Multnomah County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Two steps happen. Soon after booking, recognizance officers from the county's Department of Community Justice check the charge against the Presiding Judge's standing release order. They follow that order to the letter and use no personal judgment. Many people with low-level charges go home on a promise to come back. Others must wait for a judge.

A release assistance officer may also talk with the person in jail. That talk is voluntary, and the officer reports to the judge (ORS 135.235). For some crimes the officer also reaches out to the named victim.

The judge decides at arraignment, the first court hearing. For someone in jail it must happen within 36 hours, counting weekdays only and leaving out holidays (ORS 135.010). Arraignments take place in the third-floor courtrooms of the Justice Center, 1120 SW Third Avenue, Floor 3, Portland, OR 97204, 971-274-0750.

• Courtroom JC3 hears Class A and B felonies on weekdays at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
• Courtroom JC4 hears Class C felonies and misdemeanors for people still in jail.
• Courtroom JC1 hears misdemeanor cases for people who are already out.

A judge who holds off on deciding must hold the release hearing within 48 hours of arraignment, with five days as the outer limit (ORS 135.245).

Oregon starts from release on a promise to return. A judge adds rules or money only when they are needed, and must pick the least strict option that will still keep victims and neighbors from harm (ORS 135.245). The choices used in this county are:

• Own recognizance. A signed pledge to attend each hearing is all it takes to walk out (ORS 135.230).
• Conditional release. No money, but there are rules, such as no contact with someone, no alcohol or staying in the state.
• Security release. A set amount is ordered, and usually a tenth of it gets the person out.
• Pretrial monitoring. The county's Pretrial Services Program keeps track of the person with phone check-ins, office visits or an electronic monitor. Its line is 503-988-5042.
• Held until arraignment. Some charges mean the person stays in jail until the judge sees them.

A judge can mix these. For example, a person may post a deposit and also be told to stay away from a certain home.

The county has no fixed price list. A judge sets an amount for each count, and the court can raise or lower it at any time. What the charge type does decide is whether money comes up at all. Under the Chief Justice's statewide release guidelines (ORS 135.233) and the county's standing release order, cases tend to fall into these groups:

• Released on a promise, no money: property and other nonperson misdemeanors, nonperson Class C felonies, and simple driving while suspended.
• Released with rules: DUII, many Class B felonies, and misdemeanors against a person outside the domestic violence group.
• Held for the judge: domestic violence, sex crimes, Measure 11 crimes, Class A felonies, felony stalking, failure to appear, escape and fleeing police.
• Held by the local order: selling or making fentanyl and big drug deals. Car theft or burglary also means a hold if the person was found guilty of one in the past 3 years.
• Held for missed court dates: since January 1, 2025, five or more missed dates in 3 years, or a missed-court warrant on a pending felony, can mean a hold.

When a judge does name a figure, divide it by ten to get the deposit. The floor is $25 (ORS 135.265). Security of $5,000 means a $500 deposit, and $40,000 means $4,000. For one person's exact amount, phone the court's accounting office at 971-274-0585 between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. That line takes bail calls only.

The Justice Center lobby, 1120 SW Third Avenue, Portland, OR 97204, takes bail around the clock, weekends and holidays included. It is the main booking and release jail for the whole county. Follow these steps:

1. Call 503-988-3689. Spell out the person's name, then their birth date and the SWIS ID number if the lookup gave you one.
2. Ask for the security amount on each count and the total deposit due.
3. Ask whether a hold, a second case or a judge's review will stop release even after you pay.
4. Bring cash or a credit card, the only two kinds of payment the court allows. Ask staff what ID to carry.
5. Read the receipt before you leave. Whoever's name is printed there gets the refund check, mailed to the address it lists.

Release can take a while after you pay, since staff must finish the paperwork. Ask how long the wait may be.

Yes, two other ways work. The county says only these, plus the Justice Center lobby, are real ways to post bail.

Inverness Jail lobby. The second jail sits at 11540 NE Inverness Drive, Portland, OR 97220. Self-bail there runs daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

1. Call 503-988-5060 to check the hours that day.
2. Bring the person's name and SWIS ID and your cash or card.
3. Keep the receipt with your other papers.

Online. The Sheriff's Office points to TouchPay Online for self-bail.

1. Enter MCSO Facility number 297204 when the site asks for a location.
2. Have the person's full name and SWIS ID ready.
3. Pay by card and save the confirmation. Bank card fees are never refunded.

The court. The circuit court's own bail page sends people to the Sheriff's Office in the Justice Center to post security. Court staff can answer questions about a deposit already paid at 971-274-0585.

The court allows cash or credit card only. That leaves out personal checks, cashier's checks and money orders, so leave them at home. A bank's card fee is yours to keep paying and does not come back with the refund.

