Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-132 (2026)
Exoneration of bail bondsman or surety by surrender of defendant
✓ current as of May 2026
At any time, the bail bondsman or surety may surrender the defendant in their exoneration or the defendant may personally surrender to the officer. Surrender by a bail bondsman or surety shall be for good cause including, but not limited to, the following:
- (1) The defendant has violated the contractual provisions between the defendant and the bondsman;
- (2) The bondsman or surety has good cause to believe the defendant will not appear as ordered by the court having jurisdiction;
- (3) A forfeit, conditional or final, has been rendered against the defendant;
- (4) The defendant has failed to appear in court either as ordered by the court or as commanded by any legal process; or
- (5) The defendant has been arrested while on bond.
Acts 1978, ch. 506, § 28; T.C.A., § 40-1232; Acts 2001, ch. 426, §§ 3, 4.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 9
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2002–2026 · leading case: State of Tennessee v. Aliscia Caldwell - RE: Jenkins Bonding Co. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014).
State of Tennessee v. Aliscia Caldwell - RE: Jenkins Bonding Co. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014). “It asserted that it should be exonerated pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-11-132. At a hearing on the motion, Jenkins Bonding’s Counsel informed the trial court: Your Honor, I don’t believe the facts in this case are contested.”
State of Tennessee v. Howard C. Covington in re: Memphis Bonding Co. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2002). “Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-132 (Supp. 2001).”
In re: Rader Bonding Co. - dissenting (Tenn. Crim. App. 2018). “]” See T.C.A. § 40-11-132(2) (2012). Previously, this court has affirmed a trial court’s rejection of a bonding company’s motion for exoneration when the bonding company failed to avail itself of the remedy provided by Code section 40-11-132(2).”
In Re: Rader Bonding Co., Inc. (2019). “5, 2009) (citing Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-203 ), perm. app.”
State of Tennessee v. Jerrod James (In Re: AA/AAA Bonding Co.) (Tenn. Crim. App. 2026). “3 A hearing was held on March 10, 2025, during which the appellant argued that it had “an absolute right to surrender in exoneration of their bond” prior to the entry of the final forfeiture pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-11-132, that section 40-11-139(a)…”
State of Tennessee v. Taria Funyette Scott In Re: Danny Blankenship Bonding Co. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014). “-4- Relying on section 40-11-132(3), the Appellant argues that the trial court was obligated to release it from the Defendant’s bond because statutory good cause existed.”
State of Tennessee v. Carlos Cabellero-Grajeda In Re: E & W Bonding (Tenn. Crim. App. 2005). “If, after Appellant posted bond for Cabellero, it became concerned that the defendant would not appear in court to answer charges, Appellant’s proper remedy would have been to surrender the defendant and be exonerated pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-11-132. Ms.…”
In re: Speedy Release Bail Bonds (Tenn. Crim. App. 2002). “First, Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-132 (1997) provides that, “[a]t any time before the forfeiture of their undertaking, the bail bondsman or surety may surrender the defendant in their exoneration, or the defendant may personally surrender to the officer.”
In re Tennessee Bonding Co. (2021). “-4- Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-132 (2020) (emphasis added).”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-132(2) — 1 case
In re: Rader Bonding Co. - dissenting (Tenn. Crim. App. 2018). “]” See T.C.A. § 40-11-132(2) (2012). Previously, this court has affirmed a trial court’s rejection of a bonding company’s motion for exoneration when the bonding company failed to avail itself of the remedy provided by Code section 40-11-132(2).”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-11-132(3) — 2 cases
State of Tennessee v. Taria Funyette Scott In Re: Danny Blankenship Bonding Co. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014). “-4- Relying on section 40-11-132(3), the Appellant argues that the trial court was obligated to release it from the Defendant’s bond because statutory good cause existed.”
State of Tennessee v. Aliscia Caldwell - RE: Jenkins Bonding Co. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014). “It asserted that it should be exonerated pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-11-132. At a hearing on the motion, Jenkins Bonding’s Counsel informed the trial court: Your Honor, I don’t believe the facts in this case are contested.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the
Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and
treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.