Lancaster County Prison Inmate Bail & Bonds

A Magisterial District Judge does. This is a local judge who runs one of the county's 19 district court offices. Bail is set at a brief hearing known as the preliminary arraignment. According to a state guide written for crime victims, it generally takes place within six hours after arrest.

At that hearing, the person is told the charges and receives the written complaint on paper. The judge sets bail and picks a date for the preliminary hearing (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). The county court says hearings for people held in jail run by video, so the person often stays at the prison while the judge talks to them on screen. At night and on weekends, a district judge on call usually handles new arrests.

Not sure which office has the case? Court Administration can tell you at 717-299-8041 on weekdays.

Pennsylvania courts use five kinds of release (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). Only the last one costs money up front:

• Release on recognizance (ROR). Release rests only on the person's written word that they will return for court.
• ROR with rules. The same promise, plus conditions such as checking in, staying away from someone or obeying a curfew.
• Unsecured bail. The judge names a dollar amount, but nothing is paid now. The debt kicks in only after a missed hearing.
• Nominal bail. A tiny amount, such as $1, is paid, and a person or agency agrees to act as surety.
• Monetary bail. The release waits until cash or a bond is put up.

Rule 523 points the judge to the charge, work history, family ties, criminal record and any past missed court dates (Pa.R.Crim.P. 523). A cash figure has to be fair and should match what the person can afford (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528).

There is no fixed price list. Each judge sets the amount case by case after looking at the person and the charge. A more serious grade of crime usually means higher bail. Here is how Pennsylvania ranks crimes, with the longest possible sentence and highest fine (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• First-degree felony (F1): up to 20 years and $25,000
• Second-degree felony (F2): up to 10 years and $25,000
• Third-degree felony (F3): up to 7 years and $15,000
• First-degree misdemeanor (M1): up to 5 years and $10,000
• Second-degree misdemeanor (M2): up to 2 years and $5,000
• Third-degree misdemeanor (M3): up to 1 year and $2,500
• Summary offense (most traffic and disorderly conduct citations): up to 90 days and $300

To learn the real amount, look up the docket on the free UJS case search by name and county. The docket sheet lists the bail. You can also ask the district court office that held the hearing.

The county names two places that take bail: the Clerk of Courts and the district judge's office. Use the prison phone line to get ready first. Follow these steps:

1. Call the prison at 717-299-7800 and press 2. Write down the charges and the bail amount.
2. Ask the staff whether bail can be taken at the prison when the courts are closed, and where to go at that hour.
3. Find the docket number on the UJS portal. It shows which court office has the case right now.
4. Bring cash or a certified check, plus a photo ID, to that office.
5. Keep the itemized receipt the office must hand you (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).
6. Call the prison again to ask when release will happen.

The prison sits at 625 East King Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. New arrivals spend up to 14 work days in its intake unit before being assigned to maximum, medium or minimum security housing. People on work release live in their own unit, reached at 717-299-7809. The kiosk in the front vestibule is for inmate account deposits.

Which window you use depends on where the case sits right now.

District judge's office. Early in a case, bail goes to the Magisterial District Court that set it. Most of these offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Court 02-1-01 keeps 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. hours. Call the office before you drive over, and ask the exact amount and how to make out a certified check.

Clerk of Courts. Once the case moves up to the Court of Common Pleas, bail is posted with the Clerk of Courts. Its office is upstairs on the courthouse's second floor, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-8275. Bail is taken from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, but not on holidays. The Clerk can take it only after the district court has sent the file over.

Bail Administration. If the judge orders bail supervision, the person must report to Bail Supervision and Pre-Trial Services on the fifth floor of the same courthouse before 3:00 p.m. Call 717-295-3584 with questions.

The Clerk of Courts takes cash or a certified check only. A personal check or a card will be turned away at that window. Bail can also be met by:

• a bond signed by a licensed bondsman or surety company
• real estate worth at least the full bail amount
• a 10 percent cash deposit, but only when the judge or court allows it (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528)

Here is how the 10 percent deposit works. On $10,000 bail, a family might pay $1,000 if allowed. The person who signs as depositor can still owe the full $10,000 if the defendant misses court. Read every form before you sign it.

Never mail cash. Bring the exact amount and a photo ID in person.