• Money already in the person's own jail account can be used toward their bail.
• The court may take part of the deposit to pay fines in the case, other Oregon court debts and past-due child support.
• Never mail cash to the jail. Mail with cash or money orders is sent back in full.

Watch out for scams. The Sheriff's Office and the Department of Community Justice never call to ask for payment, never bargain over a release and never sell a "GPS release program." If someone calls with an offer like that, hang up. Check any claim with the county's general line at 503-823-4000.

No. Oregon has no bail bond companies and no bondsmen. A relative or friend hands the deposit to the Sheriff's Office directly. There is no fee to a company and no collateral to sign away. Anyone who asks for money to "buy" a release is not working for the jail or the court.

A family with land or other valuables has one more choice. Instead of the 10 percent cash deposit, the full security can be covered with cash or stocks and bonds. Oregon real estate also works if its value is at least twice the security. The owner must back it up with a sworn statement (ORS 135.265). Ask the Criminal Operations team at 971-274-0545 how to start that process.

Each deposit only covers the count it was set on. Before you pay, ask the jail at 503-988-3689 to read every hold on the person. Common holds include:

• An outside warrant. A different county or state can have its own claim on the person, and that court rules on it.
• A probation or parole hold. Adult supervision is run by the Department of Community Justice, West Campus, 421 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97204, 503-988-3747.
• A charge that must see a judge first. Domestic violence and Measure 11 charges are examples.
• A second case. A new charge and an old warrant each need their own release.
• Federal or immigration holds. Ask about these by name when you call.

Release rules can also come with the deposit. If the case is about a bias crime, a sex offense or violence at home, Oregon bars any contact with the victim: no jail calls, no letters, no notes passed by friends (ORS 135.247, 135.250). Families should not carry messages back and forth.

Oregon's Constitution allows holding someone without release on a charge of treason, murder or aggravated murder when the proof is evident (Or. Const. art. I § 14 and § 43; ORS 135.240). For a violent felony, release can also be denied after a hearing. First the judge has to find that letting the person out puts the victim or others at risk of being hurt or sexually abused.

In this county, the District Attorney asks for that kind of hearing, called preventive detention, as a separate step after arraignment. The office is at 1200 SW 1st Avenue, Suite 5200, Portland, OR 97204, 503-988-3162, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A judge also hears from victims. Oregon gives them a voice in pretrial release decisions (Or. Const. art. I § 43).

The court can lower, raise or change security whenever the facts change (ORS 135.285). The defense lawyer makes that request, not the family. Families can support it:

1. Give the lawyer a clear picture of what you can pay and why the amount is out of reach.
2. Collect pay stubs, a lease, or letters showing school or child care.
3. Suggest rules that answer the judge's worry, like pretrial monitoring or staying with a relative.
4. Keep the case number and next hearing date handy, so the lawyer can act in time.

The Chief Justice's statewide release guidelines (ORS 135.233) say conditions should not hinge on what a person can pay. To learn when a hearing is set, call the court at 971-274-0545. Phones are answered weekdays from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.

The person asks at the first court hearing. A defense lawyer is already in the arraignment courtroom and enters a not-guilty plea. To keep a lawyer, the person fills out an Affidavit of Eligibility, a sworn money form. It is handed in at the third-floor Court Check-In Window inside the Justice Center, 1120 SW Third Avenue, Portland, OR 97204. The window is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• A court screener reviews the form. Expect a $20 fee in most cases; the court may excuse it.
• A judge may order the person to pay part of the cost later. Being broke does not cost anyone their lawyer.
• Appointed cases here go to law offices such as Metropolitan Public Defender and Multnomah Defenders Inc., under contracts with the Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC).

Oregon has too few public defenders. By the last day of 2025, roughly 2,500 Oregonians with open cases still had no appointed lawyer, and close to 160 of them sat in a jail. A federal ruling known as Betschart steps in after 7 days: someone jailed that long past the first hearing without a lawyer generally has to be released with conditions, while the charges stay open.

All state criminal cases go to the circuit court for the 4th Judicial District. It works from four buildings. Counters are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Multnomah County Courthouse (trials and most hearings), 1200 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97204. Criminal Operations: 971-274-0545.
• Justice Center courtrooms (arraignments and probation hearings), 1120 SW Third Avenue, Floor 3, Portland, OR 97204, 971-274-0750.
• East County Courthouse, 18480 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97233, 971-274-0700.
• Juvenile Justice Center, 1401 NE 68th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213, 971-274-0800.
• Troutdale Municipal Court (city cases), office at 219 E. Historic Columbia River Highway, Troutdale, OR 97060, 503-674-7236.
• Federal cases: the Hatfield courthouse, 1000 SW Third Avenue, Suite 740, Portland, OR 97204, 503-326-8000.

