Burleson County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate, and fast. The deadline in Texas is 48 hours from arrest to that hearing, sooner when nothing justifies waiting (CCP arts. 14.06, 15.17). Appearing over video satisfies the law too. The lawyer plan shared by Bastrop, Burleson, Lee and Washington counties repeats that limit (TIDC plan).

Plenty of local officials qualify as magistrates (CCP art. 2A.151), from the four justices of the peace to the Caldwell city judge and the county and district benches. Whoever handles your person's hearing has three jobs:

• read the charge out loud and go over the warnings, including silence and counsel;
• offer a lawyer paid by the county and walk the person through the request form;
• settle bail for this one person, picking the mildest terms that keep the case and the public safe (CCP art. 17.028).

Jail staff at 979-567-4343 know when the magistrate is due.

Texas law (CCP art. 17.01) recognizes just two families of bail. In the first family, the bail bond, a deposit of cash or a surety's pledge stands behind the promise to return. A personal bond rests on the person's word alone.

• Cash bond. The full figure is deposited with the court and kept until the case closes. The money returns after that, trimmed only by fees the statute allows (CCP art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. Someone who qualifies as a surety, usually a paid bondsman, guarantees the full figure. The premium is gone once paid, whatever the verdict.
• Personal bond. Nothing is deposited and nobody co-signs. The person's own signature is the bond (CCP art. 17.03).

Article 17.03 bars the signature-only route for most violent crimes. That bar also reaches gun charges against felons, Class A-plus terroristic threats and some protective order cases. In between sit burglary and organized criminal activity, plus certain drug felonies; for those, only the judge trying the case may say yes. Under article 17.441, a repeat DWI bond also comes with a breath-test device wired into the car.

We give no dollar guesses here. Texas never adopted a statewide bail chart, and any local chart still yields to the facts of each case (CCP arts. 17.028, 17.15). Ask the Highway 21 desk at 979-567-4343 for the amount actually set.

Article 17.15 tells magistrates to juggle these points:

• enough money at stake that court dates get kept, but never a sum meant to crush;
• what the charge is and the way it allegedly happened;
• what the family and the accused can truly afford;
• danger to the victim, to deputies and to the community;
• prior record, including skipped court dates;
• citizenship.

For anything rated Class B or worse, Texas wants the magistrate holding a public safety report, basically a printout of the person's past, before naming bail. Under articles 17.021 and 17.022, the report rates nobody and names no dollar figure. One rule does put numbers on paper. Picture a Highway 36 arrest with no warrant, where the probable cause ruling never comes on time. Article 17.033 then caps misdemeanor bond at $5,000 and felony bond at $10,000.

Jail and Sheriff's Office share the building at 1334 State Highway 21 East, Caldwell, TX 77836. A simple game plan:

1. Dial 979-567-4343 with the person's name spelled exactly and their birthday handy.
2. Write the bail amount and the charge next to the BCID number, the jail's own inmate ID.
3. Ask what payment the front desk takes for a cash bond and what time you may come.
4. Ask if a hold, a separate case or the family violence wait applies.
5. Show up with photo ID. Hang on to each receipt.

Using a bondsman? The bond paperwork is theirs to file. Paying by card from home is covered two answers down.

Sometimes. Each office handles different cases, so phone ahead and ask whether a bond for this case can be filed there, and which payment it takes.

• Felonies: District Clerk, 205 E. Fox, Suite 2001, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2336. Window hours run 8 a.m. to noon, then 1 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Faxed or emailed papers are refused.
• Misdemeanors (Class A or B): kept by the County Court, housed at 100 West Buck St., Caldwell, TX 77836. Ask the switchboard at 979-567-2333 for the County Clerk. Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Justice court fine warrants: paying the fine ends the warrant, recalled the day the money posts. All four justice court numbers sit in the courthouse rundown below.

On its web page, the Sheriff's Office steers card users to Certified Payments, the vendor the county uses for card charges. The rules it gives:

• Cards cover a cash bail bond only when the whole bond is paid. They also cover fines and fees for someone sitting in the jail.
• Expect a convenience fee.
• Posting can lag to the next business day, which can push back the release.
• The form wants a docket or BCID number and a bureau code. Get both by calling the Sheriff's Office at 979-567-4343 first.
• Disputes about a card charge go to the vendor at 866-539-2020.

For in-person cash or a check, confirm on that same call what the desk accepts. Never tuck cash into the mail.

Texas forces a bail bond board on counties of 110,000 people or more, while smaller places get to choose (Occupations Code §§1704.051, 1704.052). With none in place, the sheriff is allowed to publish the names of sureties found qualified (CCP art. 17.141). The jail at 979-567-4343 can say which bondsmen it takes.

