Atlanta City Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Enter the name in Fulton County Inmate Search. Charges and bonds also come up through the county's Arrest Inquiry link, by phone at 404-613-2002, or at the front desk of the main jail, which the sheriff says is open 24 hours a day. If the arrest was by Atlanta police on a city charge, the person may be in the city jail instead. That jail has its own phone line, 404-865-8001, and the county search will not list the person.

The sheriff lists three. The Main Jail is at 901 Rice Street NW, Atlanta, 404-613-2000, and is where arrestees are first taken for intake and a warrant check. The Marietta Annex is at 781 Marietta Boulevard, 404-613-2149. The South Annex is at 6500 Watson Street, Union City, 404-613-6637. The county page does not say who is held in which building, so use the search first. A fourth jail inside Fulton County, the Atlanta City Detention Center, belongs to the city and not the sheriff (see the question about Atlanta police).

The sheriff's Bond Administration Unit is on the 9th floor of the Justice Center Tower, 185 Central Avenue, Atlanta, 404-612-5136. The sheriff's jail page says cash bonds are processed 24 hours a day. Call before a long drive.

Two county pages tell it a little differently. The Bond Administration page says cash is accepted at the facility and names checks and credit cards as refused there. The sheriff's jail page lists cash, cashier's checks, and postal money orders, and the check must be made out to Fulton County Sheriff's Office in care of the person's name and booking number. It also says a card works online through cashbondonline.com. Ask 404-612-5136 which version applies to you.

The sheriff charges a $20 non-refundable fee for each bond, plus surcharges. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 17-6-30) stops a bonding company at 15 percent of the bond's face amount, yet lets it set a $50 floor on each charge. Ask the company whether any part of its fee can come back, and get the answer in writing. Cash paid as the bond itself comes back only after the case is over.

No price list for common charges appeared on the sheriff, clerk, or court pages reviewed for this guide, so this page gives no figures. The bond on the person's record is the one that counts, and a judge sets it.

The sheriff says people who do not bond out usually see a judge within 24 hours, and weekend arrests see one on Monday. First appearance hearings are a Magistrate Court duty, and that court answers at 404-613-9071. State law (O.C.G.A. 17-4-26) sets 72 hours as the outer limit when police arrest on a warrant. Ask the jail's records line at 404-613-2002 whether a hearing has happened.

Residential property in Fulton County works, and everyone named on the deed must come and sign. Bring the deed, the current tax bill, the current mortgage statement, and a government photo ID. To lift the lien later, take the case result to the Bond Administration Unit. The unit is at 404-612-5136.

Yes, but not directly. The Fulton sheriff says that county's sheriff must prepare the paperwork and send it in a sealed envelope. Papers that arrive any other way will not be accepted. Before you start, phone 404-612-5136.

A company has to be registered and authorized by the sheriff, who can suspend one under published rules. The sheriff posts an approved list as a PDF and recommends no one. Avoid any company not on it.

Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 17-6-1) reserves bail for a superior court judge on charges like murder, rape, and armed robbery. A person charged with a bail restricted offense under O.C.G.A. 17-6-12 may not leave on a signature alone and must post a secured bond. A hold from probation or another county also keeps someone in custody.

Only a judge can change it. The sheriff's page says county Pretrial Services may interview eligible detainees and recommend release, which can lower a bond or add supervision. A lawyer can also file a motion.

The Atlanta Judicial Circuit Public Defender serves Fulton County. The Adult Division is at 100 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 1600, 404-612-5200, and the Jail Division is at 404-613-2232. The State and Magistrate Court Division is at 160 Pryor Street SW, Suite J-210, 404-612-5419. Applicants must fill out a form and qualify.

Yes, it can be. The Atlanta City Detention Center, at 254 Peachtree Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303, is a separate jail run by the City of Atlanta Department of Corrections. It sits inside Fulton County, but the sheriff does not run it. To ask whether someone is held there, call 404-865-8001 (the department also lists 404-865-8010). The Fulton County Inmate Search covers the county jails, so a name that is missing there may still be in the city jail.

You can pay a city jail bond online or in person. The Atlanta Department of Corrections online bail payment page asks you to accept its terms, find the person by booking number or by name and date of birth, pay, and keep the receipt. If it does not show, call 404-865-8010. In person, per the city's bond page, pay in cash only. No personal, government, or employer checks are accepted. The person paying needs one picture ID that shows a full name and signature, such as a Georgia driver's license, a school or work ID, or a professional membership card. The city lists added charges on a cash bond, including a 5 percent state fee on bonds of $100 or more and $3 per offense for victims; ask the jail for the full list and total.

A property bond starts at a sheriff's office, not the jail. Take the warranty deeds to the sheriff of the county where the land sits, which must be in Georgia. Every owner must be there. The sheriff checks the charges with the city jail and hands you a sealed envelope to carry there for release. Bring the approved property affidavit and two IDs, one with a recent photo and one showing a date of birth, plus any paper proving a name change.

The city says a cash bond is refunded in full by the City Bond Administrator at Atlanta City Court, 104 Trinity Avenue SW, about 30 days after the case is settled. Money you put on a detainee's account for phone or store use, which the city lists at inmatedeposits.com and at a lobby kiosk, is not bond.

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice sends Fulton County youth to Metro Regional Youth Detention Center, 1300 Constitution Road SE, Atlanta, GA 30316, 404-635-4400. The public defender's Juvenile Division is at 395 Pryor Street SW, 404-612-4410. Children's records may not show in the adult search.

Only after the case is finished: the person appeared, was sentenced, was found not guilty, or the case was dismissed. The person named as surety on the receipt must come in with the refund notice, the original receipt, an unexpired photo ID, and the final result. Online payments name the defendant as surety, so only the defendant can collect.

Anyone asking for gift cards, wire transfers, or an app payment is not the jail. Money put on an inmate's account, for example by kiosk or by phone, is not bond. Use 404-613-2000 to confirm.

A federal charge goes to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, not to a county court. Fulton County cases are heard in the Atlanta Division, Richard B. Russell Federal Building & US Courthouse, 75 Ted Turner Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30303-3309; the clerk's line is 404-215-1600. A federal magistrate judge decides on release, often within a day or two of arrest. Deputy U.S. Marshals move people to and from court, and the person may be housed in a county jail under contract. Once sentenced, look the person up with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.