1. (1) No person, company, partnership, or other entity shall act as a professional bondsman or professional bonding company, directly or indirectly, in this state unless the person, company, partnership, or other entity is licensed by the Board. Any person, company, partnership, or other entity proposing to provide professional bondsman services or services as a professional bonding company in this state shall submit an application on a form provided by the Board. The application must include all information and documents required by the Board and must be truthful and accurate.

2. (2) The application for a professional bondsman must include:

   1. (a) All information required on the application form provided by the Board;
   2. (b) A completed background check;
   3. (c) Company license number, written notice of company affiliation, or notice of operation as a sole proprietor, if the applicant is affiliated with such a company at the time of the application; and
   4. (d) An application fee for a professional bondsman license in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).

3. (3) The application for a professional bonding company must include:

   1. (a) All information required on the application form provided by the Board;
   2. (b) A completed background check for each owner of the professional bonding company;
   3. (c) A list of all bonding agents or professional bondsmen working on behalf of or under the supervision of the company;
   4. (d) Copies of relevant business filings, if applicable, to establish the professional bonding company’s corporate status; and

   5. (e) An application fee for a professional bonding company license set as follows:

      1. 1. A professional bonding company license application fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00);
      2. 2. Additionally, a fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) per professional bondsman, professional surety bondsman, and/or bonding agent affiliated with the professional bonding company. This fee shall be non-prorated and non-refundable after thirty (30) days of application if no decision has been reached. Payment of this fee does not alleviate the requirement that each individual professional bondsman and professional surety bondsman be licensed under this chapter.
4. (4) All applicants for a professional bondsman license or owners of a professional bonding company must be at least eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of application.
5. (5) Each background check submitted as part of an application must be completed by an entity approved by the Department to contract with applicants to provide background checks and submit background checks directly to the Board. Background checks must be dated within twelve (12) months of the date of the submitted application.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 40-11-301 and 40-11-321. Administrative History: Emergency rules filed December 26, 2025; effective through June 24, 2026. New rules filed March 19, 2026; effective June 17, 2026.