PERMITS AND BUSINESS LICENSES

Atlanta City Code pt. II, ch. 30, art. VI, div. 2

in effect

Atlanta City Code § 30-566 Permit required; prerequisite to issuance of license.

Sec. 30-566. - Permit required; prerequisite to issuance of license. (a) No person shall carry on or be engaged in the business of professional bondsperson until authorized to do so by a permit granted by the mayor upon recommendation of the license review board. The license review board shall conduct the hearing and report its conclusions and recommendations to the mayor. The mayor, upon receiving the recommendation of the license review board, may, within 60 calendar days of receipt of said recommendation, deny or grant the application for a new permit. In addition, within said 60-day period, if the mayor determines there is a need to correct a clear error or prevent a manifest injustice, the mayor may remand the application back to the license review board for further hearing. If the mayor fails to take action within the 60-day period, the recommendation of the license review board shall become the final decision of the mayor. No business license shall be issued to a professional bondsperson until this permit has been granted. Fees for applications and annual permits are set forth in City Code section 30-28(a). (b) No application for any permit under this section shall be granted where the application or the evidence on a hearing before the license review board shows that the applicant or any agent or subagent thereof: (1) Has a past record of failure to meet payments on defaulted bonds as a bondsperson or the agent or subagent thereof in any jurisdiction; (2) Is unable to read and write the English language to a sufficient degree to fill out applicable bond forms; (3) Has been convicted of any felony in the courts of this state or of any other state or of the United States; or (4) Is not financially solvent. (Code 1977, § 14-6033; Ord. No. 1999-17, § 1, 2-9-99; Ord. No. 2008-79(08-O-1677), § 10, 11-6-08)

Atlanta City Code § 30-567 Permit required for visiting prisoner, signing bond.

Sec. 30-567. - Permit required for visiting prisoner, signing bond. No professional bondsperson or agent thereof may visit prisoners or sign bonds for any person imprisoned unless the bondsperson or agent shall have procured a permit from the mayor. (Code 1977, § 14-6038)

Atlanta City Code § 30-568 Petition for permit.

Sec. 30-568. - Petition for permit. (a) Every person engaged in the business of professional bondsperson shall, on or before January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 in each year, file with the department of police a petition for a permit to engage in the business. The petition shall contain the following: (1) A description of all real property in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area owned in fee simple by the person and the clear market value of each item of real property so scheduled shall be set forth; (2) A description of mortgages, liens or other encumbrances affecting that real property, showing the maturity date and amount thereof; (3) A statement of the total amount of all bonds upon which the petitioner may, at that time, appear as surety; and (4) A subschedule of all bonds upon which the petitioner may, at that time, appear as surety which have been forfeited and not paid. (b) The department of police may require the petitioner to file, in addition, a schedule showing separately the date and penal sum of all of the bonds upon which the petitioner then appears as surety. (c) All schedules and subschedules required by this division shall be made under oath by the petitioner; if the petitioner is a firm, each member of the firm shall sign and, if a corporation, two principal officers thereof authorized by the corporation's bylaws shall sign and the corporate seal shall be affixed. (Code 1977, § 14-6035)

Atlanta City Code § 30-569 Criminal record of applicant for permit.

Sec. 30-569. - Criminal record of applicant for permit. The police chief shall require every applicant for a permit for a professional bondsperson to show a complete record of any conviction in any court for the violation of any offense or any crime and to present to the police chief such other information as will enable the police chief to determine the character of the professional bondsperson or agent. (Code 1977, § 14-6039)

Atlanta City Code § 30-570 Deposit of negotiable securities required.

Sec. 30-570. - Deposit of negotiable securities required. (a) No permit or business license shall be issued to any person to carry on or engage in the business of professional bondsperson until the person has deposited with the chief financial officer cash or negotiable securities in the sum of $25,000.00, to be held by the city and subject to levy and execution by the city to the extent of any individual bond forfeitures not paid to the city, provided that this sum of $25,000.00 shall not limit the amount of liability of a professional bondsperson to the city and the bondsperson shall remain liable to the city for the total amount for which the bondsperson is responsible. (b) If any payment is made from the fund deposited by any bondsperson, the bondsperson shall deposit additional cash or negotiable securities in order to maintain the fund at the amount of $25,000.00. (c) The chief financial officer may deliver to the sheriff or other officers authorized to make levy and execution under writs of fi. fa. issued pursuant to law, sufficient collateral as set forth in this section to satisfy the fi. fa. issued in connection with and for the collection of a judgment as brought about by way of bond forfeiture. (d) The value of any security or other property approved for use in the signing of bonds or the financial backing of bonds shall be determined from the market value of that security or other property on the date of the deposit or the signing of the bond. On any subsequent date on which this value is again in question, the market value on that subsequent date shall control. (e) The deposit of a professional bondsperson with the chief financial officer shall be increased as necessary so that it shall always equal not less than ten percent of the bondsperson's outstanding bonds, provided that the minimum deposit shall be $25,000.00. (Code 1977, § 14-6034)

