Merced County Main Jail Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

Start with Merced County Inmate Search, which shows where a person is housed. If it shows nothing, call the Main Jail at 209-385-7410. The county runs the Main Jail in Merced and the correctional center on Sandy Mush Road. Staff at the Main Jail desk can tell you which building has him, so call before you drive anywhere.

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Call the Main Jail at 209-385-7410 for custody and bail questions. That center lists 209-385-7575 for visiting information. The Operations Captain's line, 209-385-7445, is for matters those desks cannot solve. The Sheriff's office is at 700 West 22nd Street.

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Merced's 2026 felony chart, in force since January 1, prices common charges like this: residential burglary, $50,000; other burglary, $15,000; grand theft, $20,000; first-degree robbery, $100,000; second-degree robbery, $50,000; assault with a deadly weapon, $30,000; domestic violence injury, $50,000, or $100,000 with a prior; murder, $1,000,000, with bail refused outright when a special circumstance is alleged.

An unlisted felony is priced by the prison term it carries. A three-year top term is $20,000, and the amount rises with the term.

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The 2026 misdemeanor schedule lists battery under PC 242 at $2,000, petty theft at $2,000, drunk driving at $10,000, drug possession under HS 11377 or 11350 at $5,000, spousal abuse under PC 273.5 at $10,000, and disturbing the peace or trespass at $500. Any Merced misdemeanor left off that chart defaults to $1,000. A judge can still raise or lower any of these.

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Each year Merced's judges vote on a new chart, as Penal Code 1269b directs. Pay the chart figure at the jail and he can walk out even before his first hearing. After a judge sets bail at a hearing, that judge's figure controls. For serious felonies, Penal Code 1270.1 requires a hearing before bail moves above or below the schedule.

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Phone the Main Jail, 700 West 22nd Street, Merced, CA 95340, at 209-385-7410 and ask where bail is accepted, during which hours, and in what form. Jail staff can tell you the bail hours, so please ask instead of guessing. The Sheriff's office, 209-385-7445, also takes bail and booking questions. Hiring a state-licensed bondsman works too. Ask the desk to write down the booking number and the amount owed.

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A licensed bail agent usually charges 10 percent of the bail, according to the state Department of Insurance, and a rebate can lower it. On a $20,000 bail, ten percent is $2,000. Ask for terms in writing, since the fee is generally not returned. His attorney may also ask the Merced judge to cut it, pointing to the Penal Code 1275 factors.

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A property bond involves the court. Merced's local rules have a section on bail modification and release motions, so ask the Criminal Clerk at 209-725-4113 how a property bond is handled before you pull any deeds. Also check whether a lot in Stanislaus County or across state lines would qualify, and how much of its value must be owned free and clear.

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Felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions are handled at the N Street criminal courthouse, 2260 N Street, Merced. The Criminal Clerks' Office is on the first floor and answers at 209-725-4113. In-person service is 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday. The Los Banos justice center, 1159 G Street, is another court location in the county.

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Penal Code 825 requires a first appearance within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays. Ask the clerk at 209-725-4113 about the next calendar. An arrest on Friday afternoon can mean waiting until the courts reopen.

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Possibly. A judge may release him on his own promise to return under Penal Code 1318, which also requires him to follow conditions and stay in California. Officers may give some misdemeanor arrestees a notice to appear under Penal Code 853.6 instead of holding them. A probation or parole hold, or another county's warrant, can still keep him in.

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Yes. State law lets a Merced judge keep a person jailed without bail when the charge carries death, or in certain violent or sex felonies where letting him out puts others at serious risk. Merced's felony schedule lists murder with a special circumstance as no bail. Ask the jail at 209-385-7410 if a hold is on the record.

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At the first hearing, tell the judge he needs a free lawyer. The Merced County Public Defender has an office at 1944 M Street, Merced, 209-385-7692, and one at 445 I Street, Los Banos, 209-710-6030. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. A contract attorney office, 209-722-7034, takes cases the Public Defender cannot because of a conflict.

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The county's booking page lists the county juvenile justice complex, 2840 West Sandy Mush Road, Merced, at 209-381-1400. Kids are handed to a parent or guardian with no bail, though the paperwork may take about an hour after approval. Juvenile Probation is 209-385-7494.

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Missing a Merced hearing usually brings a bench warrant, and the bondsman's money is at risk. After the notice, Penal Code 1305 gives 180 days, with five more for mailing, to return before the bond is lost. Call the clerk at 209-725-4113 that day.

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In most cases. Under In re Kowalczyk, decided in April 2026, an amount far beyond a person's means isn't allowed as a way to keep them jailed. Merced and Los Banos judges must either set a fair figure or follow the no-bail rules.

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Merced's court uses several buildings in the city of Merced, including a separate juvenile courthouse:

• Downtown courthouse: 627 West 21st Street, Merced, CA 95340 · 209-725-4100
• Courts building: 2260 N Street, Merced, CA 95340 · 209-725-4100
• Old courthouse: 720 West 20th Street, Merced, CA 95340 · 209-725-4107
• Juvenile courthouse: 2840 West Sandy Mush Road, Merced, CA 95341 · 209-725-4119

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Merced is in the Fresno division of the Eastern District of California. Federal cases skip county bail:

• He sees a magistrate judge at Fresno federal courthouse, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA 93721.
• Pretrial Services talks with him and reports to the judge.
• There may be a gap before the detention hearing, three days at most for the U.S. attorney, five for the defense.
• Release on federal conditions, or custody in a Marshals contract jail, follows.

Fresno Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, 559-442-2858.

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The Merced Sheriff follows SB 54. Detainers don't add custody time. If the person's record includes a serious or violent conviction listed in state law, ICE may be told when he's leaving. The TRUTH Act requires a written notice before any ICE interview.

San Francisco ICE field office, 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-365-8800 covers Merced. Detainees are commonly 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

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• Merced County Inmate Search: type him in by last name then first; the Merced record lists bail and his hearing.
• VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): California and a name; shows the jail.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): register number or name; pretrial callers use 559-442-2858.
• CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/): CDCR number or name.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number or name and birth country; then 415-365-8800.

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Ring the criminal clerk on N Street at 209-725-4113 for the amount a judge set, or the Main Jail desk at 209-385-7410 if he hasn't seen a judge yet. Have his booking number ready.

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