Oren R. Fox Medium Security Detention Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Imperial County

California • Imperial County • Bail & bond help

Imperial County bail and bond: three jails, one schedule, and where to ask

All three of Imperial County's adult county jails sit in or near El Centro: the Regional Adult Detention Facility at 1328 Sperber Road, El Centro, CA 92243, the Herbert Hughes Correctional Center at 328 Applestill Road, El Centro, CA 92243, and the medium-security Oren R. Fox facility, all reached through jail information at 442-265-2266. The Sheriff says everyone is first housed at the Regional facility while staff screen and sort them. Use Imperial County Inmate Search to check if he is locked up in El Centro and for what. For anything the search leaves out, call Jail and Inmate Information at 442-265-2266.

1. Which of the three jails holds my husband?

Search his name with Imperial County Inmate Search first. Newly booked people begin at the Regional Adult Detention Facility, 1328 Sperber Road, El Centro, CA 92243, and staff may move them to the Herbert Hughes Correctional Center at the Sheriff's complex, 328 Applestill Road, El Centro, CA 92243, or to the Oren R. Fox facility, which is medium security; jail and inmate information for all three is 442-265-2266. If the search shows nothing, call the Sheriff's Jail and Inmate Information line at 442-265-2266, or the division line, 442-265-2267.

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2. How do I tell the Sheriff's office from the jail?

In Imperial County one elected office serves as Sheriff, Coroner and Marshal. The Sheriff's main office is at 328 Applestill Road in El Centro, 442-265-2000. Dispatch for non-emergencies is 442-265-2021. The toll-free number is 1-800-452-2051. Records and civil staff are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For custody questions, though, use the jail information line.

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3. What number should the jail use for a felony?

The 2026 court schedule sets felony bail by the longest term the crime carries. A 3-year term or less is $10,000. Four years is $25,000, and 5 years is $30,000. Seven years is $50,000, and 10 years is $75,000. A term of 16 years or more, but under life, is $500,000. Life is $1,000,000, and life without parole is no bail. Ask the jail line which term applies to the charge.

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4. What about misdemeanors?

The schedule lists $1,500 for a crime with a 90-day maximum, $2,500 for 180 days, $3,500 for 270 days, and $5,000 for 364 days. A misdemeanor probation violation is $5,000. Spousal battery and misdemeanor domestic violence injury are each $5,000. Check Imperial County Inmate Search for the actual amount on the booking.

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5. Are some charges much higher?

Yes. The schedule puts a felony drunk-driving charge at $50,000. A felony domestic violence injury charge is $50,000. Murder with special circumstances is no bail. The same rules say a judge can set a different number, so treat these as starting points.

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6. Does the person always get out at the schedule amount?

Not always. The court's schedule says an officer can swear out a statement asking for more bail, and a judge must approve it within 8 hours. Another statement about where bail money came from needs approval within 24 hours. Until the judge acts, the person cannot be freed at the lower number. Domestic violence and other serious charges also need a hearing first.

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7. A zero-dollar bail appears. Does that mean free?

It means no money is needed. The schedule defines $0 bail as release on a signed written citation or promise to appear. He must still show up on the court date printed there. If you see $0, ask the jail line at 442-265-2266 when she will walk out.

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8. Where do I take the money?

Imperial's sheriff site gives no bail counter hours, so phone ahead before making the trip. Call 442-265-2266 to learn which Imperial facility accepts bail, at what times, and in what form. The Superior Court accepts only U.S. funds. Its criminal office, at 760-482-2245, can say if a court counter can take bail for the courthouse involved. Read about bail too.

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9. Does an Imperial jail account deposit count as bail?

Deposits through the jail's money service are for calls and store items. They do not release a person. Never send money to someone who phones you offering to "clear" a booking. Keep the receipt that shows whether it was a deposit or a bond.

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10. Do I have to hire a bail agent?

Only when the family cannot cover the full sum. Otherwise a licensed bondsman will post it for a premium. According to state insurance regulators, about a tenth is the norm, each firm files its rate, and the premium rarely comes back. Agents cannot cold-call you. Look up the license and get terms in writing.

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11. Can I post property?

Imperial County's sheriff and court pages do not spell out a property-bond rule. Phone the criminal office, 760-482-2245, before you collect deeds. Learn whether land past the Imperial line qualifies, how much equity El Centro requires, and how many weeks it takes. Every owner named on the title must sign.

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12. Which courthouse takes the criminal case?

Criminal cases are heard at the El Centro Criminal Courthouse, 650 Wake Avenue. The main El Centro Courthouse is at 939 West Main Street. Both use 760-482-2200. The criminal office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 760-482-2245. The court also has a small Winterhaven branch at 2124 Winterhaven Drive, 760-336-3500, open Tuesday through Thursday.

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13. How soon will an El Centro judge hear it?

Penal Code 825 sets 48 hours from arrest, skipping Sundays and court holidays. At that hearing an El Centro judge can lower or raise bail at that hearing, or order release on a signed promise under Penal Code 1318. Plenty of lesser Imperial arrests stop at a written citation under Penal Code 853.6.

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14. What makes a booking show no bail?

