How to Become a Bounty Hunter in Louisiana

Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana is home to nearly five million citizens. Louisiana is a state with a long and rich history, as well as many fruitful careers. One such career that many citizens of Louisiana pursue is bounty hunting. However, to become a bounty hunter in Louisiana, you must meet certain qualifications.

Louisiana Bounty Hunter Requirements

Basic Requirements

• Education: To become a Louisiana bounty hunter, you must complete an apprentice program, which requires you to work with a bail bond producer for 24 hours a week for three months. You will also be required to complete a pre-licensing course that takes eight hours and costs $325.
• Age: You must be at least 18 years-old before applying to become a bounty hunter.
• Citizenship: You have to be a legal alien or a US citizen to work as a bounty hunter in Louisiana.
• Experience: You do not need experience to apply for a bounty hunter license.

Additional Requirements

• Criminal Record: Your criminal record must be free of felony convictions.
• Passing the Exam: Applicants must take and pass the Bail Bond Series 108 exam. You will need to receive a grade over 70%. The cost is $15 and can be taken an unlimited amount of times.

Louisiana Bounty Hunter Licensure

Your application to become a Louisiana bounty hunter will be submitted with the Louisiana Department of Insurance. After you’ve submitted your application, passed a background checked, and received a passing grade in your examination, you will receive your bounty hunting license.

After receiving your license, you will need to periodically renew it. This must be done by January 1st on odd-numbered years. A license will only be renewed after completing 12 hours of continuing education, four of which have to be focused on bail enforcement.

Louisiana Bounty Hunter Education

If you are considering a career as a bounty hunter, it’s a good idea to pursue an education in areas related to the career. A two or four-year degree in criminal justice can help prepare you for many areas related to bounty hunting, including proper investigative techniques and the complexities of the justice system.

Careers Related to Bounty Hunting

Many Louisiana bounty hunters choose to work in other related professions. Process servers, for example, perform many of the same duties as bounty hunters. Another career that is similar to bounty hunting is working as a private investigator. Louisiana has several rules to become a private investigator, which you can find with the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigators.

Cities in Louisiana

The most celebrated and well-known city in Louisiana is New Orleans, which is home to the annual Mardi Gras celebration. Another Louisiana city, Baton Rouge, is home to LSU, the state’s largest university. Louisiana is the only state in the country without counties, the state has parishes.

What Bounty Hunters Do

The main responsibility of a bounty hunter is to find criminals that have skipped their bond. This requires using investigative skills and understanding the criminal justice system.

Job Openings for Bounty Hunters

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not gather information about bounty hunting as a profession, examining their statistics for private investigators can give you an idea of this career prospect. In 2015, 380 private investigators were working in Louisiana. This number is expected to grow at a rate of 14.8% leading up to 2022.

Louisiana Bounty Hunter Salary

The yearly salary for a private investigator in Louisiana was $40,940 as of 2015. If you enter the profession of bounty hunting, you should receive a salary similar to that of a private investigator.

Bounty Hunter Programs and Schools in Louisiana