Atlanta City Code § 30-571 Investigation of petition for permit.

Sec. 30-571. - Investigation of petition for permit. The license review board shall investigate thoroughly every petition for a permit for engaging in the business of professional bondsperson and shall verify all schedules required in section 30-568. The board shall not recommend the issuance of a permit to a professional bondsperson unless the petition and accompanying schedules shall clearly show that the petitioner is the owner of real property in Fulton County of a fair market value, in excess of encumbrances, equal to the total of all bonds upon which the petitioner may at that time appear as surety, plus the amount allowed as exemption under the homestead laws of the state. If the petitioner is not surety on any bonds at the time of application, the petition shall clearly show that the petitioner is financially responsible. (Code 1977, § 14-6036)

Atlanta City Code § 30-572 Authority to require additional schedules of property, bonds; authority to bar insolvents.

Sec. 30-572. - Authority to require additional schedules of property, bonds; authority to bar insolvents. The department of police may at all times require a professional bondsperson to submit schedules of property and of bonds upon which the bondsperson appears as surety. If the schedules disclose the insolvency or inability of a bondsperson to sign bonds because of an excess of liability over assets, the department of police may bar the bondsperson from signing further bonds in city cases for so long as the insolvency or inability exists. Any professional bondsperson who shall fail to furnish these schedules within five days after demand or who shall furnish a false schedule shall thereafter be barred from signing bonds in connection with cases in the courts of the city. (Code 1977, § 14-6037)

Atlanta City Code § 30-573 Fingerprinting required.

Sec. 30-573. - Fingerprinting required. As a condition to granting a permit under this division, the police chief shall cause the bondsperson or agent to be fingerprinted. (Code 1977, § 14-6040)

Atlanta City Code § 30-574 Suspension or revocation of permit.

Sec. 30-574. - Suspension or revocation of permit. (a) The police chief, upon the recommendation of the bond clerk, shall suspend the permit of any professional bondsperson or agent or subagent thereof for any one or more of the following reasons: (1) Misconduct in the business of professional bondsperson by the bondsperson or the bondsperson's agent or employee; (2) Failure to respond to judgments by the bondsperson or the bondsperson's surety; (3) Violation of any law specifically affecting professional bondspersons or criminal bonds or violation of this article; (4) The refusal for cause by Fulton County or DeKalb County to permit the bondsperson to operate in either of those jurisdictions; (5) Receiving assistance by a police officer or another who is violating section 30-552(b) or (c); (6) Having bonds outstanding in an amount totaling more than $200,000.00; (7) Having outstanding forfeited bonds in an amount totaling more than $50,000.00; or (8) Having outstanding forfeited bonds that number more than 25 percent of the total number of outstanding bonds. (b) The police chief shall notify the bond clerk of every suspension or revocation of a professional bondsperson's permit, and it shall be unlawful for any person to accept a bond signed by a bondsperson whose permit has been suspended or revoked. (c) The person or agent thereof whose permit is suspended shall be notified by the police chief of the reason for the suspension and shall be given the right within 30 days from the effective date of the suspension to appear before the license review board and to show cause why the suspension should not be made permanent by the mayor. Failure to appear within the specified time or any extension thereof shall require revocation by the mayor. (d) If a permit is revoked, the holder of the permit shall not be permitted to again receive a permit for five years from the date of the revocation. (Code 1977, § 14-6041)

Source: City of Atlanta, Code of Ordinances (Charter and Related Laws, General Ordinances, Land Development Code) (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ga/atlanta/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOORENOR_CH30BU_ARTVIBOAGBO_DIV2PEBULIFetched: 10/28/2026