How Does Bailing Someone Out Work in Texas

Bailing someone out of any county jail in Texas is not the most pleasurable of tasks, but it is one that must be done sometimes. People who receive a late night call from a friend or loved one asking them to bond them out of jail might be wondering just how they go about doing so if they’ve never bonded anyone out of jail before. The process is relatively simple once people understand the various ways to do so. There are two main ways to bail someone out in Texas.

Bail bond services are perhaps the most common way to get someone out of jail. Only two types of entities are licensed to write bonds in Texas. Those entities are bonding companies and attorneys. You have to be careful though. Not every bail bondsman and/or attorney is licensed to do business in every county or city.


Sometimes judges do not set cash bonds for inmates, and other times inmates’ bail amounts are set so high that it is difficult for people to come up with enough cash money to bail them out. In such instances, bail bond services can prove invaluable. With bail bonds, people pay 10-20 percent of the amount of the bail, and the bail bondsman pays for the rest. However, once the inmate is released from jail, it is the responsibility of the person who purchased the bond to ensure that the defendant shows up to all his or her court dates, or the individual who bonded the defendant out could be responsible for the remaining balance of the bond that the bail bonds company paid.

People should also be prepared to answer numerous questions about the inmates they want to bond out of jail, such as their relationships to them, how long they’ve been in jail, if they are seen as risk factors for jumping bail and so on.

Bailing someone out of jail is not very difficult, although coming up with the money to do so is. Individuals should also keep in mind that once they bond an inmate out of jail, whether or not they get their money back depends upon whether or not the bonded individual complies with his or her court dates.

How to Bail Someone Out in Texas: Steps That Work!

how to bail someone out of jail in texas
Locating someone who has called you from jail can be a difficult first step, but that's what you should do first. Don't just call a bonding company and expect them to find out which jail the person is. They are bombarded with phone calls all day long and this will seem like an inconvenience for them. If you forget to ask the person that called you about their location, then you can use the online resources available by each county here in Texas.

For instance, if someone gets arrested somewhere in Collin County, then there's an online search portal for that. After you have confirmed which jail the person is in, it's time to call a bonding company or an attorney if you prefer. We recommend this Collin County bail bonds agency. They have been rated the top bonding company in Collin County for speed-of-service, professionalism, and effectiveness. Just use the phone number right there on the website and you'll get right through to someone who can help.

After you call a bail bond agent, you will have to answer questions as to whether or not you qualify for a bond to be written on the inmate's behalf. You'll need to have proof of residency, a current Texas I.D., proof of income, and money for the bonding fee. This can be anywhere from 10%-20% in the state of Texas.

After the bonding company has determined your qualifications, bring the aforementioned items to the bonding company's office and fill out the paperwork. They'll be able to write the bond pretty quickly once they have all of the documents listed above. After that, they'll deliver the bond to the jail.

The release process can take several hours depending which county jail the person is being held in. Some jails only take a couple of hours to release inmates while others can take up to eight.

That's exactly how bailing someone out works in Texas.