Louisiana Bounty Hunter Guide: Requirements and Steps

Louisiana has a population of 4.6 million people.¹ Louisiana allows the practice of bounty hunting, but prospective bounty hunters must be licensed as bail bond producers through the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI). Bail bond producers, known as bail bondsmen in other states, use various techniques to find and apprehend fugitives who have skipped bail. If you are interested in becoming a bail recovery agent in Louisiana, continue reading for information on bail bond producer licensing requirements and procedures.

Table of Contents

• Bail Bond Producer Requirements
• Steps to a Career
• Related Careers
• Training and Education Options
• Finding Work
• Salary and Job Outlook
• Bail Bond Producer Resources

Requirements for Prospective Bail Bond Producers in Louisiana

Chapter 49 Regulation 65 of the Louisiana Administrative Code provides basic licensing guidelines for bail bond producers, which are further detailed in the Bail Bond Apprentice application (more on this below). In Louisiana, bail bond producers must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a US citizen or resident alien
• Have no felony convictions
• Not be classed as a sex offender under Louisiana law, even if the conviction has been expunged or cleared
• Not associate with individuals who have felony convictions

Once you meet those basic requirements, you can start the process of becoming a bail bond producer in Louisiana.

Steps to a Career as a Bail Bond Producer in Louisiana

Louisiana requires all bail bond producers to be licensed; bail recovery agents must adhere to the same licensing requirements as bail bond producers. Below are the four steps needed to become a bail recovery agent in Louisiana.

1. Complete the bail bond apprentice program.

The first step in becoming a bail recovery agent in Louisiana is to complete the Bail Bond Apprentice Program. The Louisiana apprentice program is a three-month program that requires prospective bail agents to work with a supervising bail bond producer for at least 24 hours per week. You will need to identify a supervisor who is a licensed bail bond producer to work with for the duration of the apprenticeship. He or she will be required to compensate you and maintain updated records on timesheets and payroll information. To enroll, you must register for the program at least 10 days before starting to work. Upon completion of the apprentice program, your supervisor must complete and submit the Affidavit of Participation in Bail Bond Apprenticeship Program to the LDI to verify you have successfully completed the program.

2. Obtain the appropriate training.

In addition to completing the apprenticeship program, applicants for licensure as bail bond producers must complete eight hours of prelicensing education. This training must be completed while you are enrolled in the apprenticeship program and must be offered through a state insurance association, a Louisiana-licensed insurer, or an accredited college or university. The LDI provides a listing of approved training providers. Once you complete the pre-licensing education, you are ready to apply for licensure.

3. Complete the application.

After completing the three-month apprentice program and the pre-licensing education, you must submit the license application through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), the LDI’s chosen processor. As of July 2022, the application fee was $75. Along with your application, you must submit a criminal background check via fingerprinting. You may complete your fingerprinting at the PSI testing site, discussed below.

4. Take and pass the exam.

Before receiving your license, you must pass the licensing examination. Bail agents must complete the Bail Bond Series 108 exam; the fee is $15 (as of July 2022). You must submit your application for a license to receive permission from the LDI to sit for this exam. You may retake the bail bond examination as many times as needed to pass, but you must pass within one year of submitting your application. The exam is 60 minutes and consists of 50 questions. You must score 70% or higher to pass. Consult the content study guide for topics that will be covered on the exam.

5. Receive your license.

Upon passing the examination and background check, you will become a licensed bail agent in Louisiana. With this license, you can locate and find fugitives for bail bondsmen or independently. Louisiana state law requires that you notify the law enforcement agency in your jurisdiction prior to apprehending a fugitive.

In Louisiana, bail agent licenses must be renewed before the last day of your birth month in every odd-numbered year. To renew your license, you must complete 12 hours of continuing education (CE); four CE hours must be in bail enforcement. The renewal fee is $75 (as of July 2022).

Related Careers

Bail bond producers may supplement their income by working in fields related to bounty hunting. Two of those jobs include working as a private investigator (PI) or a process server. Each state has different requirements for PIs and process servers. To learn more about both professions and Louisiana-specific requirements, continue reading below.

Private Investigator/ Private Detective

Private detectives (PDs) and PIs work for clients to find information on personal, financial, or criminal matters. PIs in Louisiana are licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigators (LSBPIE). In Louisiana, private investigators must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have no felony convictions nor any convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude
• Be a US citizen or resident alien
• Not have a dependence on drugs or alcohol
• Have three years of investigative experience
• Complete the 40-hour basic private investigator course
• Take and pass the PI exam

Further information and application forms are available on the LSBPIE website.

