Lake County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

The Northwest Correctional Complex outside Tiptonville is a state prison run by the Tennessee Department of Correction. It holds people serving state sentences, not people waiting for bail in Lake County. A person arrested here goes to the county jail on South Court Street.

Confirm with Lake County Inmate Search. If a record does not show up, call 731-253-7791 during office hours.

Back to questions ↑

The Sheriff's Department at 109 South Court Street is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sheriff Bryan Avery heads the department, and a jail administrator manages the jail itself. For a booking question outside those hours, try Lake County Inmate Search first; the record often answers it.

Back to questions ↑

A judge or magistrate sets it, after looking at the person in front of them. Tennessee Code 40-11-105 gives anyone arrested on a bailable charge the right to be admitted to bail. Under 40-11-106, officers can release a person on bail only after the amount has been set.

General Sessions and Circuit Court share one clerk line, 731-253-7137. Staff there can tell you the next court date.

Back to questions ↑

Cash bail is the full amount, deposited with the court clerk under 40-11-118. The clerk is allowed to take a debit card or a mobile payment app and charge you its fee. The Circuit Court Clerk's office is at 229 Church Street, 731-253-7137, and is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For a weekend or evening arrest, ask the Sheriff's Department how payment is taken at those hours, and keep the receipt.

Back to questions ↑

For a Tennessee resident, the consumer notice in 40-11-151 says the premium should be about 10 percent of the bond. A bondsman may add a one-time $25 initiation fee and a $12 bail tax, which together make $37. A nonresident can be asked for 10 to 15 percent.

If the bondsman keeps property or cash beyond the fee, he or she must give you a written receipt that describes it.

Back to questions ↑

Lake County is in the 29th Judicial District with Dyer County. A bondsman must hold a license from the state Board of Professional Bondsmen (40-11-321) and be approved by the courts in each district where he or she writes bonds. Ask to see both, and ask the Circuit Court Clerk at 731-253-7137 whether the company is approved here.

Back to questions ↑

Land or buildings in Tennessee can secure a bond. Another allowed form is a written bond signed by two sufficient sureties who are not bondsmen or lawyers. Property takes longer than cash since the court checks the title. Start by asking the Circuit Court Clerk what the court wants to see.

Back to questions ↑

Under 40-11-118(b): how long the person has lived in the area, job and money situation, family ties, character and mental health, record and past appearances, the offense, and any danger shown by the record. A responsible neighbor or employer may vouch for the person, though no one can vouch for more than two defendants at a time.

Back to questions ↑

Sometimes. The court must first consider release on recognizance or an unsecured bond (40-11-115(b)). It then picks the least onerous conditions that reasonably assure the person returns (40-11-116) and turns to money only if those will not do (40-11-117).

A lawyer can ask for this. The public defender for the 29th District answers at 731-286-8327.

Back to questions ↑

The Tennessee Constitution, in Article I, section 15, withholds bail from capital charges. A hold placed by another county or agency also blocks release. In stalking and certain domestic cases, release is barred for 12 hours after arrest unless the official finds no threat to the victim, and aggravated assault with strangulation or a weapon can extend that to 24 hours (40-11-150). The Sheriff's Department can tell you which situation applies.

Back to questions ↑

Rule 5 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure requires that an arrested person be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. The magistrate states the charge, explains the right to a lawyer and to remain silent, and sets the general terms of release. In a felony, a preliminary hearing follows within 14 days if the person is held, and within 30 days if released.

Back to questions ↑

The Circuit Court Clerk and General Sessions line is 731-253-7137. The County Court Clerk at 116 South Court Street answers at 731-253-7582; that office deals with vehicle and licensing matters, not jail releases. Chancery Court is at 731-253-8926. For bail and criminal cases, begin with the first number.

Back to questions ↑

Juvenile cases are kept out of the adult search. Call the Sheriff's Department at 731-253-7791 to ask which facility holds the youth and who the court contact is. The Circuit Court Clerk's office at 731-253-7137 can tell you about the next hearing.

Back to questions ↑

No. Money placed on an inmate account pays for phone calls and store items. It never goes to the court. Bail goes to the clerk, a bondsman or through a property bond. A stranger asking for gift cards is running a scam.

Back to questions ↑

The court may declare the bond forfeited (40-11-139 and 40-11-201) and issue an arrest order. A surety is not liable for fines, costs or restitution unless the bond says so and the surety agreed (40-11-118(c)). Call the clerk at 731-253-7137 the same day to ask what to do next.

Back to questions ↑

After the bond conditions are met and the defendant is discharged, the clerk refunds the deposit (40-11-119). Under 40-11-121 it first pays fines and court costs. The bondsman's premium is not returned.

Back to questions ↑