How a Person Gets Bail in Texas

A person who gets arrested in Texas immediately gets placed into custody or into a jail until their court hearings begin.

Until the sentence has been chosen by the court, a defendant can have several choices about their release after being arrested.

Bail is set because it allows the court to know that the defendant will always be present in court when required.


How Much Bail Bonds Are

Around 10% of the entire bail amount will be charged for a bail bond in Texas and it is referred to as a fee or bail premium.


Do I Get the Premium Back?

Once the bail bond has been posted, the 10% premium fee will be earned.
How a bail agent or a surety bond company earns is by getting the bail premium.


What Collateral Is

Items with value such as real estate can be used as collateral to secure bail bonds.


Accepted Forms of Collateral

Other examples of collateral can be credit cards, homes, vehicles, etc.


The Time You get Collateral Returned

Once all of the requirements have been met, such as fees, the case has finished, etc., collateral can be returned.


The Estimated Time to Get Out of jail

A county jail and a city jail are the two forms of jail.
County jails are ran by county sheriffs whereas a city jail gets managed by the city police department.

After bail gets posted for someone in a city jail, it will take around and hour or even less for the defendant to be released.

Once bail has been posted for someone in a county jail, it can take anywhere from a day or less to be released.


How Fast Posting Bail Bonds Are

Bail bonds can be done within 24 hours after the bail hearing as long as the defendant knows how much the bail is going to be and has contacted a bail bond company.


What Can Happen if a Defendant Doesn’t Go to Court

If the accused doesn’t go to the court hearings, a judge will give a bench warrant to arrest them and place them back in jail.

They will be considered a fugitive and the bail agency will also have the capability of arresting them.


How Long is a Bail Bond Valid For?

As long as a defendant attends their hearings, the bail and bail processes will be finished.

Bonds will end no matter what the judge’s decision is as long as the accused attends their trials.


What Happens to People Who Can’t Afford Bail Bonds

Defendants who are unable to pay bail or post bail bonds may ask bail bonds agents to help them, release based on their recognizance, or may also opt to remain in jail until the hearings have been completed.