Hart County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds
Hart County bail and bond: the Hartwell jail and the magistrate judges
Adults arrested by the Hart County Sheriff's Office are booked into the Hart County Jail in Hartwell, which opened in a new building in 2024. Type the name into Hart County Inmate Search to see whether the person is in custody and what the bond is. For anything the search leaves out, call the sheriff's office at 706-376-3114. A magistrate judge sets most bonds, and the magistrate judges are on call around the clock for criminal matters. After the amount is set, you can post bail with cash or through a bondsman.
Is my family member sitting in the Hart County jail?
Start with Hart County Inmate Search. Enter the last name and look for a booking with a charge and a bond line. A person arrested an hour ago may not appear yet, so look again later in the day.
If the name still is not there, call the sheriff's office at 706-376-3114 and ask whether the person was taken to another county or is still in processing.
Which number should I call first?
Use the sheriff's office at 706-376-3114 for questions about someone held in the jail. Use the magistrate court at 706-376-6817 when you want to know about a first hearing or a bond hearing. Keep the full legal name and birth date handy so the person answering can find the right record.
Who is the sheriff, and what is new about the jail?
The Hart County Sheriff runs the jail. The sheriff's office is at 890 Vickery Street, Hartwell, GA 30643. The jail building opened in 2024 and holds about 230 people. Because the building is new, ask the desk at 706-376-3114 where visitors and bond payers should go before you drive over.
Does the Hart jail hold people from other counties?
Yes, it can. The county's own jail planning documents say the jail takes in some inmates from other counties. That means an inmate in the building may be held for another jurisdiction. If you cannot find a name here, ask the sheriff's office at 706-376-3114 which facility has the person.
When will a judge decide the bond?
Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 17-4-26) requires an officer to take an arrested person before a judge within 72 hours. In Hart County that is usually a magistrate judge. The county's magistrate court says its judges handle first appearance hearings, pre-warrant hearings, and bond hearings. They are on call 24 hours a day for criminal matters. Call 706-376-6817 to ask when the hearing will be.
Where is the magistrate court, and when is it open?
The Magistrate Court of Hart County sits in the Hart County Courthouse on the square in downtown Hartwell. The mailing address is P.O. Box 698, Hartwell, GA 30643. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.The phone is 706-376-6817.
Can the jail lower the bond, or do I need a judge?
The jail cannot change the number. Under O.C.G.A. 17-6-1 the sheriff must accept bail from a person who is allowed to be released, as long as the surety is approved by the sheriff of the county where the offense happened. A judge decides the amount. A lawyer can ask for a lower bond at a hearing.
What can I pay with, and where do I take it?
The county websites do not post a bonding window, its hours, or the forms of payment. Call 706-376-3114 and ask three things: what the jail takes, what hours someone can post a bond, and whether the money goes to the jail or to the clerk. Note who you spoke with and the time of the call. A cash bond means the full amount, and you should get a written receipt.
Is there a list of bond amounts for common charges?
This page gives no dollar amounts. Neither the county site nor the magistrate court page posts a bond schedule. The amount for your person, if one is set, appears on Hart County Inmate Search. If the line is empty, ask the magistrate court at 706-376-6817 whether a judge has set it yet.
Why would a judge say no to bail?
A few charges, including murder, rape, and armed robbery, can be bailed only before a superior court judge (O.C.G.A. 17-6-1). The Northern Judicial Circuit judges' chambers answer at 706-376-7151. A 57-offense list in O.C.G.A. 17-6-12, including burglary, DUI, and family violence, bars a release without money or property. A hold from probation or another county can also keep a person inside.
Do I have to use a bondsman?
No. If the judge allows it, you can post the whole bond amount in cash. A bondsman is a licensed person who posts the bond for you in return for a fee. O.C.G.A. 17-6-30(a) puts a ceiling on that fee: 15 percent of the bond's face amount. The same law lets a bondsman charge at least $50 for each bonded charge, even when 15 percent would come to less. Before you sign, ask what you owe, what you promise to pay, and what happens if the person misses court. Ask the sheriff's office at 706-376-3114 which bondsmen it accepts.
Can I use a house or land for the bond?
Georgia law lets a sheriff approve property for a bond, and the sheriff of the county where the offense happened makes that call (O.C.G.A. 17-6-12). The statute gives no equity rule. Phone the sheriff at 706-376-3114 and ask whether the land must be in Hart County, how much equity is needed, and which owners must sign.
