How much is bail for DUI

Even within California, counties land in very different places on the same charge. Under its misdemeanor bail schedule, Los Angeles lets a misdemeanor DUI go with no money changing hands, but San Bernardino, right next door, puts a first offense at $10,000.

County schedules: Riverside, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Orange, Los Angeles felony, and Santa Clara.

Counties in Florida, Nevada, and Oklahoma start lower for a first offense, though the figure still climbs fast with each repeat offense.

County schedules: Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Leon, Lee, Clark, and Tulsa.

When a crash kills someone, the charge changes from DUI to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Both Santa Clara and Fresno put $100,000 on the basic version and $250,000 on the gross version, while Fresno goes to $1,000,000 if certain prior convictions exist.

Texas calls the charge DWI and Ohio calls it OVI, and both states publish their own bail amounts. Harris County, Texas, sets a first DWI at $500 in its misdemeanor bail schedule. For a later DWI the starting point is $2,500, every earlier conviction adds another $1,000, and the total caps out at $5,000.

Ohio courts commonly collect only a tenth of the bond amount in cash. For a first OVI within a decade, the Cleveland Heights court in Cuyahoga County sets the bond at $2,500 with just a tenth due, so the cash paid comes to $250, though the schedule's wording leaves it unclear which repeat charges are covered. Hamilton County lists $1,000 at 10% for physical control of a vehicle while impaired on a suspended license, and a 4th or 5th OVI within 10 years lists no bond amount.

When the full amount is out of reach, a licensed bail agent can post it on your behalf and charges a fee known as a premium. That fee is how the agent gets paid, and in California it usually isn't refunded. Florida requires a refund if the bond is surrendered for reasons other than a broken contract, so ask before you sign.

• California: typically 10% of the bond plus actual expenses; renewal charges are now banned under state insurance rules, effective January 1, 2022
• Florida: a minimum 10% on state charges, charged a single time, not annually
• Nevada: the higher of 15% of the bond or $50, and renewal fees are not allowed, per bulletin 13-006 from the state
• Ohio: whatever rate the agent has on file with the state, plus a disclosed fee for expenses, as set out in Ohio law
• Texas and Oklahoma: no percentage is set in state rules, so ask the agent what the price is before you sign

A $10,000 bail in San Bernardino means a California agent's 10% premium runs $1,000. In Clark County, a Nevada agent charges 15% on a $2,000 bail.

The schedule number is just where things begin. California judges can let the person go on their own recognizance, a written promise to return with nothing paid, or they can pick a different bail, attach conditions, or order the person held in custody, as the Department of Insurance explains. Prosecutors may request a higher figure too, and Imperial County publishes its procedure for that request.

Judges in Ohio have to pick the least restrictive conditions that still work, and the person can generally choose to pay a 10% deposit, post a surety bond, or put up cash or property, as allowed by Ohio Revised Code 2937.011. So the first figure the jail tells you may not be what you actually pay in the end.

Money bail in Illinois ended on January 1, 2023. People get released, supervised or not, and the state has to file a petition and then hold a hearing before keeping anyone in jail.

Commercial bail bonding has been banned in Kentucky since 1976. Pretrial Services interviews every arrested person, then the judge decides between recognizance release, a bond with nothing paid up front, a surety provided by someone else, or payment in cash or property. Under state statute 969.12, Wisconsin courts may set cash bail or a 10% deposit, but the law says nothing about licensed bail agents, so expect to pay the court itself.