Bexar County Adult Detention Center

A magistrate does. Think of a magistrate as the judicial officer in charge of first appearances. Here the work happens at the Central Magistrate office in the South Tower of the jail complex, 200 N. Comal Street, San Antonio, TX 78207. It never closes, not even on holidays. Staff there answer questions about new arrests at 210-335-6111.

The Justice Intake & Assessment Annex opened at that address in December 2018. The Sheriff's Office runs it with the District Clerk, the District Attorney, Pretrial Services, the Public Defender and the courts. A person learns the charge, the bond and any bond rules there. Then they either walk out on bond or are moved into the jail.

• The clock. State law gives officers 48 hours at most, and no needless delay, to bring the person to a magistrate (CCP arts. 14.06(a), 15.17(a)). The hearing may happen in person or over a camera link.
• The warnings. The person hears what they are accused of. They also learn they may keep quiet, hire a lawyer, or ask the county for one at no cost (CCP art. 15.17(a)).
• The bond. Each person gets their own decision, with the lightest rules that still do the job (CCP art. 17.028).
• The report. For a Class B charge or worse, a public safety report on the person's past goes to the magistrate before any ruling. The 2021 Damon Allen Act created it. It holds no risk score and makes no bail suggestion (CCP arts. 17.021, 17.022).

The county names four ways out of jail. Every one of them binds the person to come back for court dates (CCP art. 17.01).

• Commercial bond. A licensed bond company backs the whole bond in exchange for a nonrefundable fee.
• Attorney bond. The person's own lawyer of record may post the bond (Occupations Code ch. 1704).
• Cash bond. Someone pays the whole amount up front. It can come back when the case ends.
• Personal bond, or PR bond. The person signs a promise and pays no bond money. Pretrial Services staff interview people who may qualify. When release follows their advice, the court adds a fee of $20 or 3% of the bail, whichever is more. A judge can lower or waive it (CCP art. 17.42).

A PR bond is off the table for certain charges. That list covers many violent crimes, threats of terror rated Class A or above, a felon with a gun, and some broken protective orders. S.B. 9 grew the list in 2025. Burglary, organized crime and a few drug felonies are a middle case: the judge of the court holding the case decides on a PR bond, not the magistrate at intake (CCP art. 17.03).

A bond can come with rules, such as GPS tracking, drug tests or an ignition interlock on the car. Pretrial Services watches over those rules. Its office is at 222 South Comal, Suite 124, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-335-8964, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. GPS questions go to 210-335-8962.

Each magistrate sets the amount for each person. Texas has no single price list for the whole state. Any local schedule must still follow the rules for one-person-at-a-time decisions (CCP art. 17.028). By law, the magistrate weighs these points (CCP art. 17.15(a)):

• an amount big enough that the person returns to court
• never so high that the bond itself becomes a punishment
• the nature of the charge and the facts behind it
• how much the person can really pay
• whether a victim, officers or neighbors could be at risk
• the person's record and whether they are a citizen

The law sets two caps in one case. After an arrest without a warrant, a judge may not have ruled on probable cause in time. Then the person goes free by hour 24 on a misdemeanor bond of $5,000 or less, or within two days on a felony bond up to $10,000. Someone who can't raise that money is let out on a personal bond. Prosecutors can seek a delay of no more than 72 hours (CCP art. 17.033).

To hear the actual figure, phone the Inmate & Bond Information Line at 210-335-6201. Have the paperwork name and birthday at hand. The clerk then reads back what each charge carries.

Most bonds are handled at the jail complex, 200 N. Comal Street, San Antonio, TX 78207. The Central Magistrate desk there is staffed all day and night. It takes personal bonds and surety bonds that are brought to it. A person can often bond out from intake without ever being moved into the jail. Work through this list:

1. Phone 210-335-6201. Share the name as printed on their license, plus the birthday. Ask about every charge, the bond for each, and any hold.
2. Pick a route: hire a bond company, use a lawyer, or pay the full cash bond.
3. For a cash bond, get a money order or cashier's check covering every dollar of the bond. Make it out to "Bexar County Sheriff's Office."
4. Carry a current photo ID. On that first call, ask which window to use and whether the magistrate has seen the person yet.
5. Guard that receipt. Refunds go to the name it shows and to no one else.

