{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-431.510","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 431.510","heading":"Bail bondsman and charitable bail organization -- Prohibitions.","body":"(1) As used in this section:\n(a) 1. \"Bail bondsman\" means any person, partnership, or corporation engaged\nfor profit in the business of:\na. Furnishing bail, making bonds, or ente ring into undertakings, as\nsurety, for the appearance of persons charged with any criminal\noffense or violation of law or ordinance punishable by fine,\nimprisonment, or death, before any of the courts of this state; or\nb. Securing the payment of fines impo sed and of costs assessed by\nthose courts upon final disposition thereof.\n2. The business of a bail bondsman is limited to the acts, transactions, and\nundertakings described in this paragraph and to no other; and\n(b) \"Charitable bail organization\" means an  organization, including but not\nlimited to an organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal\nRevenue Code, that solicits or accepts donations from the public for the\npurpose of:\n1. Furnishing bail, making bonds, or entering into undertakings, as surety,\nwhether through direct payment or by payment through a third party, for\nthe appearance of persons charged with any criminal offense or violation\nof law or ordinance punishable by fine , imprisonment, or death before\nany of the courts of this state; or\n2. Securing the payment of fines imposed and of costs assessed by any of\nthe courts of this state upon final disposition thereof.\n(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of bail bondsman or to\notherwise for compensation or other consideration:\n(a) Furnish bail or funds or property to serve as bail; or\n(b) Make bonds or enter into undertakings as surety;\nfor the appearance of persons charged with any criminal offe nse or violation of law\nor ordinance punishable by fine, imprisonment, or death, before any of the courts of\nthis state, or to secure the payment of fines imposed and of costs assessed by such\ncourts upon a final disposition.\n(3) It shall be unlawful for any charitable bail organization to:\n(a) Furnish bail or funds or property to serve as bail in an amount of five\nthousand dollars ($5,000) or more; or\n(b) Make bonds or enter into undertakings as surety in an amount of five\nthousand dollars ($5,000) or more;\nfor the appearance of persons charged with any criminal offense or violation of law\nor ordinance punishable by fine or imprisonment before any of the courts of this\nstate, or to secure the payment of fines imposed and of costs assessed by those\ncourts upon a final disposition.\n(4) Notwithstanding subsection (3) of this section, it shall be unlawful for any\ncharitable bail organization to furnish bail or funds or property to serve as bail, or to\nmake bonds or enter into undertakings as surety, regardless of amount, for any\nperson:\n(a) Alleged to have committed an offense:\n1. Of domestic violence and abuse as defined in KRS 403.720;\n2. Of dating violence and abuse as defined in KRS 456.010; or\n3. That would classify the person as a violent offender under KR S\n439.3401;\n(b) Held under a civil court order or warrant issued under KRS 222.430 to\n222.437; or\n(c) Who has previously received bail or funds or property to serve as bail from a\ncharitable bail organization.\n(5) Any person who posts bail or bond on behal f of any organization under this section\nshall provide a photo identification.\n(6) A charitable bail organization shall maintain and annually report the following\ninformation to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint\nCommittee on Judiciary no later than October 31 of each year, and shall make\npublicly available on the organization's website, or by publishing in a newspaper of\ngeneral circulation that complies with the requirements of KRS 424.120 if the\norganization does not maintain a website:\n(a) The expenditures of the organization, including a separate reporting of the\namount furnished for bail, or funds or property to serve as bail; and\n(b) The number of individuals and classification of offenses for those individuals\nfor which any bail, or funds or property to serve as bail, has been provided.\n(7) Any bond posted by a charitable organization under this section that is ordered\nforfeited as a result of the commission of a new criminal offense shall be distributed\nto the victim of the new criminal offense, if a victim is identified.\n(8) Nothing contained in this section shall serve to release any bail bondsman\npreviously licensed by this state from the obligation of undischarged bail bond\nliability existing on June 19, 1976.\n(9) KRS 431.510 to 431.550 shall not be construed to limit or repeal KRS 431.021 or to\nprevent licensed insurers providing security required by Subtitle 39 of KRS Chapter\n304 and nonprofit associations from posting or causing to be posted by licensed\ninsurers security or acting as surety for their insureds or members for an offense\narising from the operation of a motor vehicle, provided that such posting of security\nor acting as surety is merely incidental to the terms and conditions of an insurance\ncontract or a membership agreement and provided further that no separate premium\nor charge therefor is required from the insureds or members.","path":["KRS Chapter 431"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55456","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:46Z","sha256":"c1a95bd1eed184c05600a29921921a418e7d801f220836031095213974bfc680","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-431.455","next":"us-ky/krs-431.515"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}