Rule 536.1 - Forfeitures And Bail Pieces(a)Forfeitures. (1) A bail that is revoked shall be deemed forfeited pursuant to Pa. C.S. 5747.1, and shall be paid to the Clerk by any surety by close of business on the 91st day following the entry of the order revoking the bail pursuant to the terms of Pa. C.S. 5747.1, or unless otherwise extended or set aside by Order of Court.(2) In order for a surety to seek to have the forfeiture order set aside or remitted in whole or in part, the party seeking remission, set aside or exoneration shall present a petition to the Court , and serve a copy thereof upon the Department of Law. The petition shall set forth in detail the reasons for seeking the set aside, remission or exoneration. In order to facilitate the assessment and investigation of petitions requesting remittance, the surety is required to delineate within the petition the following insofar as applicable: (A) a recitation of the history of the case including the charges, the date the bond was set, the amount of the bond, and the name and district of the issuing authority;(B) the date of forfeiture and nature of the proceeding at which forfeiture occurred;(C) a statement establishing the fact that the defendant was apprehended including the date of apprehension and the agency responsible for the apprehension;(D) a detailed summary of all efforts by the petitioner to apprehend the defendant including the name, phone number and address of all agents hired or assigned to effectuate the apprehension, and all times, dates, and locations searched;(E) a declaration that the apprehension or return of the defendant was affected by the efforts of the surety or that those efforts at least had a substantial impact on the defendant's apprehension; and(F) clear and specific factual recitation in support of the above declaration.(3) Any Bail Bondsman or Insurer who files with the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County a petition for bail relief, including but not limited to a petition to vacate bail forfeiture or a petition to exonerate surety, shall be responsible for the payment of court costs and/or filing fees as determined by the Clerk of Judicial Records, Criminal Division and may be amended from time to time. Bail Pieces. After a bail piece is issued pursuant to Pa.R.Crim.P. 536 and the de fendant is apprehended by or on behalf of the surety, the defendant must be brought before the Judge or a designee in accordance with Pa.R.Crim.P. 150. Bail pieces shall not be utilized to exonerate the surety.
Revised effective 2/1/2020.