• Texas puts no ceiling on premiums. Shop around, and sign nothing without the fee spelled out.
• Get paper for each payment or pink slip you hand over; in board counties, Occupations Code §1704.305 makes the bondsman give it.
• Where a county has a bond board, sales pitches by bondsmen in the jail lobby or cells are banned under §1704.304.
• Collateral such as your truck title comes home after the last case closes. Send the bondsman a written request; in a board county, §1704.301 allows 30 days to return it.
• A bondsman who backs out of a bond has to alert the defense attorney before filing an affidavit to surrender (CCP art. 17.19).

Each bond frees the person on one case only. Ask staff at 979-567-4343 to list each hold first, so your money isn't wasted. Holds seen most often:

• Another county wants them. Say Lee or Milam County issued it. Under article 15.18, a magistrate in Caldwell may accept bail on that paper and send the bond on. Expect some delay while it travels.
• Parole. Someone on state parole who picks up a "blue warrant" usually stays in until the parole violation is heard, per Gov't Code §508.254.
• ICE. Details sit in the immigration answer further down.
• Family violence. Release is delayed 4 hours after bond if more abuse seems likely. A signed order can add at most 48 further hours (CCP art. 17.291).
• Two cases, two bonds. A justice court fine warrant and a district court charge each need separate handling.

Yes. Three extra steps come into play. Officers must try to reach the alleged victim before the person goes free (CCP art. 17.29). An emergency protective order signed by the magistrate runs between 61 and 91 days. Add 30 days to both ends when the alleged assault featured a deadly weapon (CCP art. 17.292). And a violated bond condition on such a case can cost the person bail entirely (CCP art. 17.152).

That order can ban contact and keep the person away from the home. Read every line before anyone returns there.

Our state constitution makes bail the rule. Article I, §11 carves out capital cases when the evidence is plain. Sections 11a through 11c trim it further for some repeat felons, people already out on felony bail, and anyone who broke release safety terms or a protective order.

Then came Proposition 3 on November 4, 2025, adding section 11d. On that list are murder (capital or not), human trafficking and indecency with a child. Robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault make the list in their aggravated forms. Aggravated assault joins them when it left a victim seriously injured or a deadly weapon was involved. For those charges, bail is off the table once prosecutors persuade the court during a special hearing that your person may skip town or hurt someone. Defense lawyers and judges can't start that process. Granting bail anyway takes written findings (Tex. Const. art. I, §11d).

Since 2025, prosecutors can also appeal bail on some violent charges when they think the amount is too small. During that appeal, up to 20 days, release is on hold (CCP art. 44.01). Both felony and misdemeanor cases here are handled by the County Attorney's office, split into two divisions:

• Felony Division, 205 E. Fox St., Suite 2004, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2350
• Misdemeanor Division, 100 West Buck, Suite 402, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2340

A bail figure can change. The defense lawyer asks, and a judge decides.

1. Your lawyer files a motion to reduce bail with whichever court holds the case.
2. You supply pay stubs, a lease or deed close by, family ties and an honest budget. Article 17.15 forbids bail meant to oppress.
3. Propose conditions in exchange, maybe a curfew, a check-in schedule or staying away from a certain place.

Article 17.151 runs a stopwatch on jailed people. Felonies get 90 days, and the bigger misdemeanors (over 180 days possible) get 30. Lighter jailable misdemeanors get 15 days. Five days applies to cases that can end only in a fine. Miss that clock and the law tilts toward letting your person out, either on a signature or for less money, apart from a short list of exceptions. Prosecutors have a tool too. Article 17.029, added in 2025, lets them route a felony bail they think is wrong to a district judge. Felony filing questions go to the District Clerk, 979-567-2336.

For people who can't pay, the judges here pick private attorneys. The four-county plan relies on contract attorneys plus a rotating appointment list (district court plan).

• Answer yes when the magistrate offers counsel. Within 24 hours that sworn form reaches the judge who makes appointments.
• Before a first court setting, forms may be turned in to the District Court Coordinator or at the District Clerk's window.
• Under article 1.051, the appointment should come within three working days of receipt.
• Capital murder is different. Those cases get a team built for them, the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases. Dial 806-696-3740. Its Lubbock mail stop is PO Box 2097, Lubbock, TX 79408.

Complaints or questions about the plan: Texas Indigent Defense Commission (512-936-6994), 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701.

Caldwell holds most courts, while three of the justice courts list addresses elsewhere.

• 21st and 335th District Courts for felonies, filed at the District Clerk, 205 E. Fox, Suite 2001, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2336. Both courts also serve Bastrop, Lee and Washington counties.
• County Court for Class A and B, 100 West Buck St., Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2333.
• Precinct 1 justice court, 6399 FM 111, Caldwell, TX 77836 (mailing: PO Box 136, Deanville, TX 77852), 979-535-4761.
• Precinct 2 justice court, 9434 Slovacek Rd., Snook, TX 77878, 979-272-3656.
• Precinct 3 justice court, 100 W. Buck Street, Suite 101, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2301.
• Precinct 4 justice court, 16955 Highway 36 S., Somerville, TX 77879, 979-596-1412.
• Caldwell Municipal Court for city tickets, 114 S. Echols, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-3271.
• Federal clerk, 501 West Fifth Street, Suite 1100, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5896.

