Chambers County Jail

Bail here comes from a magistrate, whom every arrestee must face inside two days, or 48 hours. Officers can't stall even inside that span (CCP arts. 14.06, 15.17). Chambers uses that same deadline in its written plan for appointed lawyers. That meeting may take place face to face or through a two-way camera hookup.

Plenty of officials qualify as magistrates, among them justices of the peace, municipal judges, and county and district judges, as CCP art. 2A.151 lists. At that first meeting:

• The charge is read out, along with rights like the right to keep quiet.
• A question comes about wanting appointed counsel, and the magistrate helps with that form.
• With a Class B charge or anything higher, a brief public safety report about past cases gets reviewed first (CCP art. 17.022).
• Bond comes last. CCP art. 17.028 calls for the gentlest conditions that will do.

Pretrial Services also checks on people after an arrest and gives the court its ideas on release rules. Find it at 409 S Main Street, Anahuac, TX 77514, 409-267-2765.

On paper, CCP art. 17.01 recognizes bail bonds and personal bonds. At the Anahuac jail desk, families hear about three kinds:

• Cash. The full amount, paid in money. Under CCP art. 17.02 it gets refunded later, provided every condition was obeyed.
• Surety. A licensed bondsman, or someone who owns enough property, guarantees the full sum. A bondsman keeps the fee no matter what.
• Personal. Nothing is paid at the start. A signed pledge to return does the work, per CCP art. 17.03.

Certain charges block that option: crimes on the state's violence list, a felon holding a firearm, certain broken protective orders, or a fresh charge while out on a violent case. For burglary and certain drug felonies, just the trial judge may grant one.

Release can carry strings, such as GPS, drug screens or a no-contact order. Repeat DWI means an ignition lock (CCP art. 17.441). More detail waits on our Texas bail law overview.

No. Texas has no one list of amounts for the whole state, so each magistrate sizes up the person. CCP art. 17.15 aims for a sum that brings the accused back for trial, and it forbids using bail to oppress. These points weigh in:

• what the accused did, and whether anyone was hurt;
• money the person truly can raise;
• risks to a victim, officers or the public;
• the person's record, earlier no-shows and other open cases;
• citizenship.

Someone facing a Class B or higher who has no money can swear to that on a form and get a quick review (CCP art. 17.028). To hear the real numbers, call the jail at 409-267-2507 and go through each charge.

Bonds start at the Sheriff's Office building, 201 North Court, Anahuac, TX 77514. The Sheriff's site says the office never closes. Here is a plan:

1. Ring the jail at 409-267-2507. Have their legal name and birthday ready.
2. Check that a magistrate has set a figure for every charge.
3. Ask where to pay, what hours that window keeps, and which forms of money it takes now.
4. Ask if anything else holds them, such as an out-of-county warrant.
5. Arrive with ID and the precise amount; guard your receipt.

When the jail line is busy, try the Sheriff's main desk, 409-267-2500. Jail staff who take bail look up the person's record first. In violent cases they can't choose the amount themselves (CCP art. 17.20).

Yes, at times. A judge may set the terms, and the paperwork may then pass through a clerk's office or Pretrial Services. Phone before making the drive:

• Pretrial Services, 409 S Main Street, Anahuac, TX 77514, 409-267-2765. Weekday hours run 8:00 a.m. to noon, then 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Staff here watch over people let out with rules and remind them about court. The bond supervision desk is 409-267-2766.
• District Clerk for felonies, 409-267-2432. The Mont Belvieu branch is 409-267-2666.
• County Clerk (Class A and B cases), 409-267-2418.

The courthouse at 404 Washington Avenue, Anahuac, TX 77514 keeps those same weekday hours. Ask the clerk where bond money goes and what kinds of payment it takes.

Payment rules change, so call first. Ask which of these work right now: cash, cards, money orders, cashier's checks. Also ask whose name goes on a check.

The county's online payment links serve other purposes. County and district court fines and costs are paid on the Court Records Portal, and pretrial fees and jail account deposits use separate pages. Bail isn't one of the choices there.

For bond, the jail at 409-267-2507 can walk you through it. Never mail cash. If a stranger phones to demand bond money, end the call.

Texas law calls a bondsman a surety. For a fee, the surety promises the court the whole bail. Occupations Code chapter 1704 lays down these rules, some only for counties with a bond board:

• No state cap on fees exists, so compare. The fee is gone for good.
• In board counties, the law entitles you to a written receipt for every dollar paid.
• Where a board exists, bondsmen can't hunt for customers inside the jail.
• When the case closes, ask in writing for your collateral. In a board county, it's due back in 30 days.
• The lawyer on the case may post the bond too.

