Ulster County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

In New York, bail is a judge's job alone. A deputy, a police officer or a jail officer cannot. After an arrest, the person is taken before a judge for the arraignment, which is the first court hearing. The state court system's help pages say this usually happens within about 24 hours.

In this county, the first hearing usually takes place before the justice of the town or village where the officers picked the person up. Arrests inside the city go to Kingston City Court, 1 Garraghan Drive, Kingston, NY 12401. The District Attorney's Office says the county's 22 justice courts meet day and night, so a judge can be reached after hours and on weekends.

Many people never reach the jail at all. When the top charge is a class E felony or anything lower, the officer is supposed to write a desk appearance ticket and send the person home (CPL 150.20). That slip of paper sets the day to come to court. The law lists exceptions, for example an open warrant, skipping court within the last two years, or a crime inside a family.

Under CPL 500.10, what the judge issues is a "securing order." Each one falls into one of four types:

• Release on recognizance (ROR). No money changes hands. The person simply promises to keep every court date.
• Release with conditions. The judge sets rules the person must follow while the case is open. The person can't be billed for them.
• Bail. Money or a signed bond that backs up the promise to return. Reserved for charges the law calls a "qualifying offense."
• Remand. Jail with no bail until the case is over. This is open only on a qualifying felony.

A qualifying offense is a charge on a list the Legislature wrote into the law, mostly violent or very serious crimes (CPL 510.10(4)). For every other charge, the judge must choose ROR, or conditions if ROR alone won't bring the person back (CPL 510.10(3), 530.20(1)(a)). Either way, the judge has to give the reasons in court or in writing.

An ankle monitor is the strictest condition. Only people facing certain charges can be put on one, and it lasts no more than 60 days before a judge must look at it again (CPL 510.40(4)).

New York has no bail chart. The judge picks an amount after weighing the charge, the person's record, any past missed court dates and whether the person can pay without great hardship (CPL 510.10(1)). Here is how charges tend to sort out:

1. Violations. These are not crimes. The person is released, and the most jail a violation can bring is 15 days.
2. Most misdemeanors. Release is required, either ROR or with conditions.
3. Most nonviolent felonies. Release is also required.
4. Violating a protective order for a relative or someone in the home. Bail is allowed.
5. Violent felonies, such as first-degree robbery or second-degree assault. Bail or remand is allowed.
6. Class A felonies. Bail or remand is allowed, and only a superior court judge can release the person.
7. A new harm or gun charge while out on a similar case, bail jumping, or a felony while on probation. Bail is allowed.

State data for 2024 shows how often bail is used outside New York City. Town and village judges released 75% of people on their own word and 5% on conditions, set bail for 13%, and remanded 7%. City court judges released 57% on their word and 16% on conditions, set bail for 20%, and remanded 7%.

A bail order has to give the family a choice of three or more forms, including either an unsecured bond or a partially secured one (CPL 520.10(2)(b)). With the partially secured kind, the cash put down is capped at 10% of the total. On $5,000 bail, for example, the most you would put down is $500. For the bail in a real case, call the jail at 845-340-3644.

The Sheriff's FAQ lists three ways to pay bail for someone in the jail. Follow these steps:

1. Call the jail at 845-340-3644 and ask for the person's inmate ID number. The FAQ says the desk officer can give it to you.
2. Ask on that call for the exact amount and the forms of bail the judge allowed. You can also check the inmate lookup.
3. Pick a way to pay:
   • By phone or online at 866-345-1884, using the inmate ID number.
   • At the kiosk in the reception area of the Law Enforcement Center, 380 Boulevard, Kingston, NY 12401.
   • With a certified money order made out in the name of the person in jail.
4. For a bail bond, the FAQ says to use any bondsman you choose or to call 866-232-1899.
5. Sign the form the law requires and keep every receipt. Proof of the deposit means the jail has to free the person promptly (CPL 520.15).

Lobby hours for the kiosk can change. When you call for the ID number, ask when the reception area is open before you drive over.

Yes. Under CPL 520.15, cash bail may go to three places: the county treasurer, the judge's own court, or the Sheriff who has custody. Two town courts list the payments they take for fines and bail.

