Austin County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds
Cash bond or bondsman in Austin County
With a cash bond, the whole amount goes to the county and comes back after the case, minus whatever fines or costs the court takes out, as long as every setting was kept. A licensed bondsman instead charges a non-refundable premium and signs as surety.
A personal bond, with no money down, is possible when Texas law allows it for the offense. For appointed lawyers, see the joint district and county court plan (TIDC plan 339).
Bond questions from Austin County families
Can the 155th District Court lower a felony bond?
Is the bond window open around the clock?
Bondsman list for Austin County: where is it?
Bond posted for an inmate housed in Fort Bend County: where is the release?
Who pays for a lawyer if the family has no money?
Can the 155th District Court lower a felony bond?
Yes. Once the felony case is filed, the district judge can raise or reduce it, and a defense lawyer can ask by motion. Judge Leedy decides the same question on Class A and B cases.
Is the bond window open around the clock?
Hours for taking bond payments are set by the jail; phone before driving to Bellville late at night.
Bondsman list for Austin County: where is it?
Any bonding company licensed by the State of Texas to write surety bonds may post a bond at the Chesley Street jail; the company charges a non-refundable fee, commonly a percentage of the bail amount, and signs as surety for the rest.
Bond posted for an inmate housed in Fort Bend County: where is the release?
The bond stays an Austin County matter. Jail staff will explain where to post it and where the person will walk out.
Who pays for a lawyer if the family has no money?
The county does, if the defendant qualifies. Ask the magistrate, or file the TIDC request form (on the Austin County dashboard) with the judge. Contract attorneys rotate through these cases, and an appointment must come within three working days.
How do Bail Bonds work at Austin County Jail
How bail works at the Austin County Jail
In Austin County the bond number comes out of the magistrate's first look at the case, a hearing that cannot wait past 48 hours. Bonds are posted at the Chesley Street jail: a cash bond for the full amount, with photo ID, or a surety bond signed by a licensed bonding company. The jail line is 979-865-5321.
After posting, the bond paper shows the first court setting. A no-show there can bring a fresh warrant and cost you the bond.
Austin County Jail
Address:
417 N. Chesley Street
Bellville, TX 77418
Phone:
979-865-5321
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Austin County
Cash bond or bondsman in Austin County
With a cash bond, the whole amount goes to the county and comes back after the case, minus whatever fines or costs the court takes out, as long as every setting was kept. A licensed bondsman instead charges a non-refundable premium and signs as surety.
A personal bond, with no money down, is possible when Texas law allows it for the offense. For appointed lawyers, see the joint district and county court plan (TIDC plan 339).
Bond questions from Austin County families
Can the 155th District Court lower a felony bond?
Is the bond window open around the clock?
Bondsman list for Austin County: where is it?
Bond posted for an inmate housed in Fort Bend County: where is the release?
Who pays for a lawyer if the family has no money?
Can the 155th District Court lower a felony bond?
Yes. Once the felony case is filed, the district judge can raise or reduce it, and a defense lawyer can ask by motion. Judge Leedy decides the same question on Class A and B cases.
Is the bond window open around the clock?
Bonds are posted at the jail itself, 417 N. Chesley St.; the jail line, 979-865-5321, gives the bond-window hours before a late-night drive.
Bondsman list for Austin County: where is it?
Any bonding company licensed by the State of Texas to write surety bonds may post a bond at the Chesley Street jail; the company charges a non-refundable fee, commonly a percentage of the bail amount, and signs as surety for the rest.
Bond posted for an inmate housed in Fort Bend County: where is the release?
The bond stays an Austin County matter. Jail staff will explain where to post it and where the person will walk out.
Who pays for a lawyer if the family has no money?
The county does, if the defendant qualifies. Ask the magistrate, or file the TIDC request form (on the Austin County dashboard) with the judge. Contract attorneys rotate through these cases, and an appointment must come within three working days.
The Texas rules behind an Austin County bond
Bellville magistrates work from Article 17.15 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: enough security to make sure the accused comes back for each Austin County setting, but never so much that bail turns into punishment. Judges here weigh the alleged crime, a defendant's true ability to pay, whether a victim or neighbors face danger, and criminal history.
The 2021 Damon Allen Act put a state-built risk summary on the bench before any Bellville bond is set, and it closed the no-money option to people facing violent felony counts. SB 9 from the 2025 session added offenses to that no-personal-bond list and gave prosecutors a right to appeal some bail decisions. In November 2025, voters added Proposition 3 to the Texas Constitution so judges may refuse bail outright for certain violent or sex felonies.
For warrantless arrests with no probable-cause finding in time, the county plan repeats state law: release on bond of up to $5,000 after 24 hours on a misdemeanor, or up to $10,000 after 48 hours on a felony, with the State able to ask for up to 72 hours.
Instructions on how to post Bail or Bond in Austin County
Bonding someone out in Bellville, step by step
- Phone 979-865-5321 with the legal name and date of birth; write down the charge, bond figure and booking ID.
- Find out whether your person is in Bellville or a contract county, since that sets the release point.
- Decide between a cash bond and a licensed bondsman, and confirm which payment forms the jail takes.
- Carry government photo ID when you go to post.
- Save the receipts and mark the first setting on your calendar.