How to bail someone out of jail

Freeing a relative or friend follows a fixed order, starting with booking and ending once you pay. According to the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, an inmate remains in custody until a court authorizes bail.

1. Collect the booking information. First confirm the jail number, full name, and bond amount, says the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department.
2. Find out how to post bail in your area. Check with the clerk whether you pay at the court, a kiosk, or the jail lobby.
3. Cash or a surety bond: pick one. Pay the cash yourself, or have a bond company put up a surety bond, which guarantees the defendant attends court.
4. Take ID and the exact amount of money. You must show a government picture ID, be 18 or older, and pay a $20 fee, according to the Henry County Sheriff's Office.

In many counties, a court portal or payment vendor lets you post bail online. Online card payments go through AllPaid at the Delaware County Sheriff's Office in New York. Another option is AllPaid for the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas.

Before opening the payment page, collect the prisoner's details. Delaware County asks for the amount, the arrestee's name, and the bail payment location code when you pay. Using the Inmate Master Number, you pay in full through Point and Pay at the St. Louis County Justice Center.

To learn how to bail someone out of jail online, check the local sheriff's website. Card payments on Pennsylvania's PAePay Bail portal are capped at $20,000 per transaction, with a 2.75% service fee added.

Yes, if someone who's been arrested has enough money, many jails let them cover their own bail. Self-bail, meaning the person in custody pays their own bail, is allowed at the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon.

When can you bail yourself out of jail? Only once booking is complete and a court has set the amount. In Washington County, another inmate in custody can't post bail for you.

You can send money if the arrested person doesn't have enough cash. The Charlotte County Jail in Florida lets you deposit bond money through TouchPay by phone, web, or lobby kiosk. Read about making inmate account deposits.

Some county jails close their windows overnight, but many take bail 24 hours a day. The Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility accepts payment in person 24 hours a day. Bail is taken 24 hours a day and 7 days a week at the Salt Lake County Jail as well.

At jails open 24 hours, can you bail someone out at night? Yes, and in some counties you can also pay online. Felony bond payments by credit card are accepted by the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts 24 hours a day, even on weekends and holidays.

Cashier's checks get verified at Salt Lake County between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. only. At daytime facilities, can you bail someone out on a Sunday? Just while the window is open. Lexington County Detention Center accepts weekend payments between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Plenty of jails and court portals accept credit cards, but you'll owe processing fees that cash payments don't carry. Can you bail someone out with a credit card? Only at places that have card terminals or web portals.

Card payments process as a cash advance at the Milwaukee County Jail, so a card fee gets added. In-person payment at places like Cherokee County Sheriff's Office means cash or cashier's checks, nothing else.

Release without cash hinges on jail capacity rules or an order from a judge. Non-payment options at the Washington County Jail in Oregon include recognizance release, plus forced release when the jail is crowded. With a recognizance release, the defendant signs a written promise to come back to court and pays nothing.

Ask about a judge-ordered release when researching how to bail someone out of jail with no money. At the Ada County Jail in Idaho, someone gets out through bond payment or an order from a 4th Judicial District judge. Learn more about a personal recognizance bond.

When the court demands money, ask whether a partial deposit is an option. As collateral, Washington County generally accepts 10% of the full bail, and that money stays held until the case is over.

Before you go to the counter, have exact cash, your photo ID, and the inmate's ID number ready. Bonds are handled first come, first served at the Lee County Jail in Florida, and exact cash is required.

• Call for the prisoner number first. At the Salt Lake County Jail, look up the Sheriff's Office prisoner number online or call 385-468-8400 before paying.
• At night, have exact cash with you. At Salt Lake County, certified and cashier's checks are verified between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. only, but cash clears at any hour.
• The right building is where you need to go. Knowing how to get someone out of jail fast requires learning where bail gets collected. Bail isn't accepted by staff at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center, so you pay the court or the police station beforehand.

How long it all takes, from arrest to payment, depends on booking speed and court hearing schedules. According to the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, an inmate remains in custody until a court authorizes bail and payment is made.

When bond has to be set by a judge in person, expect to wait for the next court session. Bond court at Lexington County Detention Center happens on weekdays at 10 a.m. and again at 3 p.m., plus 10 a.m. on weekends.

The paperwork takes time too. A bondsman must first obtain a court release at the Delaware County Jail. Since court queues vary, ask the booking clerk at that jail how long does bail take.

Staff finish the paperwork and check for other warrants after payment, so release usually takes several hours. A file at Santa Rita Jail in California enters pending release status first; administrative release then takes several hours.

Before the door opens, staff must receive proof of payment and run final checks. An online bond payment at the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center sends an alert to the release desk at the jail. If another legal hold turns up during this check in Alameda County, the release stops.

Shift workloads vary, so ask the release desk at that jail how long after bail is posted are you released.

After release, the defendant receives any personal money left on the jail account and has to attend all hearings. Released inmates don't get cash at the Sacramento County Main Jail; their remaining funds come on a NUMI MasterCard debit card.

Your deposit stays safer when you know what happens after you post bail. After a trial or plea, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office gives back a cash bond, less the $20 fee.

Once all court dates are over in Washington County, Oregon, the court sends back posted bail, with any fines and a 15% processing fee taken out. Pay in full, and the court won't charge that 15%. See more about bail money refunds.

If you miss court, you pay for it. Henry County, Georgia courts keep the bail and issue an arrest warrant. Washington County takes the deposit, and you may still owe the remaining 90% of the full bail amount.