Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Bond Court decides first. A magistrate, one of the county's summary court judges, runs it inside the Law Complex at 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, steps from the jail. Sessions run daily from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. South Carolina sets a 24-hour clock from arrest to that hearing (S.C. Code 22-5-510).

Murder, plus any charge where the law allows execution or a life term, is off-limits to a magistrate. A circuit judge handles that bond, usually on a later date (S.C. Code 22-5-510). Circuit judges can also revisit a magistrate's figure on a General Sessions charge (S.C. Code 17-15-55).

After bond is delivered, Ellis Avenue staff have four hours, tops, to walk the person out. Hearing questions go to the Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879.

For charges short of capital ones, South Carolina law leans toward release on the person's word (S.C. Code 17-15-10). Money or conditions come in only when the judge doubts a return to court or sees danger. The menu:

• Recognizance bond. The person signs, and no cash changes hands.
• Cash. Full payment. State law lets a person deposit it with a magistrate or municipal judge rather than sign a recognizance (S.C. Code 22-5-530).
• Surety. A bondsman licensed by the state pledges the full figure in exchange for a family-paid fee.
• Ten-percent cash with the clerk. Allowed only when the judge says so, and ruled out for violent crimes, plus any gun felony a person commits while out on bond (S.C. Code 17-15-15).
• Electronic monitoring. GPS tracking can replace a cash bond or be added to one, at the judge's call (S.C. Code 17-15-35).

Expect conditions too, like a no-contact order. Planning to put up land? Call the Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879, about the papers first.

Bond on Ellis Avenue is set charge by charge. The magistrate sizes up the offense, prior record, family, work, finances, years in the area and any earlier no-shows (S.C. Code 17-15-30). Pending cases and any other open bond must be weighed too. Once the hearing ends, the jail at 803-539-2091 can read you the number.

Penalties hint at how seriously a judge views each charge:

• Third-degree assault and battery: misdemeanor, $500 fine and 30 days at most (S.C. Code 16-3-600(E)(2)).
• Shoplifting worth $2,000 or less: up to $1,000 plus 30 days, heard in summary court.
• Shoplifting above $2,000: felony, with a five-year cap below $10,000 and a ten-year cap at $10,000 and up (S.C. Code 16-13-110).
• Listed violent crimes, for instance armed robbery or kidnapping: the magistrate can name a figure or say no (S.C. Code 16-1-60).
• Murder and other death-or-life charges: circuit judge only.

Felony classes stretch from Class F, capped at 5 years, to Class A, capped at 30 (S.C. Code 16-1-20).

The detention center shares the Law Complex at 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118. Work through this list:

1. Phone 803-539-2091. Confirm custody using the legal name and birthday.
2. Jot down every charge next to its bond. Check whether any charge still waits on a circuit judge.
3. Find out today's payment spot, what kinds of payment work and the payee for money orders.
4. Ask if another court, county or agency has a hold.
5. Arrive carrying a photo ID plus the precise sum. Save each receipt.

Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Central Region Magistrate Office next door, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879, also takes bonds. Release then has to follow within four hours (S.C. Code 22-5-510).

Yes. The Central office accepts payment or posting of bonds Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here is every county magistrate location:

• Central Region Magistrate Office: 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879. Mail: P.O. Box 9000, Orangeburg, SC 29116. Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Central Region Traffic Court Office: 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5848. Traffic tickets land here.
• Eastern Region Magistrate Office: 8423 Old State Road, Holly Hill, SC 29059, 803-496-9533. Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Western Region Magistrate Office (Neeses): 6357 Savannah Highway, Neeses, SC 29107, 803-247-2011. Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A call to Holly Hill or Neeses before the drive saves a wasted trip, since staff there can say whether they handle bond for someone on Ellis Avenue. Tickets written by town officers may sit with that town's municipal court, and the Central office knows which court holds a case.

Accepted payment can shift, so check the morning you go. Ask the Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879, what it takes for bonds that day and whether it refuses personal checks or cards. Paying at the jail instead? Put the same question to staff at 803-539-2091.

• Bring the exact figure, in bills or as a money order, plus photo ID.
• Learn the payee's name before buying a money order.
• Insist on a printed receipt naming the case and the payer.
• Mailing bills is never safe.