What if Hartwell police made the arrest?
Hartwell has its own police department. Its non-emergency line is 706-856-3226. Ask the officer or the department which facility the person was taken to and get the report number. Then watch Hart County Inmate Search. The city's municipal court hears city ordinance cases.
Who is the free lawyer if we cannot pay?
Hart County is in the Northern Judicial Circuit. The circuit public defender office is at 461 Cook Street, Suite J, Royston, GA 30662, and it also serves Elbert, Franklin, Madison, and Oglethorpe counties. Call 706-246-9320. Ask the judge for a court-appointed lawyer at the first hearing.
Which youth center takes a Hart County minor?
The Department of Juvenile Justice sends young people from Hart County to the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, 450 Crescent Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501. The phone is 770-531-4597. Court files for minors are kept private, so the adult search will not list a child.
What if the court date passes and he is not there?
The judge can issue a warrant and keep the bond money. A bondsman can also bring the person back to jail. Call a lawyer the same day, and call the Clerk of Superior Court at 706-376-7189 to find the date. The clerk is at 185 W. Franklin Street, in the courthouse annex, open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
Is money on a jail account the same as bail?
No. Money added to a jail account pays for phone calls and store items. It does not release anyone. A caller who demands gift cards or an app transfer for "bond" is a scammer. Hang up and dial the sheriff's office at 706-376-3114 yourself.
What happens with a federal arrest?
Federal cases from Hart County belong to the Middle District of Georgia, Athens Division. The courthouse is 115 East Hancock Avenue, Athens, GA 30601, and the clerk answers at (706) 227-1094. A federal magistrate judge holds the first hearing and sets any release terms. The U.S. Marshals Service keeps custody before trial, so the person may sit in a local jail that rents beds to the Marshals. After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.
Hart County bail contacts
- Jail
- Hart County Jail, Hartwell, GA; sheriff's office 706-376-3114
- Bond guide
- Bail and bond instructions for the jail
- Custody lookup
- Hart County Inmate Search
- Sheriff
- 890 Vickery Street, Hartwell, GA 30643; 706-376-3114
- Magistrate court
- Hart County Courthouse, Hartwell; P.O. Box 698, Hartwell, GA 30643; 706-376-6817
- Superior court
- Northern Judicial Circuit, P.O. Box 950, Hartwell, GA 30643; 706-376-7151
- Clerk of court
- 185 W. Franklin Street (courthouse annex), P.O. Box 386, Hartwell, GA 30643; 706-376-7189
- Hartwell police
- Non-emergency 706-856-3226
- Public defender
- Northern Circuit, 461 Cook Street, Suite J, Royston, GA 30662; 706-246-9320
- Youth detention
- Gainesville RYDC, 450 Crescent Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501; 770-531-4597
Bond amounts, hours, payment rules, and phone numbers can change, and a judge can order a different amount. Check with the sheriff's office or the magistrate court before you send money. This is not legal advice.
How do Bail Bonds work at Hart County Jail
The Hart County Sheriff recommends that you might want to use a bail bond agent licensed to do business in Hart 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 Hart County, or in some cases the state of Georgia, but the benefit of using a bail bond agent is that they take responsibility for making sure the inmate shows up for court in Hart County, and if they don't, then they take the financial responsibility.
- The typical fee for a bond in Georgia 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 $1500.00.
- Pay by cash, cashier's check, money order or credit card at the Hart County Jail, or the courthouse in Hart County where the offense took place.
Call 706-856-5338 to find out the exact bond (plus other fees) amount, or look it up online by looking up the information on the Hart County inmate locator.
Hart County Jail
Address:
2825 Bowman Hwy
Hartwell, GA 30643
Phone:
706-856-5338
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Hart County
What kind of bonds are accepted in Hart County?
Who can set bail in Hart County?
When is bail set in Hart County Georgia?
Does Hart County have bail?
Yes, Hart County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Hart County?
Georgia offers several types of pre-trial release including own recognizance, cash bond, property bond & surety. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest.
Who can set bail in Hart County?
In many cases Georgia follows a pre-set bail schedule, so sheriffs & constables are able to accept bail immediately after processing. For those offense where immediate release in not permitted, or when a defendant does not qualify for immediate release, bail will be determined by a judge.
When is bail set in Hart County Georgia?