California's constitution, in article I, section 12, allows no-bail holds when the charge is capital. It may also be refused for violent or sexual felonies, or when a person threatened great bodily harm, if the court finds clear and convincing evidence of danger. Under the schedule, special-circumstance murder, and someone with three prior violent convictions, get no bail. Another agency's hold can block release too.

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15. If El Centro police arrested him, where is he?

El Centro Police can be reached at 760-352-2111. All adult arrests in Imperial go to county lockups, so verify him through Imperial County Inmate Search. Brawley police (760-344-2111), Calexico police (760-768-2140) and other city agencies each have their own lines; Sheriff's jail and inmate information at 442-265-2266 can say which agency brought him in.

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16. Where does Imperial County keep a youth?

The Imperial County Juvenile Hall is at 324 Applestill Road in El Centro, 442-265-2450, run by the Probation Department. Probation's main line is 442-265-2379. When a petition is filed, a detention hearing comes within 2 to 3 court days. Visits with parents follow state Title 15 rules, so call for times.

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17. Will Imperial appoint him a lawyer for free?

He requests one from the bench at his first appearance. The Public Defender is at 895 Broadway in El Centro, 442-265-1705 or 442-265-1706, and the office handles adult and juvenile court. It is closed to walk-ins, so call. Have the booking date and charge ready.

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18. He missed his El Centro date. What now?

Skipping court in El Centro triggers both a bench warrant and bond forfeiture. Under Penal Code 1305 the bail agent or the person who paid has 180 days from the mailing of the clerk's notice, plus five days, to bring him back. Call the criminal office at 760-482-2245 the same day and talk to your agent.

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19. Can an Imperial County judge set bail higher than our income?

A 2026 state Supreme Court ruling says bail should usually be within a person's means. If an El Centro judge believes release is unsafe, the right path is a hearing to deny bail under the state constitution, not an amount nobody could raise.

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20. Which Imperial County courthouses hear criminal cases?

Imperial has two buildings in El Centro and a small court in Winterhaven near the Arizona line:

  • El Centro courthouse: 939 West Main Street, El Centro, CA 92243 · 760-482-2200
  • El Centro criminal courthouse: 650 Wake Avenue, El Centro, CA 92243 · 760-482-2200
  • Winterhaven court: 2124 Winterhaven Drive, Winterhaven, CA 92283 · 760-336-3500

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21. How do federal cases from the Imperial Valley work?

Imperial County sits on the border, so federal arrests are common here, often by Border Patrol or HSI at the Calexico ports or on the highways. These cases skip county bail entirely and go to the Southern District of California, which has a courthouse in El Centro:

  • A magistrate judge at El Centro federal courthouse, 2003 West Adams Avenue, El Centro, CA 92243 handles the first appearance, usually the next court day.
  • Pretrial Services interviews him and checks his record and ties to the area.
  • A detention hearing decides custody. Federal law allows a short wait first: three days if the government asks, five on a defense request.
  • Release may come with a bond, a co-signer, travel limits or GPS. If held, he is housed by the Marshals, often in the Imperial Regional facility or in San Diego.

The El Centro Marshals office is U.S. Marshals Service, 2003 West Adams Avenue, El Centro, 760-353-9790.

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22. What happens if ICE files a detainer with the Imperial County jail?

SB 54 applies in Imperial just like the rest of California. The Sheriff won't keep someone beyond release to suit ICE. ICE may be told about a release only when the person has a conviction from the state's serious-or-violent list. Before ICE talks to anyone in jail, the TRUTH Act requires a written notice.

Immigration enforcement here is run by the San Diego ICE field office, 880 Front Street, Suite 2242, San Diego, CA 92101, 619-436-0410. Detainees are commonly held close by at:

  • Otay Mesa Detention Center: 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154
  • Imperial Regional Detention Facility: 1572 Gateway Road, Calexico, CA 92231

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23. How can we find someone held after an Imperial County arrest?

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24. How do we confirm an El Centro bail amount?

Call the Imperial court at 760-482-2200. A judge may adjust bail at the first hearing, so check right before you pay.

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Imperial County bail contacts

Imperial updates its dollar amounts, hours, fees and contacts, and each judge keeps the power to depart from the schedule. Phone before you carry cash. This guide describes local practice in plain words and is not legal counsel.

Paying an Inmate's Bail or Bond in Imperial County

The Imperial County Sheriff recommends that you might want to use a bail bond agent licensed to do business in Imperial County.

However if you don't want to use a bail bond agent:

  • You can always pay a cash bond yourself, or use your home in Imperial County, or in some cases the state of California, but the benefit of using a bail bond agent is that they take responsibility for making sure the inmate shows up for court in Imperial County, and if they don't, then they take the financial responsibility.
  • The typical fee for a bond in California is between 10-20% of the bail amount; usually 15% or less.  So if an offender has a bail of $10,000.00, their bond will be $1,500.00.
  • Pay by cash, cashier's check, money order or credit card at the Oren R. Fox Medium Security Detention Facility, or the courthouse in Imperial County where the offense took place.

Call 442-265-2266 to find out the exact bond (plus other fees) amount, or look it up online by looking up the information on the Imperial County inmate locator.

Oren R. Fox Medium Security Detention Facility

Address:
1329 Sperber Road
El Centro, CA 92243

Phone:

442-265-2266

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Imperial County