Process Server

Another way bail recovery agents supplement their income is by working as process servers. In this profession, individuals work for the court system to file legal papers, serve documents to parties involved in a lawsuit, and retrieve documents when needed. Process servers in Louisiana are not required to be licensed, but they must be at least 18 years of age and a US citizen (or resident alien) to work. For more information or to get started, visit your county clerk’s office.

Training and Education Options in Louisiana

In addition to the training required by the LDI, you should look into obtaining an associate degree or certificate in criminal justice to enhance your bail enforcement training. A degree in criminal justice will broaden your understanding of the criminal justice system and help you develop research strategies and other skills in order to locate and detain fugitives. Having formal education may also show your potential employer that you are serious about your career. Below, we have identified some schools across the state of Louisiana that offer an associate degree in criminal justice or a related field.

Bossier Parish Community College
6220 E Texas St
Bossier City, LA 71111
https://www.bpcc.edu/academics/behavioral-social-sciences

Grambling State University
403 Main St
Grambling, LA 71245
https://www.gram.edu/academics/majors/pro-grad-studies/criminal-justice/

Louisiana State University at Eunice
2048 Johnson Hwy
Eunice, LA 70535
https://www.lsue.edu/academics/protection-safety/criminal-justice.php

Sowela Technical College
3820 Sen J Bennett Johnston Ave
Lake Charles, LA 70615
https://www.sowela.edu/programs/school-of-arts-sciences/criminal-justice/

Finding Work

Bail recovery agents must use a variety of sources to find work. The Louisiana bail apprenticeship should help you meet some other bail bond agents who may be looking to hire someone. If you don’t already have one, consider finding a mentor who can provide you with advice on searching for work as a bail recovery agent. You should consider joining a bail bond association to grow your network and to find new leads on jobs. There are 8 bail bond agents registered with the Professional Bail Agents of the US (PBUS) in the state of Louisiana.

Featured Bail Bonds Agencies in Louisiana

Below is a listing of top-rated and/or well-known bail bond agencies in Louisiana to help you find job opportunities.

A-1 Bail Bonds of Louisiana
910 Hwy 3185
Thibodaux, LA 70301
https://www.a1bail.net/

Aback Bonding
2649 Gravier St
New Orleans, LA 70119
https://abackbonding.com/

Absolute Best Bail Bonds
715 Magnolia St
Denham Springs, LA 70726
https://denhamspringsbailbonds.com/

Blair’s Bail Bonds
2767 Tulane Ave
New Orleans, LA 70119
https://www.blairsbailbonds.com/

Cajun Bail Bonds
907 Lafayette St
Lafayette, LA 70501
https://cajunbailbonds.com/

Fuselier Bail Bonds
5419 Broad St
Lake Charles, LA 70615
https://www.fuselierbailbonding.com/

Independent Bail Bonds
7278 Highland Rd
Ste B
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
https://independentbailbr.com/

Laurie’s Bail Bonds
982 Government St
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
https://www.bailbondsmanbatonrouge.com/

Troy’s Bail Bonds
3238 Johnson St
Metairie, LA 70001
​​https://troysbailbonds.com/

If you want to find even more bail bond agents in Louisiana, use the Member Search tool on the PBUS website.

Bail Bond Producer Salary and Outlook in Louisiana

Salary data is not provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for bail recovery agents. Because bail recovery and private investigation careers are similar, we use salary data from that profession (PI) as a proxy. In Louisiana, an estimated 660 private investigators were employed as of 2021, earning an average annual salary of $50,790.² During this time period, the New Orleans-Metairie metro area had the fourth-highest concentration of private detective and investigator jobs in the US.³ Projections Central projects that jobs for PIs in Louisiana will increase by 10.6% between 2020 and 2030.⁴

Additional Resources

Joining professional associations that host events and other networking opportunities may be beneficial to your bail recovery career.

• Association of Louisiana Bail Underwriters (ALBU): Provides legal resources and networking opportunities.

References:
1. US Census Bureau Quick Facts, Louisiana: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/LA/PST045221
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021, Louisiana: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_la.htm
3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021, Private Detectives and Investigators: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes339021.htm
4. Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/Projections/LongTerm