BAIL BONDS FAQs

If you’ve never been through the bail bond process, you probably have a lot of questions. Below, you’ll find some commonly asked questions and the answers to them.

 In South Carolina, a bail bond is actually referred to as a “surety bond.” The surety bond is a guaranteed and underwritten by a licensed South Carolina bail bondsman who is backed by an insurance company. A South Carolina bail agent makes guarantees to the court a payment of the full amount of the bond if the defendant fails to appear for their scheduled court appearances. It is imperative that you always have a bail bond set up through a licensed bail bond company in the County you want posted In.

In most states, including South Carolina, the cost of a bail bond is set between 10% - 15% of the court-set bail amount. In South Carolina, the state of South Carolina sets the bail bond rates. For example, if the court sets a defendant’s bail at $20,000, then the bail bondsman’s fee at 10% would be $2,000.00 or if the fee is 15% it would be $3,500.00, the rate you are charged is based up several risk factors. 

At McElveen Bail Bonding we completely understands that you want to pay the least amount of money for a bail bond. A lot of people search online trying to find the “Cheapest Bail Bond Company in SC” or the “Cheapest Bail Bond Company in Beaufort, SC.” Keep in mind if another bail agent is offering you the same bail at a very discounted rate, there has to be a catch. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. We will help you find the best situation to obtain bail in a legal and professional manner.

We typically don’t negotiate bail premiums with potential clients. Any South Carolina bail agent that is so quick willing to reducing or negotiating their fee may be more likely to keep your collateral and bond fee. Then return the defendant back to the Jail without cause? A savings of a few % may appear to be a really good deal for you, but what could you be risking in return? Be cautious and weigh your options before accepting a cheap bail bond offer.

When arranging bail, legitimate bail bonding companies in Beaufort or South Carolina will need a payment prior to “posting” the bail bond which will release the detainee. At McElveen Bail Bonding accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. In most cases, our clients pay the bail bond premium using a credit card. To better serve our customers, we offer various payment options, flexible financing, and payment plans when acquiring a bail bond in Beaufort or throughout the state of South Carolina. In many cases, our bail bonding service will be able to offer a bail bond plan where no collateral is required.

Yes, you absolutely may pay the full amount of the bail set by the court to release a detainee. This bail bond option is commonly referred to as a cash bail. A cash bail is when an individual posts the full amount of the bail with the court. These are usually paid in full in the form of cash, money order, bank check, or cashier’s check.

Should you decide to pay the court in full for the bail bond in Beaufort or at a court in South Carolina, be sure to contact the county court bail clerk in order to verify the forms of payment accepted. Many South Carolina courts, individual jurisdictions or different courts will have different payment options and bail payment restrictions. You will be required to verify the funds are from legal sources.

Yes, you absolutely may pay the full amount of the bail set by the court to release a detainee. This bail bond option is commonly referred to as a cash bail. A cash bail is when an individual posts the full amount of the bail with the court. These are usually paid in full in the form of cash, money order, bank check, or cashier’s check.

Should you decide to pay the court in full for the bail bond in Beaufort or at a court in South Carolina, be sure to contact the county court bail clerk in order to verify the forms of payment accepted. Many South Carolina courts, individual jurisdictions or different courts will have different payment options and bail payment restrictions. You will be required to verify the funds are from legal sources..

 McElveen Bail Bonding will handle your bail bond fast. A typical bail bond is completed  with the courts within 1-2 hours. We can also handle all of the bail bond documentation by e-mail and fax to expedite the process even further. At McElveen Bail Bonding, we have a network of licensed bail bond agents throughout South Carolina who can “post” bail bonds at the appropriate jail. Keep in mind that each county holds bond court at different times, and the SC state law allows the jail up to 6 hours to release an inmate after the bond is posted.