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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>83658</law_id><section_number>19.2-149</section_number><catch_line>How surety on a bond in recognizance may surrender principal and be discharged from liability; deposit for surrender of principal</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="9">Bail and Recognizances</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Recognizances</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> A <span class="dictionary">bail</span> bondsman or his licensed <span class="dictionary">bail</span> enforcement agent on a <span class="dictionary">bond</span> in a <span class="dictionary">recognizance</span> may at any time <span class="dictionary">arrest</span> his principal and surrender him to the <span class="dictionary">court</span> before which the <span class="dictionary">recognizance</span> was taken or before which such principal&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> is required, or to the sheriff, sergeant or jailer of the county or city wherein the <span class="dictionary">court</span> before which such principal&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> is required is located; in addition to the above authority, upon the application of the <span class="dictionary">surety</span>, the <span class="dictionary">court</span>, or the clerk thereof, before which the <span class="dictionary">recognizance</span> was taken, or before which such principal&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> is required, or any <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span> shall <span class="dictionary">issue</span> a <span class="dictionary">capias</span> for the <span class="dictionary">arrest</span> of such principal, and such <span class="dictionary">capias</span> may be executed by such <span class="dictionary">bail</span> bondsman or his licensed <span class="dictionary">bail</span> enforcement agent, or by any sheriff, sergeant or police officer, and the <span class="dictionary">person</span> executing such <span class="dictionary">capias</span> shall deliver such principal and such <span class="dictionary">capias</span> to the sheriff or jailer of the county or the sheriff, sergeant or jailer of the city in which the <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> of such principal is required, and thereupon the <span class="dictionary">surety</span> or the property <span class="dictionary">bail</span> bondsman shall be discharged from liability for any act of the principal subsequent thereto. Upon application of the <span class="dictionary">surety</span> for a <span class="dictionary">capias</span>, the <span class="dictionary">surety</span> shall state the basis for which the <span class="dictionary">capias</span> is being requested. Such sheriff, sergeant or jailer shall thereafter deliver such <span class="dictionary">capias</span> to the clerk of such <span class="dictionary">court</span>, with his endorsement thereon acknowledging delivery of such principal to his <span class="dictionary">custody</span>.
			If a <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span> <span class="dictionary">issues</span> a <span class="dictionary">capias</span> pursuant to this section, the <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span> shall transmit a copy of the <span class="dictionary">capias</span> to the <span class="dictionary">court</span> before which such principal&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">appearance</span> is required by the close of business on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or day on which the <span class="dictionary">court</span> is lawfully closed. <a id="paragraph-299849" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-149/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> If a <span class="dictionary">bail</span> bondsman on a <span class="dictionary">bond</span> in a <span class="dictionary">recognizance</span> surrenders his principal for any reason other than the principal&#x2019;s failure to appear in any <span class="dictionary">court</span>, the bondsman shall deposit with the clerk or <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span> the greater of 10 percent of the amount of the <span class="dictionary">bond</span> or $50, which shall be made at such time the bondsman makes application for a <span class="dictionary">capias</span>. The bondsman shall <span class="dictionary">petition</span> the <span class="dictionary">court</span> within 15 days from the surrender of the principal to show cause, if any can be shown, why the bondsman is entitled to the amount deposited. If the <span class="dictionary">court</span> finds that there was sufficient cause to surrender the principal, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall return the deposited funds to the bondsman. If the <span class="dictionary">court</span> finds that the surrender of the principal by the bondsman was unreasonable, the deposited funds shall be returned to the payer. Remission of funds shall not be issued by the <span class="dictionary">court</span> until the sixteenth day after the <span class="dictionary">finding</span>. If the bondsman does not <span class="dictionary">petition</span> the <span class="dictionary">court</span> for the return of the deposited funds within 15 days from the surrender of the principal, the deposited funds shall be paid into the state treasury to be credited to the Literary Fund. Nothing in this subsection shall apply to a private citizen who posted cash or real estate to secure the release of a <span class="dictionary">defendant</span>. <a id="paragraph-299850" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-149/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 19.1-144; 1960, c. 366; 1975, c. 495; 1991, c. 581; 2004, c. 460; 2015, c. 622; 2019, cc. 176, 205; 2020, cc. 20, 531.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
