Colusa County bail and bond: the Bridge Street jail and the courts in town
Adults arrested in Colusa County are booked into the Colusa County Jail, 929 Bridge Street, Colusa. The Sheriff-Coroner runs it. Start by looking the person up with Colusa County Inmate Search. Use the jail line, 530-458-0205, for anything the search cannot tell you. Bail at the Bridge Street jail may be paid in cash, by bank-issued check or money order, or a bondsman can post it. Colusa runs no public defender office; the judge assigns a lawyer instead.
Is my son in the Colusa County Jail right now?
Search his name with Colusa County Inmate Search. A just-finished booking might not be posted; look again in about an hour. Still blank? The county gives this number for the Bridge Street lockup: 530-458-0205. Ask which agency made the arrest, such as the Sheriff, Colusa Police, Williams Police (530-473-2661), or the California Highway Patrol, so the desk can check the right booking.
What is the fastest way to find out his bail amount?
Look at his booking record in Colusa County Inmate Search first. If the amount is blank, he may not have been through booking, or a judge may need to set it. Deputies take calls day and night at 530-458-0200. Know his legal name and date of birth.
Where in Colusa does the bail money go?
Bail is posted at the jail, 929 Bridge Street, according to the county's jail page. The county lists U.S. currency, cashier's checks, and money orders. Personal checks are not taken. The county does not post counter hours for bail, so call 530-458-0205 before you drive over. A bail agent can also post a bond for you.
Does the county take a card for bail?
The county's own page names only cash, cashier's checks, and money orders for bail. Other websites say a card may be accepted for some misdemeanor bail through an online payment site. That is not confirmed by the county, so ask the jail at 530-458-0205 before you enter any card number on a website.
I put money in his account at the lobby kiosk. Did that bail him out?
The lobby kiosk loads his inmate account by cash or card at any hour. Those funds cover calls and canteen, not release. It does not pay bail. Online account deposits go through the deposit service, 800-546-6283. Bail is a separate payment, made to release him.
What do the numbers on the bail schedule mean?
Under Penal Code 1269b, the judges of the Colusa County Superior Court adopt a countywide bail schedule each year. It lists a dollar amount for each charge. The court posted its 2026 schedule on April 17, 2026, on its website. A judge can set the amount higher or lower, and once a judge has set a figure, that figure controls over the schedule. Ask the jail or the criminal clerk at 530-458-5149, option 4, for the figure on your case.
Could he be let out without paying anything?
Yes, sometimes. Under Penal Code 853.6, an officer can often skip booking on a misdemeanor and give a written notice to appear. Penal Code 1318 lets a judge free him on his word, once he signs to obey the terms and stay in California. The state high court's 2026 ruling in In re Kowalczyk requires judges to look at non-money conditions and at what he can realistically afford. Ask the lawyer to bring this up.
When does he go in front of a judge?
By Penal Code 825 he must be arraigned within 48 hours, setting aside Sundays and court holidays. Colusa in-custody arraignments are held as the court is free. Call the criminal division at 530-458-5149, option 4, after 9:00 a.m. for the time and the courtroom. The two courtrooms are Department 1 at 547 Market Street and Department 2 at 532 Oak Street.
There is a warrant, and he was never booked. What now?
The court says three paths exist: come to Tuesday walk-in court, turn himself in to local law enforcement, or hire a lawyer to handle it. Walk-in check-in at the Clerk's Office, 532 Oak Street, closes at 12:30 p.m., and anyone later is not seen. Plan to spend much of the day there. Call 530-458-5149, option 4, if you are unsure which warrant is active.
Who is my lawyer if we have no money?
Colusa County has no public defender office. Say at arraignment that he cannot afford counsel; if his income qualifies, the court names one. The court then gives you that lawyer's contact information. Ask the clerk at 530-458-5149, option 4, how to reach the appointed lawyer after the hearing.
Can a bail agent post it, and what does that cost?
Yes. State insurance officials report a usual 10% fee, and each agent must use the rate its surety filed. Expect to lose that fee even if the case is dismissed. Collateral is held until the case ends. Ask for every term in writing, and ask the jail at 530-458-0205 whether the agent is licensed.
Will Colusa accept a property bond?
Neither the jail nor the county site explains property bonds. The court handles it, so call the criminal division at 530-458-5149, option 4, first. Ask whether land outside Colusa County counts, how much equity the judge wants, and how long the lien paperwork takes. Do not sign anything with an agent until you have those answers.
Why can't I get him out at all?
The California Constitution, art. I, section 12, permits no bail in capital cases with evident proof, and in violent or sex felonies once the judge finds clear and convincing evidence that serious harm is likely. He may also be kept for another case, a supervision violation, or a U.S. hold. Some domestic violence and serious felony cases need a hearing first, under Penal Code 1270.1. Ask the criminal clerk at 530-458-5149, option 4, what applies.