Questions after midnight? The Central Magistrate line is 210-335-6111, and its supervisors answer at 210-335-6147.

Yes. Someone with an active warrant can surrender and bond out the same day at the Booking and Release Satellite Office. It is in the basement of the county courthouse, 100 Dolorosa St. B10.2, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-335-2592. They see a magistrate there and skip the jail entirely.

1. Call first to confirm the warrant is active. A bond amount must already be set.
2. Arrive on a weekday between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., or between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. Magistrates only see people in those windows.
3. Using a bond company or lawyer? Carry their paperwork, a photo ID and one $15 money order per bond. Three or more cases call for two money orders.
4. Paying cash bond? Bring a money order or cashier's check equal to the entire bond, payable to "Bexar County Sheriff's Office." The $15 fee is skipped.
5. Have two people ready to list as references.

Set aside roughly three hours. Only the person with the warrant may go into the processing area, so leave children at home. Food and photos are not allowed, and parking at a meter is a bad idea. Warrants for violent or sexual crimes, crimes against children, or another county or state go to the Annex at 200 N. Comal Street, San Antonio, TX 78207 instead.

A cash bond can be paid only by cashier's check or money order. It has to equal the whole bond and name "Bexar County Sheriff's Office" as the payee. Valid ID is required as well.

• Turned away: cash, personal checks and traveler's checks.
• Phone calls: bond money is never taken over the phone.
• Scams: the Sheriff's Office never asks for gift cards or crypto, and never asks you to pay so someone avoids arrest. Hang up on anyone who does.
• Online: the county's online payment page is for Class C tickets and fines, not for bonds.

Pretrial supervision fees are separate from bond. Pay them in person at 222 South Comal, Suite 124, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-335-8964, by cash, money order or cashier's check. The Pretrial Services page also links an online way to pay. Pretrial staff never ask for Apple Pay, Cash App or wire transfers. Unpaid fees alone won't keep a person in jail or bring a warrant.

The county has a Bail Bond Board, which licenses the bond companies that work here. Its Bail Bond Board page has the details. The list of licensed bond companies is sorted by license number. The county says checking a license is up to you, so look before you sign. State rules for bond companies are in Occupations Code ch. 1704.

• The fee. Texas puts no cap on what a company charges. The fee is paid once and not returned.
• Receipts. The company must hand you a receipt for any money you pay.
• No jail pitches. Agents can't troll the jail for new clients.
• Collateral. Put up a truck title or a house deed? Once every case is over, ask for it back in writing. The company then has 30 days.
• Surrender. Since H.B. 2697 (2025), a company dropping a bond tells the defense lawyer before anything else. In a felony it tells the prosecutor too, then signs a sworn form (CCP art. 17.19).

Each bond pays for one charge only. Before paying, call 210-335-6201 and ask staff to read every hold. These are the usual ones:

• A second case. Each charge has its own bond, and all must be posted.
• An ICE detainer. Jails in Texas have to follow it. The exception is someone who can prove they are a citizen or lawfully present (CCP art. 2A.060).
• A parole warrant. People nickname it a blue warrant. It keeps a parolee jailed until a violation hearing (Government Code 508.254(c)). Ask the state parole line, 210-564-3700, about it.
• Probation. A new arrest can lead to a motion to revoke. Adult probation, called the Community Supervision and Corrections Department, works from 207 North Comal, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-335-7200.
• Another county's warrant. The local magistrate can accept bail on it, then forward the bond to the county that issued it (CCP art. 15.18).
• Family violence. Since September 1, 2025, the jail must hold the person four hours after bond when violence seems likely to go on. A signed order from a magistrate can stretch that hold by as much as two more days (CCP art. 17.291(b)).

