What is a Personal Recognizance Bond on Colorado?

Often when a person is arrested in Colorado for a DUI charge, they are released on a personal recognizance bond. This is commonly referred to as a “PR bond.” Instead of requiring the person arrested, or a friend, family member or professional bail bonds person to put money up to get the person released until their next court hearing, the court releases the person without the requirement of posting a monetary bond.

For example, John is arrested for DUI in Douglas County and is booked into the jail. Instead of requiring someone to post a $1,500 bond to get John released, the judge releases him on his own recognizance, or on a $1,500 “PR bond” and provides John with notice of his court hearing in a few weeks. If John does not appear for court when he is supposed to, a failure to appear (FTA) warrant will go out and he would owe the court $1,500 for not appearing.

Often, a PR bond in a DUI case comes with certain conditions of release. Typical conditions in a DUI case are no leaving the state without court permission, no new law violations, no driving without a valid license and insurance, no consumption of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs, and in some cases monitored sobriety. If a person has a prior DUI or DWAI conviction, Colorado law requires monitored sobriety as a condition of bond. If a person needs to leave the state once released, one of the conditions courts require is the signing of a Waiver of Extradition as a Condition of Bail Bond under §16-4-105, C.R.S.