Kingston Town Court, 906 Sawkill Road, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-336-8853, extension 1. Clerk hours are Monday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

1. Call first to confirm the amount and that the court is open.
2. Bring exact cash, a money order, a certified check, or a Visa or Mastercard.
3. Personal checks are refused.

Ulster Town Court, 1 Town Hall Drive, Lake Katrine, NY 12449, 845-382-1737. Phone hours are Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Friday, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

1. Call to confirm the amount.
2. In person, pay with exact cash, a money order, a certified check, or a Visa or Mastercard.
3. By mail, the court takes a money order, a certified check or a card.

If the case is in County Court, call the clerk at 845-481-9375 to ask how bail is taken there. The courthouse is at 285 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401, and is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Every other town court is listed with its number in our court guide, so phone ahead.

At the jail, the Sheriff's FAQ names three choices: a payment by phone or online through 866-345-1884, the lobby kiosk, or a certified money order in the name of the person held. Planning to bring cash or a personal check? Call 845-340-3644 first to ask if the jail takes it.

State law lists every form of bail a judge may allow (CPL 520.10):

• Cash bail. Anyone can pay it for the person.
• A credit card, when the judge includes it.
• An insurance company bail bond, bought from a licensed bail agent.
• Secured bonds, backed by property worth the full amount, or land worth twice the amount after debts.
• Partially secured bonds, with a deposit of up to 10%.
• Unsecured bonds, with no money down. Whoever signs it owes the whole sum if a court date is missed.

Only the forms the judge listed will be taken. Do not put cash in an envelope.

New York's Department of Financial Services (DFS) must license any bondsman you deal with. Before you sign, check the name on the DFS license lookup. The Sheriff's FAQ says families may use any bondsman they choose or call 866-232-1899.

The state caps the fee, called the premium (Insurance Law § 6804):

• 10% on the first $3,000.
• 8% on the next $7,000, up to a $10,000 bond.
• 6% of anything over $10,000.

So a $10,000 bond can cost no more than $860, and a $25,000 bond no more than $1,760. Agents usually keep the premium. DFS says it must be refunded in full within 14 days when the person stays in jail anyway, or walks out without money bail.

Agents can't add other fees, apart from a few listed costs. Collateral should be reasonable, around 10% of the bond, and the agent owes it back no later than 45 days after getting the exoneration papers, DFS says. Get a signed receipt every time money moves. A nonprofit charitable bail fund may also post cash bail. To report a problem agent, use the DFS complaint form.

Paying bail on one case doesn't clear anything else. A person can still be held if:

• Another court has a warrant out. A town or city court warrant reaches this county and the counties next to it (CPL 530.70).
• Bail or remand was set on a second case.
• They are serving a sentence on another charge.
• A parole or probation officer has placed a hold.
• A federal agency or ICE has asked the jail to hold them. See the immigration answer below.

Before paying, call the jail at 845-340-3644 and ask the officer to check for any second hold. That way you won't pay and then find out the person can't leave.

Some people are released with conditions instead, such as an ankle monitor. Those must be run by a county or a nonprofit, never a for-profit company (CPL 510.40(4)).

A judge can remand a person, meaning jail with no bail, only for a qualifying felony (CPL 510.10(4)). These include violent felonies, class A felonies, some sex crimes, a crime that caused a death, and witness tampering.

Local judges in town, village and city courts have no power to release a person facing a class A felony, or a person with two earlier felony convictions (CPL 530.20(2)). A County Court judge decides those. On any felony, a local judge has to hear from the prosecutor before letting the person out.

Cases here are prosecuted by the District Attorney's Office, 275 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-340-3280.

Time limits still protect people held in jail. CPL 180.80 sets a clock for felony complaints: with no hearing and no grand jury vote, release comes after 120 hours in jail, or 144 if the stretch covers a weekend or holiday. Delays the defense agreed to do not count. On a felony, a prosecutor who is still not trial-ready 90 days after the jailing must see the person released on bail or their own word (CPL 30.30(2)).

