1.3 Renewal & Continuing Education

Keeping the License Active

A Mississippi bail agent license is not a one-time credential — it runs on a fixed cycle and carries a continuing-education (CE) duty that, if missed, can force an agent to start the whole licensing process over.

License Period and Expiration

Under Section 83-39-3(4), each license expires biennially on the last day of September of each odd-numbered year (for example, September 30, 2027), unless revoked or suspended sooner. The cycle is statewide rather than tied to a personal anniversary, so the renewal deadline is easy to memorize and a common exam fact. A license can also terminate early if an insurer withdraws a limited surety agent's authority, or if a professional agent terminates a soliciting or bail enforcement agent.

Continuing Education Requirements

Section 83-39-3(8) structures CE around the two-year cycle:

The first-year grace recognizes that a brand-new agent just completed 40 hours of prelicensing education, so no immediate CE is layered on top. The exam likes to pair these numbers — 40 hours prelicensing versus 8 hours annual CE / 16 per period — so keep them straight. All CE hours must be approved by the MID.

The Age-65 / 20-Year CE Exemption

CE is not required for renewal for an applicant who is 65 years of age and has been licensed as a bail agent for a continuous period of 20 years immediately preceding the application. The agent claims the exemption by submitting an affidavit, under oath, on a form prescribed by the department, attesting to the age, licensing, and experience requirements. Both prongs must be satisfied — age 65 AND 20 continuous years — so meeting only one is not enough.

Consequences of a Lapse

Here Mississippi is unusually strict. Under Section 83-39-3(8)(b), if an applicant for renewal failed to obtain the required 8 hours for each year of the license period during the actual license year in which the education was due, the applicant is not eligible for a renewal license. Instead, the agent must:

• Apply for an original (new) license, and
• Satisfy the full education requirements again under subsection (7), including the 40-hour prelicensing course (and the limited exam, if applicable).

In other words, missing CE in the year it was owed cannot be cured later by doubling up — the renewal door closes and the agent restarts as a new applicant. The statute even waives the usual hearing requirement of Section 83-39-17 when the Commissioner denies a renewal on this ground, so the denial is essentially automatic.

Relicensing Within 90 Days

There is a separate, narrower relief valve. A soliciting or bail enforcement agent who is terminated by, or leaves, a professional agent may be relicensed without redoing prelicensing/exam if they held a license in that category within 90 days of the new application, meet the other Section 83-39-5 requirements, and notify the prior professional agent in writing. This 90-day path addresses agents switching employers — it does not rescue an agent who blew the CE deadline.

Fees Tied to the Bonds You Write

Although Chapter 39 leaves the license application/renewal fee amount to the department (deposited to the State General Fund since July 1, 2016), the statute fixes the per-bond fees that flow through the courts under Section 83-39-31, and agents should know them:

These fees are collected by the clerk of court, not retained by the agent. A practical exam point: if the defendant is found not guilty, the charges are dismissed, a nolle prosequi is entered, the case is retired to the file, or a conviction is reversed on appeal, those fees are not imposed (or are refunded). On a $10,000 surety bond, the court fee is 2% = $200 (greater than the $20 floor), plus the $10 domestic-violence assessment.

Putting the Calendar Together

A worked timeline helps lock in the cycle:

• Year 0 — complete 40-hour prelicensing, pass the limited exam, submit fingerprints/fee, get licensed.
• Year 1 (first licensure year) — no CE required.
• Year 2 — earn 8 CE hours.
• By September 30 of the odd year — renew, having completed 16 CE hours across the period (8 per applicable year).
• Miss the CE in the year it was due — renewal is barred; start over with an original license.

The Electronic Bondsmen Registry (Section 83-39-3(11)) also requires each agent and bond-writing insurer to register and maintain a record of every license, power of appointment, and power of attorney; noncompliance carries the penalties of Section 83-39-29. Renewal therefore depends not only on CE but on keeping registry entries current.