Georgia uses a pre-set bail schedule, meaning the bail is set based on the offense and thus us know to police at the time of arrest. In cases where bail is not pre-set, or the defendant does not qualify for immediate release, a judge of the superior court will determine bail at a bail hearing. This hearing shall be scheduled with 48 – 72 hours depending on the classification of the crime the defendant is accused.
What is Bail?
Bail is what the arrested in Hart County must pay or do to stay out of jail until the first court appearance.
The agreement to bail acts as a promise that the arrested will return to court for court dates and trial. Bail usually refers to a dollar amount, but bail can also mean something that has to be done, or a condition such as reporting to an officer of the court, a curfew, restraining orders or attending a treatment program.
Bail is usually a significant enough amount of money and/or condition that the person will be negatively impacted and has incentive to return to court and not flee. A flight risk usually means that the person would flee the area, and not necessary that they are going to take an airplane.
If a judge in Hart County feels that the arrested will return to court for further proceedings, the arrested could be released under a conditional release without needing to pay bail money. This is called Released on Own Recognizance, or ROR.
Conditions for ROR might be to obey all court orders and laws, maintain contact with the lawyer, report changes in residence or have no contact with the victim. Family support will show the court that there are people who will make sure that the defendant makes it to court.
A bond proceeding is the determination of how much bail is to be paid and usually happens before arraignment. A Bond hearing is a determination by a magistrate to determine an amount a person may pay to be released while the case is pending. Sometimes certain crimes will have preset bonds, that can become payable the moment an arrest is made.
The minimum bond in Georgia is $1,000. If a court seeks a bond lower than that then it must be an OR bond, meaning the accused shall be released on their own recognizance, with no money down. During bond proceedings, the defendant is not required to have an attorney but has the right to an attorney if the defendant want one.
If the judge or bail schedule determines that the defendant would be a danger to the public if they were released, bail can be denied, and the person will be detained in the Hart County Jail until the case is resolved or goes to trial.
Bail can be denied if the defendant did not comply with bail conditions from a previous arrest. Bail is usually denied in cases of violent offenses.
What is the difference between Bail and Bond?
Bail and bond are used interchangeably to mean the same thing but technically, they are different.
The bail is the amount to be paid and a bond is a signed document promising payment of the bail amount with certain conditions.
Think of a bond as a loan to pay for the bail.
The bond payment is always written to the court in your municipality, Hart County or district directly and does not go through the defendant. Chances of obtaining a bond from a bond company or clerk of court are better if family is involved.
The thought of being in jail can cause the arrested to panic and try to secure a bond immediately.
DO NOT panic and take the time to understand all the options.
More courts are now trying to work with defendants to make bail work and might provide non-monetary options or even reduce the bail.
Payments to a bond company are not refundable. It is a long process to get back property title or money that was given to the clerk of court or bondsperson to secure the bond. This could put your loved ones into a difficult financial situation.
Another reason not to unnecessarily rush into securing a bond is that if the court notes that you came up with the money to pay a bond company, they may assume you have resources to pay a defense attorney and decline public defense.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ever been involved in their criminal defense understands, fighting your case while ‘out on the streets’ gives you a much better chance of either winning, or getting a more favorable sentence.
What are the different types of bonds in Hart County?
Based on a review of information from the arrest, the judge or bail officer will determine and notify the accused of which types of bonds are available to them.
To describe the types of bonds, let’s use an example of buying your neighbor’s car. Your neighbor decides the price of the car and how they would be paid.
Similarly, the court (meaning a police or bail officer, clerk of court, bail magistrate or judge) determines the bail amount and how it would be paid.
Here are different options that the seller of the car or the court might consider:
You could pay full asking price for the car in cash. This is similar to paying cash bail. The full amount of bail would be paid to the town or county clerk or at the jail. Cash, cashier’s checks and credit cards are usually accepted.
You could sign an agreement on your own or with another person to pay for the car at a future date knowing that your neighbor would know where to find you if you stopped payment.
This would be similar to a cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond which are bonds to where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible for making sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up.
Surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
You can put a deposit down for your neighbor’s car and sign an agreement that the car will be paid off at a later date. Cash percentage in lieu of bonds is when the defendant pays a percentage of the bail amount, usually 10%, to the court which then holds the money until the case is over.
The amount is returned to the person who paid the 10% after the case is over. In most cases, the full amount is not returned if there are court fees or fines due. This is a type of surety bond if another person signs the bond paperwork.
You could sign an agreement that if the car were not paid off, that your neighbor would get your house or something of value.
