If you are arrested in Georgia for either a felony or misdemeanor, you are entitled to have a bond set or hearing to determine if a bond will be set. As the Defendant, you should be aware of the different options available to post bond in the State of Georgia.
1) Cash Bonds: You are able to pay your entire bond in cash. The entire bond will be returned to you once your case is concluded.
2) Property Bonds: You are able to hand over to the Sheriff your property that has equity into it that is twice as much as the total amount of the bond set. No money is required if you choose to hand over your property to post bond.
3) Bail Bondsman: Georgia statute sets the fees as to what the percentages are to pay on bonds to a bondsman. If your bond is up to $10,000.00, the fee can be up to 12% of the bond. If your bond is over $10,000.00, the fee can be up to 15%. No part of the percentage fee put down to post bond is refundable.
4) Own Recognizance: (rarely used) A person can sometimes be allowed to just sign their signature on a document in order to be released. However, this is very rarely used in most instances.