Rarely. Texas's constitution guards bail as a right for almost anyone charged. Capital cases with strong, plain proof are the classic exception (Tex. Const. art. I, §11). A few more cases allow a denial (Tex. Const. art. I, §§11a, 11b, 11c):

• a felony after two past felony convictions, or one done while out on bail for an indicted felony
• breaking a safety rule of a bond in a felony case or a family violence case
• a broken protective order in a family violence case

In November 2025, voters approved Proposition 3 (Tex. Const. art. I, §11d). It covers the most serious violent and sex crimes, including murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault and human trafficking. For those, bail must be denied when, after a hearing, the prosecutor shows a real flight risk or a danger to others. Nobody but the prosecutor can request this. A judge who lets the person out anyway has to put the reasons on paper.

S.B. 9 (2025) gave the state a new tool too. In listed violent cases, it can challenge a bail amount it views as too small. The person stays jailed while the appeals court decides, which must happen inside 20 days (CCP art. 44.01). Prosecutors here work for the Criminal District Attorney, 101 W. Nueva Street, 4th Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-335-2311, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Yes. The defense lawyer asks for it in a written motion filed in the court handling the case. By law, bail may not be used to crush a person, and their budget counts (CCP art. 17.15(a)). These steps help:

1. Pull together recent paychecks, rent or mortgage papers, support letters from relatives, and the household bill total.
2. Propose conditions aimed at whatever worries the court, like GPS or drug testing run by Pretrial Services.
3. Ask the lawyer whether a personal bond fits the charge.
4. Count the days. When prosecutors aren't trial-ready in time, the law calls for a personal bond or a smaller bail. That deadline is 90 days on a felony and 30 days on a misdemeanor that can bring over 180 days (CCP art. 17.151).

The other side can push back. Under S.B. 9, prosecutors can have a district judge review a felony bond a second time (CCP art. 17.029). The Criminal Law Magistrate Court is at 210-335-2901, and the Pre-indictment Court is at 210-335-2899. Both list the county courthouse, 100 Dolorosa, San Antonio, TX 78205, as their address.

Money troubles shouldn't mean no lawyer. At that first magistrate hearing, the person can request a free one. In this county, Pretrial Services staff at the Annex take those requests. Judges or the jail magistrate then appoint the lawyer. The Public Defender's Office takes cases only by court assignment, so families can't hire it or apply to it.

• Public Defender's Office, 101 W Nueva Street, Suite 310, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-335-0701, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It handles felonies, misdemeanors, appeals and mental health cases. A jailed client gets a video visit from a public defender within 72 hours of assignment.
• Managed assigned counsel office, which places private lawyers on court cases, 203 W. Nueva Street, 2nd Floor, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-335-2999.

The request forms reach the court within a day (CCP art. 15.17(a)). In a county with 250,000 or more residents, the court then has one working day to pick a lawyer, and smaller counties get three (CCP art. 1.051(c)). The court can't refuse a lawyer just because the person could post bail (CCP art. 26.04).

The criminal courts give the county courthouse as their address, 100 Dolorosa, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-335-2011.

• Felonies: ten Criminal District Courts, the 144th, 175th, 186th, 187th, 226th, 227th, 290th, 379th, 399th and 437th. The District Clerk's felony records line is 210-335-2591.
• Class A and B misdemeanors: County Courts at Law 1 through 15. Court 15 sits at 300 Dolorosa, 4th Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-335-1245. The County Clerk's Central Filing line for misdemeanor records is 210-335-2238.
• Class C tickets: four Justice of the Peace courts, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:
  • Precinct 1, 3505 Pleasanton Rd., San Antonio, TX 78221, 210-335-4500
  • Precinct 2, 7723 Guilbeau Rd, Suite 105, San Antonio, TX 78250, 210-335-4800
  • Precinct 3, 320 Interpark Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78216, 210-335-4700
  • Precinct 4, 8794 East Loop 1604 North, Suite 2, Converse, TX 78109, 210-335-4900
• City tickets: San Antonio Municipal Court, 210-207-8970. Its contact page gives locations.
• Federal charges: U.S. District Court, 262 West Nueva Street, Room 1-400, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-472-6550.

Cash bail returns once the person has kept every bond rule and a judge signs off. The check is cut to the name typed on the bond receipt. With no other receipt holder, the defendant gets it (CCP art. 17.02).