Bond boards that license sureties exist by law only in counties holding 110,000 or more people (OC 1704.051). About 57,594 people lived here in mid-2025, per a Census Bureau estimate, so the county may choose whether to have one. Lacking a board, a county's Sheriff can display the sureties allowed to take on bonds (CCP art. 17.141). Jail staff can tell you if Anahuac has such a posting.

Before handing a client back, a bondsman owes the defense lawyer a warning and must swear out the reasons (CCP art. 17.19). An Affidavit of Intent to Surrender sits on the county's forms page.

Each bond is tied to one charge. Common snags:

• Another county's warrant. A magistrate here may accept that bail too and forward it, but it is a second payment (CCP art. 15.18).
• Parole. Under GC 508.254, a parole "blue warrant" keeps someone jailed until the parole board's hearing.
• Family violence. Under CCP art. 17.291, someone likely to keep up the violence waits out a 4-hour hold once bond posts, and a magistrate's signed order may add as much as 48 hours on top.
• Felony on felony bond. Only the judge on the earlier case, or one that judge names, can approve release (CCP art. 17.027).
• ICE. See the detainer answer further down.
• Mental health. Possible mental illness sets off a CCP art. 16.22 duty: the jail alerts the magistrate before 12 hours pass. That review can slow release.

Before you spend money, ask the Sheriff's Records unit, 409-267-2515, to list every hold.

Seldom. The state constitution makes bail the norm. Its older carve-outs reach capital cases where proof is strong, certain repeat or on-bail felonies, and broken release or protective orders, found in Tex. Const. art. I, §§11 through 11c.

Texas voters then added §11d by passing Proposition 3 (November 4, 2025). Covered crimes include murder, capital murder and trafficking, along with indecency with a child. Three aggravated crimes join them (kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault), as does aggravated assault with grave injury or with a gun, knife, club or explosive. Such a hearing happens only on the prosecutor's request. At a hearing, proof that the accused may run (by a preponderance) or is dangerous (by clear and convincing evidence) means bail is refused. Granting it anyway requires the judge's written findings.

A separate 2025 change gives prosecutors the right to challenge, on appeal, a violent-case bail they think is too small. Under CCP art. 44.01, a defendant held in jail stays there during that appeal, which is decided inside 20 days. Felony and misdemeanor prosecutors work from two offices: the District Attorney, 409-267-2682, and the County Attorney, 409-267-2411.

The defense lawyer usually files a written motion for this. Good cause lets a judge lower, raise or reshape bail (CCP art. 17.09). Helpful proof includes:

• pay stubs or a school schedule, and a local address;
• kids or relatives who rely on the person;
• proof of what the household can really spare.

There is also a delay rule in CCP art. 17.151. If the state drags its feet past set limits, a defendant still locked up wins release on personal bond, or a trimmed bail amount. The time limits run 5 days for fine-only charges, 15 days for misdemeanors capped at 180 days in jail, 30 days for bigger misdemeanors and 90 days for felonies. A few exceptions exist.

Felony files sit with the District Clerk, 409-267-2432. Misdemeanor files sit with the County Clerk, 409-267-2418.

Raise the request during magistration. The magistrate then has 24 hours to send it to the appointing judge. Since this county is under 250,000 people, a lawyer gets appointed no later than three working days later, per CCP arts. 15.17 and 1.051.

Local judges pick from a rotating list of private lawyers. Before a case is filed, misdemeanor counsel comes from either the County Court at Law bench or the County Judge, while the 253rd and 344th District Court judges choose felony counsel. Death penalty defense goes to a regional capital defender office.

The request form can also be emailed: indigentdefense@chamberstx.gov for felonies, or indigentdefense.misd@chamberstx.gov for misdemeanors. The county's appointment plan spells out every step. A state agency reviews county plans like this one: the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

The courthouse is at 404 Washington Avenue, Anahuac, TX 77514, 409-267-2400. County offices work weekdays 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Call the court you need to learn the room.

• 253rd District Court, felonies, shared with Liberty County: 409-267-2750
• 344th District Court, felonies: 409-267-2429
• County Court at Law, misdemeanors: 409-267-2465
• County Court, misdemeanors, reached through the County Judge: 409-267-2440
• Justices of the Peace, Class C fine-only cases: Precinct 1, 409-267-2641; Precinct 2, 409-267-2519; Precinct 4, 409-267-2610; Precinct 5, 409-267-2561; Precinct 6, 409-267-2570
• Federal cases from Chambers are heard on Galveston Island; the clerk's office there is in the federal building named the United States Post Office and Courthouse, 601 Rosenberg, Room 411, Galveston, TX 77550, 409-766-3530

Each justice court gives out its street location by phone. A city ticket belongs to the city court named on it.