Every city ticket from Somerville or Snook names its court on the citation. If yours is smudged or lost, ring the Sheriff's Office at 979-567-4343.

Article 17.02 promises a refund of cash bail, paid to whoever's name sits on the receipt, once the case no longer needs it. Two cuts can come first. A conviction or a deferred adjudication result lets the clerk hold back 5 percent, capped at $50, under §117.055 of the Local Government Code. And fines or court costs your person owes can be paid from that same cash, as article 17.53 allows. Tuck that receipt somewhere safe.

Missing a court date flips this. The judge enters a judgment nisi, the first step to forfeiting the bond (CCP art. 22.02). Article 22.13 frees the bondsman if your person is jailed again in time. A misdemeanor bondsman gets 180 days of grace, and a felony bondsman gets 270. Prosecutors may also add a bail jumping count (Penal Code §38.10). Its grade mirrors the skipped case: missing court on a ticket means Class C, on a jailable misdemeanor Class A, and on a felony third degree.

Refund questions: District Clerk at 979-567-2336 for felonies; for misdemeanors, the courthouse at 979-567-2333, asking for the County Clerk.

Settle property before the person leaves Highway 21. Call 979-567-4343 to learn how leftover jail funds are refunded and what time their things can be picked up at 1334 State Highway 21 East, Caldwell, TX 77836. Carry ID. Collecting for your person while they are still inside? Ask if they must sign a release slip for you.

Money orders for inmate accounts stopped on January 1, 2022. Deposits now run through the commissary vendor's website linked from the Sheriff's jail page. Our inmate accounts page explains deposits and refunds in plain terms.

Federal court for this area is in Austin: the Western District of Texas, Austin Division. Clerk's office: 501 West Fifth Street, Suite 1100, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5896.

• Your person's first stop in Austin is a U.S. magistrate judge, who decides on release terms or custody. Lawyers may ask to postpone that detention hearing, but only by a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Until trial, the Marshals keep custody. Their Austin office is at 501 West 5th Street, Suite 3300, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5393. Ask there which jail is housing your person.
• Defense help: Federal Public Defender, Austin, 504 Lavaca Street, Suite 960, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5025.
• After a prison sentence, and not before, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Yes. Paying at the Highway 21 desk resolves only the Texas side, and ICE's request survives it. The usual order:

1. The Caldwell jail gets a written ICE request, Form I-247A, which everyone calls a detainer.
2. That paper lets deputies hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under CCP article 2A.060, deputies on Highway 21 must honor that request. Proof of citizenship or lawful presence is what releases a person from it. A county or city policy that slows federal immigration work has been illegal in Texas since 2017 (Gov't Code §752.053).
4. Next, S.B. 8 from 2025 adds a deadline of December 1, 2026: Under Gov't Code chapter 753, each sheriff who runs a jail must try to sign what is called a 287(g) agreement with ICE. Wondering where Caldwell stands? The Sheriff's Office, 979-567-4343, can tell you this county's status.
5. ICE then collects the person. Its San Antonio field office, 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300, serves south central Texas, and its Houston office, 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816, serves the southeast.
6. Track them on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Use the A-number if any paperwork shows it. Without one, the locator needs a full name and the birth country.

Penal Code §12.35 points state jail felons toward a state jail. Felonies graded third, second or first degree lead to a state prison, often hours from Caldwell, under the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. People often stay on Highway 21 after sentencing until state transport arrives. Then comes intake, where TDCJ sorts people, and a move to a unit suited to the case.

• After the move, type a last name or the TDCJ number into the TDCJ inmate search. Fresh transfers can take a working day or two to appear.
• Planning a prison visit or letter? Start with our Texas state prisons page.

Texas sends a child to juvenile court when the alleged act happened at any age from 10 up to age 16. Family Code §51.02 spells out the full definition. That means a 17-year-old from Somerville or Snook faces adult court. Officers owe the parents a quick phone call (Family Code §52.02). There is no bail desk for kids. Instead a juvenile judge reviews custody at a detention hearing, and the child gets an appointed lawyer ahead of time. On timing, Family Code §54.01 says by the second working day, but by the first working day when a weekend is coming, meaning a Friday or Saturday detention.

No youth lockup operates inside the county. A child who has to stay locked up may go to a registered center nearby, for example the R. J. Holmgreen Juvenile Justice Center in Bryan, 979-361-1831. The Sheriff's Office, 979-567-4343, can say which center took the youth. State oversight: Texas Juvenile Justice Department (512-490-7130), 1711 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701.