Commercial bail is allowed in this state. Rather than handing over cash, the bondsman signs a bond that promises the full amount if the person runs. Key rules from state law:

• A bondsman must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (42 Pa.C.S. § 5742).
• They must also file papers with each county before they write bonds there (42 Pa.C.S. § 5743.1), and keep an office in Pennsylvania (42 Pa.C.S. § 5744).
• State law sets no limit on the fee since the old cap was repealed in 2015. Get the fee in writing before you sign.
• Dropped charges don't bring that fee back.
• Nobody may charge you a fee just for finding a bondsman. That is a crime (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).

The Clerk of Courts keeps a list of bail bondsmen for this county. Questions about it go to the Clerk at 717-299-8275.

Each bail amount is tied to a single case. A person can stay inside for other reasons:

• A warrant from another county. If someone else has a bench warrant out, the person may wait for that county to pick them up. The 72-hour hearing rule for bench warrants starts only once they are in the issuing county's jail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 150).
• Probation or parole. Their supervising officer may ask for a detainer. County Adult Probation and Parole Services is at 40 East King Street, Lancaster, PA 17608, 717-299-8181.
• A second case. Each open case has its own bail, and all of them must be met.
• Federal or ICE holds. A state bail receipt does nothing to lift them.

Before you pay, call the prison at 717-299-7800 and ask staff to list every hold on file.

Bail is a right for nearly every defendant in this state. The state constitution allows two exceptions (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14):

• charges punishable by death or life behind bars, or
• cases where only jail would protect the public.

Commonwealth v. Talley, a 2021 state Supreme Court case, puts the burden on the prosecutor, who has to back up the claim with solid evidence at a hearing. A charge on paper is not enough. The judge needs strong proof, somewhere between "probable cause" and "beyond a reasonable doubt."

The prosecutors who argue for keeping someone jailed work at the District Attorney's Office, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-8100, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Lowering bail takes a written motion from the defense lawyer or public defender (Pa.R.Crim.P. 529). Early on, the motion goes before the original district judge. After the case moves up, a Court of Common Pleas judge decides it.

1. Collect papers that show steady work, a place to live, relatives close by and how much money the family really has.
2. Give it to the lawyer, who uses it to argue the person is a safe bet to return.
3. Suggest rules that ease the judge's worries, such as bail supervision or staying away from a certain place.

Time in jail matters too. Once a person has spent 180 days jailed before trial, leaving out any delay the defense caused, a motion for nominal bail becomes possible (Pa.R.Crim.P. 600). This does not apply to someone held with no bail at all.

Every Pennsylvania county except Philadelphia has a public defender for people who cannot pay a lawyer (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following). Here, you apply in person at Bail Administration, fifth floor of the courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-295-3584. Applications are taken weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The county's public defender application page asks you to bring:

• the criminal complaint and the police affidavit
• for traffic or non-traffic tickets, a court letter about jail time or probation
• proof of all income for you and your spouse over the last 30 days
• a bank statement or balance slip dated the day you apply
• proof of medical bill or child support payments in the last 30 days

An application missing any of these cannot be processed. The applicant signs a sworn statement about money. Act 34 of 2023 brought the first state money for county public defenders.

The Court of Common Pleas for the 2nd Judicial District sits at the county courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-8041, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Felony and misdemeanor cases end up here.

New cases start at one of 19 district court offices. Find the one closest to where the arrest happened:

Inside the city

• Court 02-1-01: 641 Union Street, Lancaster, PA 17603, 717-299-7896
• Court 02-2-01: 123 Locust Street Rear, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-7974
• Court 02-2-02: 150 North Queen Street, Suite 120, Lancaster, PA 17603, 717-295-2000
• Court 02-2-03: 1351 Elm Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603, 717-299-7898
• Court 02-2-04: 796A New Holland Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-7966

Suburbs ringing the city

• Court 02-1-02: 2205 Oregon Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601, 717-569-8774
• Court 02-2-05: 2168 Embassy Drive, Suite 150, Lancaster, PA 17603, 717-735-2288, alternative number 717-898-2511
• Court 02-3-02: 15 Geist Road, Lancaster, PA 17601, 717-656-2191

West, along the river

• Court 02-1-03: 341 Chestnut Street, Columbia, PA 17512, 717-684-2761
• Court 02-2-06: 841 Stehman Road, Millersville, PA 17551, 717-872-4361
• Court 02-3-01: 424 South Angle Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, 717-653-4575
• Court 02-3-09: 5 Municipal Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022, 717-367-4330, alternative number 717-653-1969