When a judge permits a 10 percent deposit, the clerk of court collects it (S.C. Code 17-15-15). That office sits in the Administrative Centre, 1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, and the county switchboard, 803-533-1000, connects you.

Think of a bondsman, or surety, as a guarantor. That business vouches to the judge for every dollar of the bond, and your family pays a premium for the promise. Chapter 53 of Title 38 keeps bondsmen on a short leash:

• Licenses for bondsmen, and for the runners who work for them, come from the South Carolina Department of Insurance.
• Premiums max out at 15 percent. The floor is $100 or 10 percent, whichever comes out higher (S.C. Code 38-53-170(e)).
• Payment plans call for at least $100 up front and a payoff inside 18 months.
• Dropped charges won't bring the premium back.
• Bondsmen may not hunt for clients inside courtrooms, magistrate offices or jails, and they may not push anyone toward a certain lawyer.
• Collateral returns within ten days after liability ends, barring a bench warrant.

Complaints go to the Department of Insurance, 1201 Main Street, Suite 1000, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-737-6160.

A bond here covers a single charge. So, before money changes hands, ask the jail at 803-539-2091 to list all holds. Watch for these:

• Other charges or courts. Town tickets and county charges get separate bonds.
• Warrants from elsewhere. Another county or state holding its own warrant can ask the Ellis Avenue jail to transfer the person before release.
• Supervision violations. Probation and parole belong to a separate state agency, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, 293 Greystone Boulevard, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-734-9220.
• Another violent or gun felony charge while bonded on one. Under S.C. Code 17-15-55(C), the earlier bond is automatically revoked, with a circuit court hearing due within 30 days.
• GPS orders. Check with staff on what must be in place first.
• Federal or ICE detainers. State bond can't clear those.

Release on bail is the default for nearly every Ellis Avenue booking, and the state Constitution outlaws excessive amounts (S.C. Const. art. I, § 15). Judges may still say no in capital cases, life-sentence cases and cases on the legislature's violent-offense list, after giving due weight to the evidence.

On the violent list, the magistrate holds a choice: a figure, or none (S.C. Code 16-1-60). Murder-level cases move up to a circuit judge. Picking up a violent charge while already bonded on one is its own felony under S.C. Code 17-15-270, worth up to five years.

The First Circuit Solicitor prosecutes General Sessions cases from 151 Docket Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-533-6252, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Under S.C. Const. art. I, § 24, victims get advance word of the hearing and a turn to address the judge. Bond Court's victim assistance coordinators take calls at 803-534-1511. Relatives should keep clear of the alleged victim, because contact can violate bond terms.

Yes. Release terms stay open to change, and the court holding the case may revise them after notice and a hearing (S.C. Code 17-15-50). A circuit judge may also reconsider what a magistrate set on a General Sessions charge (S.C. Code 17-15-55).

1. Have the defense attorney ask for a bond reconsideration hearing.
2. Gather pay stubs, a lease, letters from relatives and an honest household budget.
3. Propose safeguards, for example a curfew or GPS.
4. Be early to the hearing, papers organized.

Magistrate cases: Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879. General Sessions cases: Clerk of Court, Administrative Centre, 1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, by way of 803-533-1000.

When an attorney's fee is beyond the family's means, the court appoints one, unless the person waives that right (S.C. Code 17-3-10). Qualifying means signing an affidavit about finances and paying a $40 application fee. The clerk may trim that fee or forgive it when paying is impossible (S.C. Code 17-3-30). For a minor, parents or guardians sign and owe that fee.

• Public Defender, Orangeburg County office (First Circuit): 151 Docket Street, Room 110, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-536-4858. Mailing address: PO Box 1112, Orangeburg, SC 29116-1112.
• South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense, the statewide oversight body: 1330 Lady Street, Suite 401, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-734-1343.

Apply right away. Appointed counsel can push for a lower bond and file for a preliminary hearing inside the 10-day window.