Usually it comes back. The person whose name is on the cash receipt gets the money once the case ends with all conditions met (CCP art. 17.02). Under LGC 117.055 the clerk may withhold 5% with a $50 ceiling, though only after deferred adjudication or a conviction. CCP art. 17.53 lets the deposit go toward court debts the defendant has.

Missed dates lead to a forfeiture judgment (CCP art. 22.02). Sureties can be excused under CCP art. 22.13 if the defendant lands back in jail quickly: 180 days on misdemeanors, 270 on felonies. A no-show can turn into a fresh criminal charge (PC 38.10).

Bondsman fees never come back. For a cash refund, phone whichever clerk holds the money, like the District Clerk at 409-267-2432. Have your ID and receipt with you.

Settle this before release. Call the jail at 409-267-2507 about two things: a refund of any money left on the person's account, and a pickup time for belongings. Carry a photo ID. Collecting for a relative? Staff may want that relative's signed permission, so ask.

Account deposits run through the jail's deposit service, and the Sheriff's Office says deposits made by mistake are not refunded. Our jail account deposits page has more.

Federal charges from Chambers end up in Galveston. That division of the Southern District keeps its clerk out of the United States Post Office and Courthouse, 601 Rosenberg, Room 411, Galveston, TX 77550, 409-766-3530.

• Under 18 U.S.C. 3142, the question of jail or release before trial is argued early, usually at the opening federal court date. A short delay can be granted.
• The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal detainees until trial. Its office in Galveston, 601 Rosenberg Street, Suite 502, Galveston, TX 77550, 409-766-3771, can tell you where the person sits.
• Federal public defenders for the district work from 440 Louisiana Street, Room 1350, Houston, TX 77002, 713-718-4600.
• Sentenced to federal prison? The BOP inmate locator tracks people by name or register number.

Yes. Immigration holds run on a track of their own. Expect this:

1. Using Form I-247A, ICE lodges a detainer at the Anahuac jail.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the hold lasts up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. Until someone proves lawful immigration status, a Texas jail is bound to honor that request under CCP art. 2A.060 (see also Government Code chapter 752). Per a 2025 statute, jail-running counties must seek a 287(g) deal with the agency, the cutoff being December 1, 2026. Phone the Sheriff's Office about where Chambers stands.
4. Agents from the Houston Field Office, responsible for Southeast Texas, handle the pickup. Address: 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816. One place it holds people is the Montgomery Processing Center, 806 Hilbig Road, Conroe, TX 77301, 936-521-4900.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name and birth country.

Also, an appointed Government Code chapter 54 magistrate is barred by CCP art. 17.027 from releasing a person under an ICE detainer.

State jail and prison terms fall under TDCJ, the state's corrections department. The person stays in the Anahuac jail until the state sends for them. Then they pass through intake and get placed in a unit that matches their sentence.

• Find someone in TDCJ with its inmate search. Type a surname or TDCJ number; the data refreshes on working days only.
• Our Texas prisons directory describes the units.
• The county's adult probation office can be reached at 409-267-2753.

Texas draws the juvenile line at age 17. Under FC 51.02, juvenile court keeps the cases of youths whose alleged offense came when they were 10 through 16. Starting at 17, it's adult court and the adult jail.

• Detention can't drag on without a judge. FC 54.01 gives two working days to hold a hearing, or one working day if the detention began on a Friday or Saturday. Appointed counsel comes first.
• Officers have to notify a parent promptly (FC 52.02).
• Juvenile Probation is at 407 S. Main Street, Anahuac, TX 77514, 409-267-2747. Ask there which center is housing your child and the hearing date.

Texas ranks crimes, and the rank picks the courtroom. In Chambers it works like this:

• Class C charges can only bring a fine. A JP court is their usual home. When a city officer wrote the citation, that town's municipal court can hear it instead.
• Classes A and B carry possible time in the county jail. The local appointed-lawyer plan routes them to one of two benches, the County Court at Law, or else the constitutional County Court. Their records belong to the County Clerk.
• Felonies go up to district court. The 253rd, shared with Liberty County, and the 344th both sit here. Felony files stay with the District Clerk.

A felony case normally opens with a jail magistrate, waits on the grand jury, then lands in one of the two district courts. Appeals can climb all the way to Austin; nothing in Texas outranks its Court of Criminal Appeals on criminal matters.