When the case wraps up with no missed hearings, the clerk holds back 15 percent of the deposit, at least $5 and no more than $750. The balance is paid to whoever the receipt lists as the depositor (ORS 135.265). On a $1,000 deposit, $150 is kept and $850 comes back. On a $10,000 deposit, the $750 cap applies, so $9,250 comes back.

• The court mails the check to the address on the bail receipt. To change that address, send the court a written request.
• Fines, fees and other Oregon debts, including child support, can come out of the refund first.
• If a friend paid money into the person's jail account and that money was used for bail, the refund goes to the person who was arrested.

Missing court is costly. The judge can issue a warrant and forfeit the whole security amount, not just the 10 percent (ORS 135.280). On a $10,000 security with $1,000 posted, the person who posted could owe $10,000. There are 30 days to show the absence was not the person's fault. On top of that, skipping court is its own crime. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor, or a Class C felony if the skipped case was itself a felony (ORS 162.195, 162.205). Refund questions go to the court at 971-274-0585.

The person gets back any jail account balance when they walk out. Ask staff how that money will be handed over.

For belongings, the person in jail must fill out a release form first. Staff will not start it for you. Pickup is at the Facility Security Officer desk at MCDC, 1120 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204. Bring a government photo ID. Desk hours are:

• Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or 3:00 to 10:30 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or 3:00 to 10:30 p.m.

Property comes out all together, not piece by piece. Staff will give weather-ready clothes on request at release. Questions go to 503-988-3689. Our jail account money guide covers deposits and refunds in more detail.

A federal arrest here puts the case before the federal court's Portland Division for the District of Oregon. Hearings happen in the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, 1000 SW Third Avenue, Suite 740, Portland, OR 97204, 503-326-8000, open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Lawyers argue about jail or release at the first federal hearing, and the judge rules then. A lawyer can ask for a few more days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• U.S. Pretrial Services meets with the defendant and sends the judge a report. Its office is at 1000 SW Third Avenue, Suite 440, Portland, OR 97204, 503-326-8500.
• Until trial, U.S. Marshals hold the defendant at a contract jail or at the detention center of FCI Sheridan, 27072 Ballston Road, Sheridan, OR 97378, 503-843-4442. Ask the Marshals where: 1000 SW 3rd Avenue, Room 401, Portland, OR 97204, 503-326-2209.
• The Federal Public Defender takes many cases: 101 SW Main, Suite 1700, Portland, OR 97204, 503-326-2123.

Once a federal sentence is given, look the person up on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. The deposit covers the state charge and nothing else. An immigration request moves through these steps:

1. First, ICE can hand the jail a detainer, written on Form I-247A.
2. Its ask: a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Oregon law changes the next step. Under the state's sanctuary laws (ORS 181A.820-181A.829; HB 3265, 2021), police and jails here may not honor an ICE request that no judge has signed. So Oregon jails generally do not hold a person for ICE on a detainer by itself, and they do not share release details for immigration enforcement.
4. ICE may still arrest the person somewhere else. In Oregon, ICE answers to its Seattle Field Office and has a Portland office at 4310 S Macadam Ave, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97239, 503-326-4165, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
5. Search for a person ICE holds with the ICE Online Detainee Locator, using their name and country of birth.

After a prison sentence, men and women alike first go to the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility intake center, 24499 SW Grahams Ferry Road, Wilsonville, OR 97070. Intake questions go to 503-570-2259. Testing and sorting take roughly a month. Men then leave for whichever prison DOC picks; women remain at Coffee Creek.

• Follow the person's location on the Oregon Offender Search.
• For general questions, the Oregon Department of Corrections answers at 503-945-9090.
• Our Oregon state prisons page covers each prison.

Probation and post-prison supervision are handled by the county's Department of Community Justice, a separate office from the jail.

Youth ages 12 to 17 are taken to youth detention rather than the adult jail. Here that means the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center, 1401 NE 68th Ave, Portland, OR 97213, 503-988-3460. Call that number to confirm the youth is there and to learn the hearing time.

• The county's juvenile department handles the case, and the juvenile court meets in the same complex.
• A judge decides whether the youth goes home to a parent and under what rules.
• Measure 11 cases against youth 15 to 17 used to start in adult court. Under SB 1008 (2019), adult court now takes a judge's order after a waiver hearing.
• The District Attorney's Juvenile Unit is at the Donald E. Long Building, Room 2100, 1401 NE 68th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213, 503-988-3472.

State youth prisons are run by the Oregon Youth Authority.