Clackamas County bail: pay cash at the Kaen Road lobby, then wait for the paperwork
Is my family member in the Kaen Road jail right now?
Look the person up with the Clackamas County Inmate Search. The Sheriff's Office keeps a current list of people in the jail, with the charges and bail amounts. A person arrested in the past few hours may take time to appear. Questions the list cannot answer go to the jail at 503-722-6777.
When does a judge decide whether he goes home?
A person held in custody is arraigned on the next judicial day. At that first court date the judge makes the release decision. Under Oregon's 2021 reform law, the judge looks at release without money first and uses a money deposit only when that is not enough.
If the case is held back, a release hearing is generally held within 48 hours and no later than five days, unless the defendant agrees to wait. Clackamas releases follow Presiding Judge Order 2022-04.
Where do I hand over the bail money?
Go to the jail lobby on Kaen Road. Bail is accepted there 24 hours a day. Tell the reception deputy you want to post bail for an adult in custody. Bring photo ID, and expect to fill out a Citizen Bail form.
Other lobby business runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., but bail is accepted around the clock. The court itself does not take bail for people held in this jail.
What kinds of payment does the jail take?
Only exact cash. The jail does not take personal checks, money orders, cashier's checks, traveler's checks, credit or debit cards, or coins. Count the bills before you leave home. Read the bail instructions for the jail as well.
Do I have to pay the whole amount?
You have three choices. You can pay the full amount of the security. You can pay the 10 percent deposit that Oregon law allows. Or you can pay part and let the person in jail cover the rest from his own account, and each of you gets a receipt for your share.
A deposit onto his jail account is a different thing. That receipt says deposit, not bail, and it does not free him.
What is the 10 percent rule?
Under ORS 135.265, a person released on security signs a release agreement and deposits 10 percent of the security amount with the court. The smallest deposit is $25. The court clerk gives a receipt.
The 10 percent goes to the court. It is not a fee to a private company. The person is released on the promise to come to every court date.
How long until she walks out after I pay?
The bail receipt usually takes 20 to 30 minutes. Release itself can take two hours or longer.
If a judge frees someone at arraignment, release happens after 7 p.m. Otherwise the jail lets people go as soon as it can after the court orders release.
How much money comes back at the end?
After the case ends and the person has met every condition, the court returns the deposit minus 15 percent. The court keeps at least $5 and no more than $750 of it. Under ORS 135.265 the clerk returns 85 percent of the deposit to the person named on the receipt.
The court can also take fines, child support owed, and other court debts from the amount first. Keep your receipt and ask the court clerk how the refund is paid.
What happens to the money if he misses court?
The court can keep the whole amount you posted and enter a judgment for the full security. For example, if the security is $10,000 and you posted $1,000, the court can keep the $1,000 and still enter a $10,000 judgment against the defendant.
Remind him of every date. If he misses one, call the court at once.
Can anyone leave without paying bail?
Yes, in two ways. The supervising Corrections Sergeant can release some people charged with non-violent misdemeanors or infractions on a signed promise to appear. The person must be an Oregon resident with an Oregon address, must not be intoxicated, and must pass a records check with no holds, no "NO BAIL" detainer or warrant, no parole, and no recent escape or failure to appear.
The second way is crowding. A federal consent decree lets the jail release people when it reaches 90 percent of its housing capacity. The jail builds a list, and staff review it before anyone is let go.
Do I need a bail bondsman here?
The Clackamas jail takes cash from the family, and the money is a deposit with the court. Most of it comes back at the end. If a stranger offers to post for a fee, ask the court clerk what the court will accept before you pay anything.
Questions about the amount go to the jail at 503-722-6777.
What does a Release Assistance Officer do?
Release Assistance Officers work for the court in Pretrial Services. They look at criminal history and ties to the community, suggest release conditions, and check on the person afterward. They also help get people to court and point them to community help.
Pretrial Services is at 1000 Courthouse Road, Room 1060, Oregon City. Call 503-655-8447 and choose option 3. Phones are answered weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
What must he do right after release on conditions?
A person who is monitored must check in within one judicial day of leaving custody. Call 503-655-8447, option 3, to schedule, or walk in. The first visit covers meeting an officer, updating contact details with the court, and signing a paper that lists what is expected.
Breaking a condition can bring a warrant, an end to release, custody until the case is over, or contempt charges. Travel out of Oregon needs a travel request form.
Why might the screen say no bail?
Oregon's constitution (Article I, section 14) lets a court refuse bail for murder or treason when the proof is evident or the presumption is strong. For a violent felony, the judge may deny release after a hearing if the state shows by clear and convincing evidence that the person is a danger. He must request that hearing at his arraignment, and the court holds it within five days.
A "NO BAIL" note on a Clackamas warrant or a hold from another place also stops release. The jail at 503-722-6777 can say which one applies.
Can a house or stocks be used in place of cash?
Oregon law allows it, but the Kaen Road lobby takes cash only. Under ORS 135.265 the property must be in Oregon, the owner must have equity, and the value must be at least double the security amount. Each item needs a sworn statement.
The magistrate checks whether the property is enough, so call Pretrial Services at 503-655-8447, option 3, before you gather papers.
Where is the courthouse, and what is its number?
Clackamas County Circuit Court is at 1000 Courthouse Road, Oregon City, on the Red Soils Campus. The Public Service Center is on the first floor, and parking is free. The Oregon City Transit Center at 1035 Main Street is the nearest bus stop.
The court has moved from its old downtown site, so use this address and not an older one.
How does someone who cannot afford a lawyer get one?
A person charged with a crime can ask for a lawyer paid by the state. The court clerk reviews a form called the Affidavit of Eligibility. There is typically a $20 application fee, and the judge may ask the person to pay part of the cost.
People in custody can ask at the first court date, or a clerk contacts them at the jail. The Indigent Defense Clerk answers at 503-655-8451 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. After approval, call 503-722-4000 to learn the lawyer's name.
Where is a teenager held in Clackamas County?
Youth who must be detained are held at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Salem, which answers at 503-588-5321. Clackamas County sends its youth there.
The county's own Juvenile Department is at 2121 Kaen Road, Oregon City, 503-655-8342, open Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 24-hour Intake and Assessment Center is 503-650-3180. A judge decides detention, and a parent cannot order release.
Can I put money on his account for phone calls?
Yes, but at the lobby that is a deposit and it comes with a deposit receipt. It buys phone time and store items. It does not pay bail. If you want to post bail and fund the account, tell the deputy which is which and keep both slips.
Clackamas County bail contacts
- County jail
- Clackamas County Jail, 2206 Kaen Road, Oregon City, OR 97045; 503-722-6777
- Bail help
- Clackamas County Jail bail instructions
- Custody lookup
- Clackamas County Inmate Search
- Sheriff's Office
- 9101 SE Sunnybrook Boulevard; main 503-785-5000
- Pretrial Services
- 1000 Courthouse Road, Room 1060, Oregon City; 503-655-8447, option 3
- Circuit Court
- 1000 Courthouse Road, Oregon City, OR 97045; Indigent Defense Clerk 503-655-8451
- Juvenile
- Juvenile Department, 2121 Kaen Road, Oregon City; 503-655-8342; intake 503-650-3180; detention in Salem 503-588-5321
Rules and hours at the jail and court can change, so call before you drive over with cash. Nothing here is legal advice; it is a plain-language guide to Clackamas County practice.