Montana § 46-9-403 - Qualifying Property As Bail

§ 46-9-403. Qualifying Property As Bail

Qualifying property as bail. (1) If property posted as a condition of release is personal property, the defendant or sureties shall file a sworn schedule that must contain a list of the personal property, including a description of each item, its location and market value, and the total market value of all items listed. (2) If the property is real estate: (a) the defendant or sureties shall file a sworn schedule that must contain a legal description of the property, a description of any and all encumbrances on the property, including the amount of each and the holder of the encumbrance, and the market value of the unencumbered equity owned by the defendant or sureties; and (b) a certified copy of the schedule of the property must be filed immediately by the court in the office of the clerk and recorder of the county in which the property is situated. The state has a lien on the property from the time the copy is filed. The clerk and recorder shall enter, index, and record the schedule without requiring any fee. (3) If the property posted as a condition of release is a written undertaking with sureties, each surety must be a resident or freeholder within the state. Each surety must be worth the amount specified in the undertaking, exclusive of property exempt from execution, but the court or judge on taking the property may allow more than two sureties to justify severally and in amounts less than that expressed in the undertaking if the whole justification is equivalent to the amount required. (4) If the property posted as a condition of release is a commercial bond, it may be executed by any domestic or foreign surety company that is qualified to transact surety business in this state. The undertaking must be in the form prescribed by the commissioner of insurance and must state the following: (a) the name and address of the commercial surety company that issued the bond; (b) the amount of the bond and the unqualified obligation of the surety company to pay the court should the defendant fail to appear as guaranteed; and (c) a provision that the surety company may not revoke the undertaking without good cause. (5) The court may examine the sufficiency of an undertaking and take any action it considers proper to ensure that a sufficient undertaking is posted.