The defense lawyer leads this. Families help most by handing the lawyer proof of roots: a job, a place to live, relatives nearby and a history of going to court. The law tells judges to think about whether a family can pay without great hardship.

• Bail review. When bail came from a town, village or city judge, the defense may take it to a County Court judge for a second look (CPL 530.30). Only one such request is allowed.
• A new look at release. The lawyer can ask the same judge again if things change.
• Nominal bail. A person may ask for a very small bail amount, and the judge must grant it if the request is freely made (CPL 510.10(5)).

County Court sits at 285 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401. Its clerk answers at 845-481-9375.

Every county in New York must give a lawyer to people charged with a crime who can't afford one (County Law § 722). The state also requires a lawyer at the arraignment for those who qualify, and the hearing should not wait while the court checks money matters (Executive Law § 832(4)).

Who qualifies? State standards presume eligibility for anyone in custody. It is presumed too for a household whose income is less than two and a half times the poverty guideline used by the U.S. government. A spouse's pay is not added in. A judge decides in the end, and can assign a lawyer for now while the paperwork is checked.

Here, the county runs a Public Defender's Office. For its phone and address, call the county's main line at 845-340-3000 and ask for the Public Defender. You can also ask the judge or the jail staff how to apply.

Felony cases end up in County Court. Lower charges and first hearings stay in the city, town and village courts.

• Supreme and County Courts, county courthouse, 285 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-481-9375. Weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
• Family Court, 2 Development Court, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-481-9430
• Kingston City Court and the regional drug treatment court, 1 Garraghan Drive, Kingston, NY 12401. The treatment court's line is 845-481-9358.
• Family Treatment Court, 16 Lucas Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-481-9461
• Denning Town Court, 1567 Denning Road, Claryville, NY 12725, 845-985-2100
• Esopus Town Court, 1 Town Hall Way, Ulster Park, NY 12487, 845-331-5776
• Gardiner Town Court, 2340 State Route 44-55, Gardiner, NY 12525, 845-256-0017, extension 106
• Hardenburgh Town Court, Town Hall, 51 Rider Hollow Road, Arkville, NY 12406, 845-586-3135, extension 6
• Town of Kingston court, 906 Sawkill Road, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-336-8853, extension 1
• Marlborough Town Court, 21 Milton Turnpike, Suite 200, Milton, NY 12547, 845-795-2256
• Olive Town Court, 50 Bostock Road, Shokan, NY 12481, 845-657-2912
• Plattekill Town Court, 1915 Route 44-55, Modena, NY 12548, 845-883-5805
• Rochester Town Court, 140 Samsonville Road, Kerhonkson, NY 12446, 845-626-2522
• Rosendale Town Court, 1915 Lucas Avenue, Cottekill, NY 12419, 845-658-3686
• Saugerties Town Court, 4 High Street, Saugerties, NY 12477, 845-246-2800
• Saugerties Village Court, Municipal Building, 43 Partition Street, Saugerties, NY 12477, 845-246-3958
• Ulster Town Court, 1 Town Hall Drive, Lake Katrine, NY 12449, 845-382-1737
• Wawarsing Town Court, 108 Canal Street, Ellenville, NY 12428, 845-647-7800, extension 1
• Woodstock Town Court, rear of Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY 12498, 845-679-6345

The town courts of Hurley, Lloyd, Marbletown, New Paltz, Shandaken and Shawangunk hear cases too. Find their addresses and hours on the state's town and village court list, or call the County Court clerk at the number above. Our court guide has more on each one.

Under CPL 520.15, posted cash remains the payer's money, unless a forfeiture order takes it. Expect it back once the charges are resolved.

• Dismissal or acquittal: every dollar is returned.
• Any other ending, such as a guilty plea: the county holds back 3% (General Municipal Law § 99-m).
• Who sends it: a judge orders the refund, but the check does not come from the court itself. Ask the clerk which county office will mail it.

Skipping court without a valid reason can lead to forfeiture, which means the bail is lost (CPL 540.10). A judge may reverse that if the person returns and gives a good reason. Otherwise the county treasurer mails a notice to the person who posted the cash, and the county may use the money once 45 days pass after that notice or the case's final date, whichever comes last. A request to get forfeited bail back must be made to a superior court within one year (CPL 540.30).

