6.3 Expiration, Effects of Suspension and Revocation, and Nonrenewal

The last three outline items in Category VI are D. Expiration (114CSR103-4 and 3.6), E. Revocation and suspension (114CSR103-11) and F. Nonrenewal (114CSR103-11). This section pulls together what happens after a license stops being active, a topic spread across several parts of the rule.

D. Expiration

• A license authorizes the holder to act until it expires, is suspended or is revoked (3.7).
• Licenses expire biennially on the last day of the birth month unless renewed (4.1; section 3.1).
• On expiration (or revocation or other termination), the bondsman must return the picture ID card within 10 working days (3.6).
• Writing bonds after expiration is engaging in the bonding business without a license, which 114CSR103-3.1 and §51-10-8(i) forbid. Violating Article 10 is punishable under §51-10-9.

Reinstatement after a lapse. A person licensed before July 1, 2024 whose license expired in good standing may reapply within one year of expiration without retaking the exam, provided he or she was not under investigation when it expired (3.10.1). Otherwise the applicant must pass the bail bond exam like any new applicant.

E. Revocation and suspension

How they happen

What follows

1. Outstanding bonds remain the bondsman's responsibility. If a bondsman's authority to post bonds is suspended or revoked for any reason, the bondsman remains responsible for all bonds outstanding at that time (11.2). For a professional bondsman, the deposit stays with the Commissioner as a reserve and may be used if forfeiture judgments go unpaid after notice. It may also be used where the license has been revoked (8.8).
2. Both licenses fall together. Holding professional and surety licenses together counts as one license for suspension or revocation (3.9).
3. Civil penalty. Up to $100 per occurrence may be added (11.3).
4. Courts and jails are told. In the bankruptcy case, the Commissioner notifies all detention facilities and courts within five working days (12). The Commissioner also keeps the list of licensed bondsmen it gives to places of detention (§51-10-8(h)).
5. Return the ID card within 10 working days (3.6).
6. Re-testing. A bondsman whose license was suspended or revoked for violating the rule must pass the competency test again before relicensure (3.10.2).
7. Criminal disqualification. If a court convicts the bondsman under §51-10-9, the judge may disqualify him or her from the bonding business for a period the judge sets.

F. Nonrenewal

Retained jurisdiction: 11.4

The Commissioner retains jurisdiction over any person who cancels the license or lets it expire or lapse, if the person allegedly violated the rule while licensed. A bondsman cannot escape an investigation by surrendering the license the day before a hearing.

Putting it together: a case study

A professional bondsman with $180,000 of outstanding bonds is convicted of felony embezzlement in March 2026. The Commissioner shall revoke the license (3.12). After revocation:

• he must return his ID card within 10 working days;
• he remains responsible for the $180,000 of outstanding bonds (11.2);
• his deposit (at least $18,000, one-tenth of liability) is held by the Commissioner as a reserve for sums due on forfeiture, and 8.8 allows its use once a professional license is revoked;
• if he had a surety license too, it falls with the professional license (3.9);
• he could never be relicensed while the felony bar applies (3.12). Even apart from the felony, a rule-based revocation would require a new exam (3.10.2).

Exam traps

• Suspension or revocation does not cancel outstanding bonds. The bondsman stays responsible (11.2).
• Letting a license lapse does not end an investigation (11.4).
• Exam waived within one year only for pre-July 1, 2024 licensees who lapsed in good standing and were not under investigation.
• "Shall" versus "may" at renewal: felony = shall; uncured deficiency = may.