One of the first questions that comes into many of our clients’ minds when they first pick up the phone is how much does a bail bond cost? When someone is arrested, their bail will be set based on the Felony Bail Schedule in the county where they live. For example, in Los Angeles County, a person arrested under suspicion of felony perjury would have their bail set at $25,000 pursuant to the Los Angeles County Felony Bail Schedule. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will cost $25,000 to get them out of jail.
In order to have to pay $25,000 to get a person in the situation above bailed out of jail, one would have to take the full amount to the court and pay it to the court clerk. This is known as “cash bail” and it can be done quite fast. The one caveat in this situation is that it must be done during court business hours. Court business hours may vary from place-to-place, but you can safely assume they’ll be from about 8:30 in the morning to about 5:00 in the evening Monday Through Friday. These hours exclude all weekends as well as court holidays. Keep in mind that the time constraints come in addition to being able to come up with the cash to pay to the court clerk. Once the defendant attends all of their court obligations, the bail money will be returned minus any fees.
The cost of a bail bond will also depend on the amount bail was set, but a bail bond is less expensive than cash bail. This amount goes to the bail bondsman who puts up the rest of the money to the court in order to obtain a defendant’s release. Because the court clerk isn’t involved, a bail bondsman can post a bail bond at the jail any time of day or night, including weekends and holidays. Thus, when you bail someone out of jail via bail bond, you can secure their release anytime 24/7.
Bail bonds work extremely well for those who are unable to quickly gather large amounts of cash, unlike cash bonds. Additionally, when you work with a bail bondsman, you can work out a payment plan together that will allow you to bail your friend or loved one out right away without putting any added financial strain on your family.
