest bond certificate posted as a bail bond in a district court is subject to the forfeiture and enforcement provisions which govern bail bonds in criminal cases. A guaranteed arrest bond certificate posted as a bail bond in a justice court is subject to the forfeiture and enforcement provisions of the charter or ordinance of the particular municipality which pertains to bail bonds.

    (4)  A motor club may not agree to exonerate or indemnify an authorized surety issuing guaranteed arrest bonds under Subsection (1) for losses in connection with these bonds.

    Amended by Chapter 10, 1997 General Session
    Amended by Chapter 215, 1997 General Session