A property bond is a bond that the courts might consider in which the bond is pledged in land or home real estate (mobile homes are not accepted).
Usually, the property must be in the same state as the courts, and it must be worth at least 1 ½ - 2 times the amount of the bond.
There are multiple court fees involved to execute a property bond with the courts and a tedious process to get the property deed back. This is another type of surety bond if another person or a bond company is used to secure the bond.
You could also go to a local bank and take out a car loan offering property or anything of value for collateral. You may get someone to co-sign on the loan and offer their property. The bank charges fees, interest and could keep your property if you did not pay the loan back, or even on time.
A professional bondsperson makes money, at least 10% of the bond amount by providing you with a “loan” called a bond. The percent that they charge is fixed by the state and cannot be negotiated. The defendant or surety does not get that 10% or more back even if the terms of the bail are met.
With a property bond, the property deed would need to be signed over to the bondsperson and everyone on the deed would need to be involved.
Since the bondsperson signed off, to be responsible that you show to court as your surety, they can send a bounty hunter to bring you to court if you flee. A bondsperson does not have to give you a bond if the defendant seems to be too much of a risk.
Ask the bondsperson to explain all the costs: percentage, fees or court fees. There is never a reason to rush through signing the paperwork with a bond company. Make sure that everything told to you is in writing and that you understand what you are signing. Ask questions, and if you feel rushed or don’t understand the contract with the bond company, you might want to call another one.
(There have been phone scams where a bond company calls and informs a person that their family member has been arrested and they ask for financial information. A bondsperson will not call asking for money without involvement of the arrested.)
Does Hart County have bail?
Yes, Hart County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Hart County?
Georgia offers several types of pre-trial release including own recognizance, cash bond, property bond & surety. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest.
Who can set bail in Hart County?
In many cases Georgia follows a pre-set bail schedule, so sheriffs & constables are able to accept bail immediately after processing. For those offense where immediate release in not permitted, or when a defendant does not qualify for immediate release, bail will be determined by a judge.
When is bail set in Georgia?
Georgia uses a pre-set bail schedule, meaning the bail is set based on the offense and thus us know to police at the time of arrest. In cases where bail is not pre-set, or the defendant does not qualify for immediate release, a judge of the superior court will determine bail at a bail hearing. This hearing shall be scheduled with 48 – 72 hours depending on the classification of the crime the defendant is accused.
Can I get the bail or bond reduced in Hart County Georgia?
Yes, if there are extenuating circumstances and the judge set the initial bail, your attorney can request a bond reduction.
In Hart County Georgia, who can pay bail for me?
The person posting bail should be a relative or close friend, called a surety, because they are promising and taking responsibility that you will return to court to get their money back.
A surety is not responsible for court fees or paying off personal debts for the defendant. A professional bondsperson who is approved by the State of Georgia could be the surety and execute a bond to the court on your behalf.
Can bail be paid online in Hart County Georgia?
Yes, Georgia does offer online bail payment. Please contact the jail for specific information on how to pay bail. Go to the Hart County Jail for more information about the jails in Hart County.
What options are there to pay bail in Hart County Georgia?
Cash or security; credit card in some counties. The security may be either cash or property. Bail may be posted at the appropriate county jail or sheriff’s office in which the defendant is charged.
Please contact the jail for specific information on what methods of payment are accepted. Go to the Hart County Jail for more information about posting bail in Hart County.
Will I get all my bond money back in Georgia?
Bail money is returned to the person who paid the bail; in whole or in part once the case is finished.
There may be fees, restitution (money to pay for damage caused by the crime) or fines that come out of that amount. If you used a bondsperson, you would not get your 10% back. Property is returned by the court or bondsperson after the appropriate requests and formal paperwork are completed with the court.
Can I get bail or a bond with no money down in Hart County?
The judge or officer who sets bail determines which kind of bail will be an option for you, but a cash bond and PR bonds usually do not require cash down, though you might have to pay court fees.
A cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond are bonds where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible to make sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up. A surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
What are the least expensive and affordable bail bonds in Georgia?
The Hart County Jail or court in this jurisdiction can provide you with a list of approved and licensed bond companies, but they cannot recommend a specific company. You are not obligated to use the first company available and can call several companies to compare what kind of bonds that the bondsperson is willing to execute.
The percentage of bail that the bond company can charge is set, usually at 10%, by the state and cannot be negotiated.