Shelby County Correctional Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

It is at 555 Gearhart Road in Sidney, in the same place as the Sheriff's Office. Ask the clerk or the jail desk which court date goes with the booking.

Run the person's name through the Shelby County Inmate Search to see whether the booking has posted.

Call the Sidney Municipal Court clerk at 937-498-8712 for a misdemeanor or traffic bond. The main court line is 937-498-0011. The court is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is closed on court holidays.

For a felony, the Shelby County Clerk of Courts is on the 3rd Floor of the courthouse at 100 E. Court Street, 937-498-7221.

The court posts a bond schedule that took effect in April 2026, and a list of bail agents that the court has authorized. The schedule is a table of amounts by charge that allows a person to bond out before the first appearance.

Ohio law says the schedule is only for early release. The judge may set a different amount at the hearing.

Ask the clerk before you sign anything. Every agent needs an Ohio license from the Department of Insurance, 1-614-644-2665, and the court keeps its own list of agents allowed to file bonds in Sidney.

An agent may charge only the premium rate the Department has approved, and must disclose any expense fee. An agent cannot require a deed transfer as a condition.

Ohio law puts the deadline for a first bail hearing at the second court day after arrest. A booking late on Friday can wait until Tuesday.

A person still held and unrepresented gets another hearing two court days later, with a lawyer appointed at state cost if the person is indigent.

A signature bond means no money up front. A cash bond means the full amount. A 10 percent bond means a deposit of one tenth with the court. A surety bond means a licensed agent signs for the full amount for a fee. A property bond uses real estate or securities as security.

Ohio law lets the person choose among these, subject to the amount the judge sets, and requires the judge to use the lightest financial terms that still secure the return.

With a 10 percent bond, the court returns 90 percent after every condition is met. Ask the clerk what state fees are added to the deposit.

A friend's deposit cannot be used for the defendant's costs unless the friend agrees. The defendant's own deposit can be, after a conviction, if the defendant is not indigent.

Yes, if the court accepts it. The owner swears out an affidavit describing the property, its debts, and any other bonds the owner supports. The court has to find that the owner can cover the whole bond. Attorneys cannot be sureties.

Ask the clerk at 937-498-8712 for the forms Sidney Municipal Court uses.

Bond may not be set yet. A warrant from another county or a probation hold may be the reason. The Ohio Constitution allows a flat denial of bail only for capital offenses and for felonies where the person poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm, and a judge must find this at a hearing by clear and convincing evidence.

The clerk can tell you which applies.

No. The Sheriff's Office follows the judge's order. Only the court can change it, usually after a lawyer files a request.

A judge can add, ease, or remove conditions whenever it makes sense.

Ask the judge to appoint a lawyer at the first hearing.

The clerk at 937-498-8712 can say who was appointed once the court decides.

The case goes to juvenile court. Records are private, so the adult search will not list the child. Call the Shelby County Clerk of Courts at 937-498-7221 to learn where the case is and when the hearing is.

A parent should plan to attend.

A warrant and bond forfeiture can follow, and a separate charge is possible. A person who posted bond can protect themselves by bringing the defendant back before the date.

Call the court right away.

The court's online payment portal is for fines and costs. Ask the clerk whether a bond can be paid the same way.

Money added to a jail account is not bail.

For a misdemeanor, Ohio law lets a judge, a magistrate, or a clerk of court accept bail under the schedule the judge approved. If none of them is available, the officer holding the person may take it, but only at the county courthouse, a municipal or township building, or a county or municipal jail.

So a payment made at a gas station, a parking lot, or a private home is not a bond payment. If someone asks you to meet them in such a place, call the Sidney court first at 937-498-0011.

Ohio law lets the judge order release on a signature, place the person in the care of a responsible adult, limit travel or contact, require electronic monitoring or house arrest, order alcohol or drug treatment when it relates to the charge, or enroll the person in a diversion or day-reporting program.

A person who comes to court on a summons instead of an arrest is presumed eligible for release on a signature unless the judge finds a good reason otherwise. Ask a lawyer to argue for the lightest set of conditions.

Nobody from the court or the jail will ask for gift cards or app payments. Hang up and call 937-498-0011 yourself.

Never wire money to a stranger.

• Jail: Shelby County Jail, 555 Gearhart Road, Sidney, OH 45365
• Bond guide: Bail and bond guide
• Sheriff's Office: 555 Gearhart Road, Sidney, OH 45365
• Sidney Municipal Court: 110 W. Court Street, Sidney, OH 45365; 937-498-0011; clerk 937-498-8712; Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Clerk of Courts: 100 E. Court Street, 3rd Floor, Sidney, OH 45365; 937-498-7221
• Custody lookup: Shelby County Inmate Search
• Insurance agents: Ohio Department of Insurance, 1-614-644-2665

The court may change its schedule, its agent list, or its payment rules. Confirm with the clerk before sending money. This page is a general guide, not legal advice.