A bail agent's premium is not refunded, except in the 14-day cases explained above. For a refund question, call the court that set the bail, or the county's main line at 845-340-3000.

Things taken at booking, such as a wallet, phone or keys, stay with the jail until release. Money left on the person's jail account is handled at release as well.

1. Call the jail at 845-340-3644 and ask how leftover account money is paid out.
2. If you are picking up items for someone still inside, ask whether they must sign a release form first.
3. Ask what ID to bring and what time to come to 380 Boulevard, Kingston, NY 12401.

A person who needs a letter proving their jail dates, for health insurance or Social Security, can write to the jail's Records Department at the same address. Include the full name, date of birth, a phone number, why it is needed and where to send it. The FAQ also gives a records fax, 845-340-3468.

Charges brought by federal prosecutors go to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Albany Division, which sits in the James T. Foley Courthouse, 445 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207, 518-257-1789.

1. Release is argued at a detention hearing, held at the very first federal appearance (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)).
2. A short delay is possible. Defense lawyers can request as many as five days; prosecutors, three. Nobody goes home during that wait.
3. The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal pretrial prisoners, often by contract in a county jail. Call its Albany office, 445 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Albany, NY 12207, at 518-472-5401 to learn where.
4. Pretrial Services in Albany, 445 Broadway, Room 347, Albany, NY 12207, 518-257-1700, supervises people who are released.
5. The Federal Public Defender is at 54 State Street, Suite 310, Albany, NY 12207, 518-436-1850.
6. After sentencing, find the person with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. Court records are on PACER.

No. Bail settles the state case only. If ICE wants the person, here is how a detainer works:

1. An immigration detainer arrives at the jail on ICE Form I-247A.
2. On that form, ICE asks for the person to be kept up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE's New York City Field Office covers this county. It is at 26 Federal Plaza, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278, 212-436-9315.
4. When ICE picks someone up, it chooses where to detain them. In New York it runs the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator to find them.

New York law changes the picture for local jails. A habeas case against a Long Island sheriff, People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco (2018), held two things: local and state officers lack New York legal authority for civil immigration arrests, and jailing people on ICE detainers alone was unlawful. The Attorney General advises jails to honor a detainer only when a judge's warrant comes with it. Executive Law § 170-k, passed May 27, 2026, forbids local 287(g) agreements with ICE and voided every existing one as of August 25, 2026. Separately, Civil Rights Law § 28 shields parties and witnesses on their way to or from court, and while there, against civil immigration arrests made without a judge's paper.

Misdemeanor time is done locally, because those sentences top out at 364 days (Penal Law § 70.15). A felony prison term goes to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

1. After sentencing, the person stays at the jail on Boulevard until the county declares them ready for state custody.
2. DOCCS must take them within ten business days (DOCCS Directive 4021).
3. A state reception center is the first stop. There each person is screened for health, needs and risk, and is given a DIN, the state ID number.
4. DOCCS then assigns a prison based on that review.

Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup by DIN or name. During business hours, DOCCS also helps families by phone at 518-457-5000. Our New York state prisons guide has mail, visit and money details for each prison.

The state's Raise the Age reform took effect in two steps, October 2018 for 16-year-olds and October 2019 for 17-year-olds. Teens of those ages may not be housed with adults. Under Family Court Act § 305.2, a parent gets an immediate call when police hold a child.

• Misdemeanors are sent to the probation department's intake staff, not to an adult judge.
• Felonies open in the County Court's Youth Part. A nonviolent felony moves over to Family Court unless the prosecutor files a motion within 30 days and proves extraordinary circumstances (CPL 722.23).
• Children 12 to 15 are handled in Family Court as juvenile delinquents, except for a short list of very serious crimes (CPL 1.20(42)).

Any teen kept in custody is placed in juvenile detention through the state Office of Children and Family Services, never the county jail. For the teen's location and next hearing, contact Family Court. It sits at 2 Development Court, Kingston, NY 12401. Call 845-481-9430.