A small clerk's fee can come out first. It is 5% of the bond, up to $50, and only after a conviction or deferred adjudication (Local Government Code 117.055). Cash bond money can also be used to pay the defendant's own fines and court costs (CCP art. 17.53).

• A missed court date starts the bond forfeiture process with a judgment nisi (CCP art. 22.01).
• A way back. The bond company may be released from the debt if the person lands in jail again soon enough. The window runs 180 days on misdemeanors and 270 on felonies (CCP art. 22.13).
• A new crime. Missing court on purpose is its own offense, bail jumping. Its level follows the original charge, from a Class C ticket up to a third-degree felony (Penal Code 38.10).

For a refund, call the felony records line at 210-335-2591 or misdemeanor Central Filing at 210-335-2238.

Leftover funds on the jail account are handled by the inmate banking staff at the Adult Detention Center, 200 N. Comal Street, San Antonio, TX 78207. Call them at 210-335-6287 to ask how leftover trust money is paid back after release.

For clothes, keys and other items taken at booking, call the Sheriff's Office at 210-335-6000. Ask what hours pickup runs, which ID they accept, and if a release slip signed by your loved one is needed. Our jail account money page covers deposits too.

The Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, takes federal cases from this county. Its clerk works at 262 West Nueva Street, Room 1-400, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-472-6550. State bond rules play no part in these cases.

• At the person's first federal court date, the judge decides jail or release until trial at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals Service keeps the person in custody before trial. It is at 262 West Nueva Street, Room 2-300, San Antonio, TX 78207, 210-332-6800. Call to ask which jail is holding them.
• The Federal Public Defender's main office is at 300 Convent Street, Room 2300, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-472-6700.
• Federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office sit at 601 NW Loop 410, Suite 600, San Antonio, TX 78216, 210-384-7100.
• Once a prison sentence starts, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The bond takes care of the state charge only. An immigration hold is a separate matter, and it usually plays out like this:

1. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) delivers Form I-247A to jail staff. People call this paper a detainer.
2. Its request: keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas jails are required to follow detainers. Someone who can prove citizenship or lawful presence goes free (CCP art. 2A.060). The 2017 law S.B. 4 also bars any local policy that slows immigration enforcement (Government Code 752.053). And under a 2025 state law, each county running a jail must try to sign a 287(g) agreement with ICE before December 1, 2026.
4. ICE officers pick the person up. Cases here fall under the San Antonio Field Office, 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300. Its detention sites include the Dilley Immigration Processing Center and the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center.
5. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The A-number works best. Lacking that, search the name and pick the nation of birth.

State jail and prison terms are served in units run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Following the sentence, the person often remains at the Comal Street jail until TDCJ takes custody. Intake comes first. Then the state places them at a unit that suits the sentence and their needs.

• Use the TDCJ inmate search. A last name, a TDCJ number or a SID number all work. Results refresh on business days and run at least a day behind.
• Our Texas state prisons page covers each unit.
• State jail felonies carry a term of 180 days up to two years inside a state jail unit (Penal Code 12.35). Third-degree felonies and above mean prison time (Penal Code 12.31-12.34).

Texas juvenile court handles young people who were 10 to 16 years old when the offense happened. Seventeen-year-olds land in adult court (Family Code 51.02(2)). A parent has to be notified promptly by police (Family Code 52.02).

• A held child goes to the Juvenile Detention Center, 600 Mission Road, San Antonio, TX 78210, 210-335-7600. It is not the adult jail.
• Expect a detention hearing no later than the second working day. A child taken in on a Friday or Saturday gets one on the first working day. A lawyer is assigned before that hearing (Family Code 54.01).
• Juvenile Probation is at 301 East Mitchell, San Antonio, TX 78210, 210-335-7500, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Long-term treatment after a court order happens at the Krier Center, 3621 Farm Rd., San Antonio, TX 78223. Juvenile Probation answers questions about it.

The child must be sent home unless the judge finds one of the reasons the law lists for keeping them (Family Code 54.01(e)).