Expect a case from here to pass through some of these:

• County courthouse, home of the Court of General Sessions for felonies and serious misdemeanors: 1406 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115.
• Clerk of Court: Administrative Centre, 1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, through the county line, 803-533-1000. Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Bond Court: inside the Law Complex, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, daily 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Central Region Magistrate Office: 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879. It fields Bond Court questions as well.
• Eastern Region Magistrate Office: 8423 Old State Road, Holly Hill, SC 29059, 803-496-9533.
• Western Region Magistrate Office: 6357 Savannah Highway, Neeses, SC 29107, 803-247-2011.
• Federal charges, Orangeburg Division: Matthew J. Perry, Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 901 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-765-5816.

Town tickets can go to a municipal court instead. Staff at the Central office can point you to the right one.

A court returns deposited cash after it has served its purpose, usually after the final ruling, provided the defendant showed up each time (S.C. Code 17-15-220). Ten-percent deposits go back once the conditions have been honored, less restitution if ordered (S.C. Code 17-15-15). The court holding the money explains its refund steps.

Missing court sets off a chain:

• A willful no-show is a separate offense. Out on a felony, the cap is $5,000 and five years. Out on a misdemeanor carrying at least a year, the cap is $1,000 and one year (S.C. Code 17-15-90).
• The judge signs a bench warrant ordering an arrest.
• A surety bond is forfeited at the 90-day mark after that warrant, unless the bondsman has surrendered the person by then (S.C. Code 38-53-70).
• A bondsman's fee is earned once the bond posts, so it isn't returned.

Refund calls go to the Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879, or to the Clerk of Court, 1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, via 803-533-1000.

Wallets, keys, phones and leftover account cash stay with the detention center, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, until release. A call to 803-539-2091 ahead of time should cover:

• the way unused account money is returned,
• whether a relative may collect property, and what written permission that takes,
• what ID and pickup times apply.

For background on inmate accounts, see our money and deposits guide.

Federal charges from this county are assigned to the Orangeburg Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Their courtroom home is Matthew J. Perry, Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 901 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-765-5816. Clerk hours: weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• A federal magistrate judge weighs release the day the person is first brought into federal court, at what's called a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142). The defense can buy up to five extra days, prosecutors up to three.
• Before trial, federal detainees in these cases are placed by marshals working from 901 Richland Street, Suite 1300, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-765-5821. Phone that office to learn the holding location.
• After sentencing, try the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. A detainer stands apart from the state bond, and paying one leaves the other untouched. How it unfolds at the Law Complex:

1. A detainer arrives first: Form I-247A, filed with the jail by federal immigration officers (ICE).
2. That detainer requests custody for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under S.C. Code 23-3-1100, the jail makes a reasonable effort within 72 hours to learn the immigration status of each person it holds on criminal charges. When a check shows unlawful presence, Homeland Security must be told. At Bond Court, the judge weighs unlawful presence in judging flight risk (S.C. Code 22-5-510(D)(4)).
4. Agents take custody. South Carolina matters run through the ICE office at 3950 Faber Place Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405, 843-746-9800.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter an A-number there, or the name along with a birth country.

A judge's sentence of 90 days or less is normally served locally, at the regional jail (S.C. Code 24-3-30). Anything longer hands the person to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, which assigns the prison (S.C. Code 24-3-20).

• Each new SCDC arrival spends time in reception and evaluation. Families generally can't visit in person during that stretch, though a stay beyond 30 days changes that.
• Check the SCDC inmate search, refreshed nightly. People held in county jails don't appear in it.
• SCDC: 4444 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-896-8500.
• For each prison's visiting and mail basics, open our South Carolina state prisons list.

Family Court, not adult court, takes most cases involving people younger than 18 (S.C. Code 63-19-20). Age 17 is the carve-out. A Class A-D felony charge at 17, or any felony at 17 worth 15 years or more, lands in General Sessions instead.

• An adult lockup may hold a child no more than six hours. Kids aged 10 or under can't be jailed for any reason (S.C. Code 63-19-820).
• Detention hearing deadline: 48 hours, weekends and holidays excluded (S.C. Code 63-19-830).
• Many South Carolina youths wait at DJJ's Juvenile Detention Complex, 1725 Shivers Road, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-896-9440 (visitation line).
• The DJJ office covering Calhoun and Orangeburg counties, 303 Summers Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-533-6270, can confirm the location and hearing time.