Where are teenagers held in Colusa County?
Colusa County sends detained youth to the Tri-County Youth Development Center at 938 14th Street in Marysville, which Yuba County runs under an agreement with Colusa and Sutter counties. The court says an officer may release a child to a parent, or the Probation Officer must promptly tell the family if the child is held. Usually a petition is filed within 48 hours, followed by a detention hearing. Call Colusa County Probation at 530-458-5871. Juvenile court is at 532 Oak Street.
What changes if it happened on rancheria land?
Tribal police may handle some cases and may hold a person in a tribal facility. If the Colusa County Jail has no record, ask the arresting agency, then call the Sheriff at 530-458-0200 to be pointed to the right office. Keep the date, place, and the officer's name.
He missed a Colusa hearing. Now what?
A bench warrant goes out, and the bond may be forfeited. Penal Code 1305 usually allows 180 days for his return (five more when notice is mailed); coming back in time voids the forfeiture. Call a lawyer and the clerk at 530-458-5149, option 4, the same day. Tell the bail agent too.
How does the money come back to us?
When the case closes, cash bail comes back minus ordered fines, fees or restitution. Whatever the bond company charged is gone for good; save all receipts with the case number on them. To start a refund, phone the clerk at 530-458-5149, option 4. Real offices never take gift cards or app payments for release. Hang up on anyone asking.
What does the 2026 Supreme Court ruling mean in Colusa?
The ruling, In re Kowalczyk, says bail should be an amount a person can actually reach, unless the judge follows the strict state rules for denying bail. For a Colusa case, that means telling the court about income, rent and kids before the number is set.
Where are the courtrooms in Colusa County?
Colusa uses two buildings in the town of Colusa, a short walk apart:
- Main courthouse, Department 1: 547 Market Street, Colusa, CA 95932 · 530-458-5149
- Courthouse annex, Department 2: 532 Oak Street, Colusa, CA 95932 · 530-458-5149
How does a federal arrest in Colusa County work?
Federal cases from the rice country around Colusa and Williams go to Sacramento. The county bail list, local judges and bondsmen are left out. The steps:
- U.S. agents arrest and book him.
- He appears before a magistrate judge at Sacramento federal courthouse, 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
- Pretrial Services gathers background and advises on release.
- The detention hearing happens soon after, unless the government asks for up to three days or his lawyer up to five.
- Either he goes home on conditions or the Marshals hold him in a contract jail.
Reach the Marshals at U.S. Marshals Service, 501 I Street, Suite 5600, Sacramento, 916-930-2030.
Does an ICE detainer affect release from the Colusa jail?
A detainer asks Colusa's jail to keep someone up to 48 hours longer for ICE, weekends and holidays included. California's SB 54 forbids that. Colusa staff can tip off ICE about a release only for people whose records include a crime from the state's serious-or-violent list. The TRUTH Act gives the person written notice before any ICE interview in jail.
The San Francisco ICE field office, 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-365-8800 covers Colusa. ICE detainees are generally held at:
- Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
- Golden State Annex: 611 Frontage Road, McFarland, CA 93250
- California City detention site: 22844 Virginia Boulevard, California City, CA 93505
Which online searches work for a Colusa County arrest?
- Colusa County Inmate Search: enter his last and first names. You'll get the charge, bail and court date.
- VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): choose California, search his name. Shows current custody and location.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): federal register number or name. If he's pretrial, call 916-930-2030.
- CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/): CDCR number or name. Shows his prison after sentencing.
- ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number or name and birth country. Still nothing after two days? Call 415-365-8800.
What number confirms bail in Colusa?
Try the Colusa court on Market Street at 530-458-5149. Staff there can read back the bail and court date so nothing is paid by mistake.
Colusa County bail contacts
- County jail: Colusa County Jail, 929 Bridge Street, Colusa, CA 95932; 530-458-0205
- Bail guide: How Colusa jail bail works
- Custody lookup: Colusa County Inmate Search
- Sheriff-Coroner: 929 Bridge Street, Colusa; 530-458-0200
- Superior Court: Department 1: 547 Market Street, Colusa. Clerk and criminal division: 532 Oak Street, Colusa; 530-458-5149, option 4
- District Attorney: 310 6th Street, Colusa; 530-458-0545
- Lawyers: No public defender office; the judge appoints counsel at arraignment. Ask the clerk, 530-458-5149, option 4
- Juvenile: Probation 530-458-5871; juvenile court, 532 Oak Street; youth held at the Tri-County Youth Development Center, 938 14th Street, Marysville
- Inmate account: Deposit service, 800-546-6283
Colusa's figures and office details shift over time, and judges can set bail off the chart. Phone the Bridge Street jail or the court clerk first. This plain family guide is not legal advice.