Kenton County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Look the person up on the jail roster to confirm the booking, then phone the detention center at 859-363-2400. Staff can share the charge and amount after a judge has set it. Spell the name carefully and have a birth date ready, because a large jail can hold more than one person with the same name.

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., bond is posted at the circuit clerk's office in the Kenton County Justice Center, 230 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY 41011, 859-292-6521. The office accepts cash, money orders, personal checks, and cards, which carry a surcharge. Checks for circuit court are held 10 days to clear. A paid public garage sits just off Madison Avenue for drivers.

On weekdays after 4:30 p.m., and all day Saturday and Sunday, bond is posted at the detention center on Decker Crane Lane instead of the clerk's office. Bring photo ID and the exact amount if you can. Release normally follows within a few hours, once staff process the paperwork and any other holds are cleared.

Unless the court orders otherwise, the clerk takes only three kinds of security: cash in the full set amount; Kentucky real estate worth at least 110 percent of the bond, debt-free, not company-owned, and signed by every owner; or a surety company approved by the U.S. Treasury. Ask the clerk before bringing property papers.

They are not. In Kenton County, families deal directly with the circuit clerk at the Kenton County Justice Center, 230 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY 41011 (859-292-6521), and you will not find bondsmen near the jail because posting bail for profit has been illegal in this state for decades (KRS 431.510). That also means the money is yours to recover when the case wraps up, minus whatever the judge orders withheld.

Every person booked at the Kenton County Detention Center on Decker Crane Lane (859-363-2400) is screened by a Pretrial Services officer, who checks past cases, work and ties to the area and scores the risk of missing court (KRS 431.515). The judge sees that score. Low-risk people are often let go on a written promise, with nothing paid (KRS 431.066).

A Kenton judge may accept a signed promise alone, known as own recognizance, or an unsecured bond, under which nothing is paid unless a date is missed. The judge may also call for a ten percent cash deposit with the clerk (KRS 431.530), full cash, or a property bond using Kentucky land (KRS 431.535).

The judge picks the type and amount at the first hearing.

A judge at the Kenton County Justice Center sets the amount, and the clerk (859-292-6521) can share it with family. By law, bail can be no higher than needed to bring the person back, and the judge must weigh what they can afford (KRS 431.525). A bare violation seldom leads to jail (KRS 431.062). A state table sets terms for many lower felonies (KRS 431.540), and victim safety guides domestic violence cases (KRS 431.064). Each jail day is credited at $100 toward bail on many charges.

Conditions can include GPS monitoring, drug tests, curfews or no contact with a victim. Breaking one can mean a return to jail. A no-show brings an arrest warrant; forfeiture of the bond may follow 20 days after notice (KRS 431.545). Refunds at the clerk's office are handled until 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.

The county by itself makes up the 16th Judicial Circuit. Misdemeanors go to the County Attorney, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Suite 4200, Covington, KY 41011 (859-491-0600). Indicted felonies go to the Commonwealth's Attorney, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Suite 2300, Covington, KY 41011 (859-292-6580). If you cannot afford counsel, ask the judge to appoint the Covington Trial Office of the public defender (333 Scott Street, Suite 400, Covington, KY 41011; 833-385-6054), who can argue for a lower bond.

The detention center houses federal, state and county inmates. A federal case is heard at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 35 West Fifth Street, Covington, KY 41011, 859-392-7925, and paying a state bond does not release a federal hold. Immigration detainers allow up to 48 hours past release. Use the ICE finder and our court guide. After a federal sentence the federal prison locator shows where the person went, and someone sent to state prison turns up in the KOOL lookup.