North, east and south

• Court 02-2-07: 609 East Main Street, Ephrata, PA 17522, 717-733-8688
• Court 02-2-08: 690 Furnace Hills Pike, Lititz, PA 17543, 717-626-0258
• Court 02-3-07: 935 Stone Hill Road, Denver, PA 17517, 717-336-2801
• Court 02-3-05: 3 Heritage Drive, Suite 100, Gordonville, PA 17529, 717-768-3312
• Court 02-3-06: 745B East Main Street, New Holland, PA 17557, 717-354-4206
• Court 02-3-03: 324 Beaver Valley Pike, Willow Street, PA 17584, 717-464-4141
• Court 02-3-04: 25 East State Street, Quarryville, PA 17566, 717-786-7368

Keep your receipt. If the defendant shows up for each hearing, the named depositor gets the money back within 20 days of the case's final end (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535). The county may keep a fee for handling cash bail. Ask the Clerk of Courts at 717-299-8275 how much that fee is.

Be careful about whose name goes on the deposit. If the defendant is the named depositor, the court can use the money for fines, costs and restitution. A relative listed as depositor is better shielded from that.

A missed court date changes everything. The judge may send out a bench warrant and order that the full bail be forfeited, meaning the county keeps every dollar. The person can also face a new charge for not showing up.

When someone leaves the prison, any money left in their account comes back on a debit card. If they move to another jail or prison, a check follows them there instead.

• At booking, staff hold most belongings. A wedding ring, eyeglasses, approved photos, addresses, business cards and small religious items may stay with the person.
• Pick up stored items soon. Property left more than 30 days after release is treated as abandoned.
• If something is lost, the most the prison pays back is $25.

Call 717-299-7800 to ask when you can collect property and what ID to bring. Our jail money page covers deposits and refunds.

Charges brought by federal prosecutors are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Cases from here are assigned to a judge who sits in Reading, Allentown or Easton:

• Reading: The Gateway Building, 201 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19601
• Allentown: Edward N. Cahn U.S. Courthouse, 504 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101
• Easton: Holmes Building, 101 Larry Holmes Drive, Easton, PA 18042

The Clerk's Office takes calls at 215-597-7704. Within days, a detention hearing takes place, where a federal judge weighs whether letting the defendant out before trial is safe (18 U.S.C. 3142). U.S. Pretrial Services for the district answers at 267-299-4400.

Anyone denied federal release sits wherever the U.S. Marshals Service chooses. Reach its Philadelphia headquarters at 601 Market Street, Room 2110, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-597-7272. Eastern District defendants are often held at FDC Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-521-4000. After sentencing, find them on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. Paying the county bail settles only the state case. ICE paperwork follows a separate path, step by step:

1. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) sends the prison Form I-247A, which asks in writing that the person be held.
2. Federal rules let that hold last up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Agents can arrive and take the person within those two days.
4. Look up a person in ICE custody on the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name and country of birth.

A ruling by the federal appeals court over Pennsylvania, Galarza v. Szalczyk (3d Cir. 2014), treats a detainer as only a request. Holding a person solely because of one can expose the county to liability. Each jail therefore sets its own detainer rules, so ask the prison at 717-299-7800 how it handles detainers. ICE's Philadelphia Field Office covers Pennsylvania: 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.

In Pennsylvania, the maximum sentence decides where time is served (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Maximum under 2 years: the county prison.
• Maximum of 5 years or more: a state prison.
• Maximum of 2 to 5 years: usually state prison, unless the county prison, the DA and the judge each consent to a local sentence.

The state first sends them to a reception center. Tests there sort out security level and program needs, which can take weeks or even months. After that, they are sent to the state prison that matches their needs. Look them up on the state inmate locator. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Our Pennsylvania state prisons guide covers each prison.

Most youth cases go to juvenile court, not adult court, under the Juvenile Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301). A youth who needs secure detention is held at the Youth Intervention Center, 235 Circle Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-7821. The county runs it for boys and girls ages 10 to 18.

There is one big exception. Murder is different: a youth of 15 or more who faces that charge has the case opened in adult court. Some violent crimes with a deadly weapon follow that same path (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302). The defense can ask to move that case to juvenile court.

Juvenile Probation handles youth cases from 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-299-8161. Call there to learn when the youth sees a judge.