Hamilton County Justice Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Enter the name in Hamilton County Inmate Search. It shows whether the person is booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center at 1000 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, and what the bond is. If the record is missing, the Sheriff's Office answers at 513-946-6400.

A booking made minutes ago can take a while to show. Try again before you worry.

Bonds are posted in person at the Municipal Criminal/Traffic Division on the first floor of the Justice Center, 1000 Sycamore Street. Bond services run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Bring government photo ID. Bond information is available at 513-946-6010.

No. The Clerk's Municipal Criminal/Traffic Division states that bonds must be posted in person and that bond payments are not taken over the phone. A caller who claims to be the clerk and asks for payment is a scammer. The clerk does not ask for Zelle, PayPal, CashApp or gift cards.

Cash, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover are accepted for bonds. Photo ID is required, and you should bring enough to cover the state fee that is charged on top of the bond.

The Municipal Criminal/Traffic Division counter is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Bond services are open every hour of the day. For general questions, call 513-946-6040 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; for bond information after hours, call 513-946-6019. The Clerk of Courts office at 1000 Main Street keeps Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Hamilton County Municipal Court hears misdemeanor and traffic cases. Felonies go to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. Bond for each is posted against that case, so give the clerk the case number or the person's full name and birth date.

Ohio law requires every court to keep a misdemeanor bail schedule used only to release a person before the first appearance, and to review it every two years (R.C. 2937.011(I)). Once a judge acts, the judge's figure controls. A judge or magistrate always sets felony bail (R.C. 2937.23). Judges must weigh public safety, the seriousness of the offense, the record and the chance the person returns (Ohio Const. art. I, sec. 9).

A defendant may choose an unsecured bond, a ten percent deposit bond, or a surety, real-estate or cash bond in the amount the court sets (R.C. 2937.011(C)). A signature release is also possible when the judge allows it. Licensed sureties register with the Clerk before they post bonds.

Refunds are generally 90 percent of the bond portion. The state fee is refunded only if the case is dismissed, ignored by the Grand Jury, or the defendant is found not guilty. Refunds come as a check, never back to the card, within 14 days after every case on the receipt is finished.

Ohio does not set one percentage in its statute. A surety bail agent licensed by the Department of Insurance must charge the premium rate filed and approved by the state and disclose any expense fee (R.C. 3905.93). The premium is not refunded. Agents may not solicit at the jail or courthouse and may not require you to sign over title to real estate.

Yes. A property bond needs an Affidavit of Justification of Suretyship, a sworn description of the property, the loans on it and other bonds signed. The court must see enough value to cover the entire bond (R.C. 2937.011(L)). A lawyer may not act as surety. Call 513-946-6010 before you collect documents.

An initial bail hearing must happen no later than the second court day after arrest, with or without a warrant (R.C. 2937.011(J)). If the person is still held and has no lawyer, a second hearing follows two court days later, and the court appoints counsel at state expense for someone who cannot pay.

Only in two kinds of cases. A capital charge qualifies when the proof is evident or the presumption great. A felony qualifies when the same is true and the person poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm to anyone (Ohio Const. art. I, sec. 9). The judge must hold a hearing and rely on clear and convincing evidence of probable cause, danger and that no release terms would keep people safe (R.C. 2937.222).

Judges can release a person with house arrest or electronic monitoring as a condition (R.C. 2937.011(D)). The Hamilton County Municipal Court Clerk's electronic monitoring office is at 800 Broadway, at the back of the building near Bedinger and Eggleston Avenue, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., phone 513-946-9901.

Cincinnati and other Hamilton County departments make arrests every day. Ask the arresting department where the person is held and for the report number, then use the county search. The Sheriff's Office at 513-946-6400 can answer for the Justice Center.

The Hamilton County Public Defender is at 230 E. Ninth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, phone 513-946-3700. The office decides whether a person qualifies, and the court can review that. Ask the judge for appointed counsel at the first hearing.

The Hamilton County Juvenile Court is at 800 Broadway, 11th Floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Hamilton County has its own juvenile detention facility. Juvenile records are private, so the child will be missing from the adult search. Ask the Juvenile Court where the child is held and when the hearing will be.

Federal inmates are searched on the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. State prison inmates are in Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records. Neither is in the county jail's booking list.

A missed date can bring a bench warrant and forfeiture of the bond (R.C. 2937.011(K), R.C. 2937.35). A surety or depositor is released by surrendering the defendant before the date, or when the defendant appears, or by paying after default (R.C. 2937.40). Call the lawyer and the clerk the same day.

The Clerk will never call you to demand payment, and a bond posts only in person. Do not send money to a phone number you were handed. Verify with the Sheriff's Office at 513-946-6400 or the bond line at 513-946-6010.

• Jail: Hamilton County Justice Center, 1000 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; Sheriff's Office 513-946-6400
• Bond office: Municipal Criminal/Traffic Division, 1st Floor, Justice Center; bond services 24 hours; 513-946-6010; after-hours bond information 513-946-6019
• Municipal division hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; questions 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 513-946-6040
• Bail guide: Hamilton County bail and bond instructions
• Custody lookup: Hamilton County Inmate Search
• Clerk of Courts: 1000 Main St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Electronic monitoring: 800 Broadway, Cincinnati; 513-946-9901
• Public defender: 230 E. Ninth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-946-3700
• Juvenile court: 800 Broadway, 11th Floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202
• Federal: Bureau of Prisons inmate locator

Hours, fees and counter locations can change, and judges set bond case by case. Confirm with the Clerk or the Sheriff's Office before paying. This guide is not legal advice.