Highlands County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Search Highlands County Inmate Search for the full legal name. A booking may not show right away, especially late at night. Name still missing after a few hours? Phone the Highlands jail, 863-402-7201.

Give the date of birth. The jail holds many people, and a birth date separates look-alike names.

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Yes. In Highlands, Florida Rule 3.130 sets 24 hours from arrest, unless the person was lawfully released. Video is allowed. The judge decides on release and conditions and sets or changes the bond.

Ask the jail desk at 863-402-7201 what time first appearance runs in Highlands County.

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The 10th Circuit has a local order, Administrative Order 2-49.10 ("Uniform Bond Schedule"), signed December 23, 2025. Local figures may exceed the Florida Supreme Court's 2026 statewide minimums, which are shown here. Ask the jail what applies. In Highlands, a third-degree felony is $5,000 with force or threat and $2,500 without force. A first-degree misdemeanor carries $1,000 with force and $500 without. A second-degree misdemeanor carries $250 with force and $150 without.

Highlands DUI charges run $1,000 for a first-degree misdemeanor, $750 for a repeat DUI filed as second-degree, and $500 for a first offense. At first appearance, the judge can choose any amount.

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Under Florida Statutes 903.011, a Highlands judge may choose amounts off that schedule. The judge may go higher, lower, or release on conditions. Each charge carries its own bond, so several charges can add up.

Under section 903.046 the judge weighs the facts of the offense, the evidence, ties to the area, earlier missed hearings, and danger to others. A lawyer can present that information.

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The Clerk of Courts is at 430 South Commerce Avenue, 863-402-6565, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For bond money at the jail, call 863-402-7201 and ask where it is accepted at 338 South Orange Street, what hours the window or desk keeps, and which forms of payment are accepted. Get a Highlands receipt in writing that lists the case number.

Highlands families can have a licensed bail agent post a surety bond at the jail. Compare more than one agent if you have time.

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No. The Florida Department of Financial Services sets the Highlands premium at 10 percent, so $1,000 bail costs $100. The agent also has to follow Florida Statutes 648.33, which means the filed rate, not a discount and not an add-on.

The state treats the premium as earned once the agent gets the defendant out. In Highlands, you get the premium back if there's no release. Ask for collateral terms and other costs in writing before you sign.

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It is sometimes allowed. Phone the Highlands jail desk to learn who reviews property bonds, whether land must lie in Highlands, equity counted, and signers. Property bonds can take days.

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Not always. It may mean the person must see a judge first. Florida Statutes 903.011(6) makes certain Highlands arrestees wait for first appearance, mainly repeat arrestees, people already on supervision, and those facing top felonies.

When the evidence on a capital or life charge is strong, Highlands judges may deny bail; they may also do so if no terms would protect the community or ensure the person shows up (Article I, section 14 of the Florida Constitution). A Highlands inmate may also stay jailed due to a probation hold or another county's warrant.

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The 10th Circuit Public Defender serves Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Counties. At a Highlands first appearance, say you can't pay for a lawyer. The Highlands office is at 520 Fernleaf Avenue, Sebring, 863-402-6724, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court reviews your income and decides whether to appoint one.

In Highlands, a private lawyer may request a bond hearing at any time.

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The state lists the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 1803 Fifth Street West, Bradenton, FL 34205, 941-741-3023, as serving Highlands County. Screening for detention is run for the Department of Juvenile Justice by Agency for Community Treatment Services, 1090 US Highway 17 South, Bartow, FL 33830, 863-519-3655.

Manatee posts visits on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons, in two groups by last name, A through H and I through Z, and requires photo ID. Hours may change on holidays. Highlands keeps children out of its adult search.

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The Highlands department can give the report number and booking site. Then keep checking Highlands County Inmate Search. The Highlands County Jail on Orange Street is the county facility where adult bookings are made.

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If a Highlands defendant fails to show, the judge can forfeit the bond. Highlands notice goes out from the clerk within five days; payment is owed within 60 days unless the court discharges it (section 903.26). Call the lawyer and the agent that day.

A new arrest or violation of release rules can end release under section 903.0471.

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Highlands typically refunds a relative's cash after the case, less ordered fines, costs, or fees. The bail agent's premium stays with the agent after a release, while any collateral should be returned within 21 days of the court discharging the bond, says the state's consumer page. Highlands payers should keep receipts showing the case number.

Money added to a jail account is separate from bail.

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In Highlands, distrust any demand for gift cards, crypto, or instant payment. Call 863-402-7201 yourself and ask what the jail needs.

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• ICE uses Form I-247A to ask Highlands jailers for more time.
• That extra hold in Highlands lasts up to 48 hours.
• Saturdays, Sundays and holidays all count in Highlands.
• Paying a Highlands bond will not lift the detainer.
• F.S. 908.105 says the Highlands bond judge must be told.
• The Highlands prosecutor is told too.
• Every Florida jail sheriff, Highlands included, must join 287(g) (F.S. 908.11).
• For Highlands, ICE's 287(g) list shows:
  • Task Force Model
  • Warrant Service Officer
• To find a person ICE took from Highlands, try the ICE locator.

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