The county lists its courthouse at 404 Washington Avenue, Anahuac, TX 77514, switchboard 409-267-2400. Offices there work weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to noon, then 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. A short call to the right desk first will tell you the courtroom.

• 253rd District Court, court coordinator: 409-267-2750
• 344th District Court, court coordinator: 409-267-2429
• District Clerk, keeper of felony files: 409-267-2432, plus a Mont Belvieu branch at 409-267-2666
• County Court at Law: 409-267-2465
• County Court, through the County Judge's office: 409-267-2440
• County Clerk, keeper of misdemeanor files: 409-267-2418

The justices of the peace are spread around the county. Precinct 1 answers at 409-267-2641, Precinct 2 at 409-267-2519, Precinct 4 at 409-267-2610, Precinct 5 at 409-267-2561 and Precinct 6 at 409-267-2570. Ask each office for its street location when you phone.

Then it's a Class C matter for that town's municipal court. Each incorporated Texas city has one, and those courts and the JP courts both take fine-only cases.

The citation itself shows a court name, a date and a phone number. Call that number to learn your choices and what you owe. Since a slice of Baytown lies in Chambers, a Baytown officer's ticket heads to Baytown's own court, not to an Anahuac office.

Lost the paper? The Sheriff's Office, 409-267-2500, or the County Clerk, 409-267-2418, can point you to the right court. Money owed to a JP court can be paid on the county's justice court payment page.

Under CCP art. 15.17, the arrested person sees a magistrate no later than hour 48, live or through a camera link. In that short session the magistrate:

• states the accusation and shares any affidavit filed with it;
• lists rights, including silence, a paid or appointed lawyer, a lawyer at any questioning, stopping questions at any time, and a probable cause hearing;
• cautions that statements may be used against them;
• offers help with the paperwork for a court-paid attorney;
• fixes bail and bond conditions unless a judge already has.

In felony cases, CCP art. 16.01 also allows an examining trial. A magistrate there decides whether probable cause exists. After a grand jury indicts, that chance is gone. Money questions are answered on our bond guide.

Once past the magistrate, a misdemeanor gets a written charging paper, known as an information. The County Clerk opens a file, and one of the two county-level benches takes the case. There the accused is arraigned, pleads and can choose a jury trial.

What the Penal Code allows for each class:

• Class C: money only, capped at $500. Many traffic charges and public intoxication fall here.
• Class B: the judge may order a fine reaching $2,000, county jail reaching 180 days, or both.
• Class A: the judge may order a fine reaching $4,000, county jail reaching 12 months, or both.

Those limits come from PC 12.21 through 12.23. Most misdemeanors end in a negotiated plea. Per CCP art. 26.13, the judge says in court whether the deal will be honored, and if it isn't, the defendant may take the plea back. CCP art. 42A.103 lets a misdemeanor sit in deferred status as long as two years, then be dismissed if the defendant follows every term. For your next date, phone the County Clerk, 409-267-2418.

Felonies take more steps. Expect most of these:

1. A magistrate session at the jail inside two days, which sets bail.
2. An optional examining trial on probable cause, before any indictment.
3. Grand jury vote, where indictment takes nine of twelve jurors (CCP art. 20A.301).
4. Arraignment before the 253rd or 344th, when the plea gets entered.
5. Motions, discovery and bargaining, with a trial if no deal is reached.
6. Punishment, after a plea or a guilty verdict.

Here is what each felony level can cost in time:

• State jail felony: a state jail term, half a year minimum and two years tops.
• Third degree: a range that starts at two years and tops out at ten.
• Second degree: a range that starts at two years and tops out at twenty.
• First degree: a range that starts at five years and reaches life.

These come from PC 12.32 through 12.35. On top of time, each felony level can carry a fine of up to $10,000. PC 12.42 raises the range for repeat felons. On felonies, deferred adjudication and probation reach as far as ten years. Call the District Clerk at 409-267-2432 for felony settings.

Quite a lot. Watch for these differences:

• Capital murder. PC 12.31 allows death or life with no parole. Youths under 18 at the offense face life instead.
• Personal bonds. State law bars them for crimes on its violence list (CCP art. 17.03).
• No-bail hearings. After the 2025 constitutional vote that created art. I, §11d, a district attorney can push for zero bail on listed charges, such as murder and human trafficking.
• Bail appeals. Since 2025, CCP art. 44.01 has let the state take a too-small bail on some violent charges up on appeal, and the accused sits tight behind bars pending that ruling.
• Family violence. CCP arts. 17.291 and 17.292 make the jail keep someone 4 more hours after bond posts if violence may continue. A magistrate can also sign a protective order right at that first appearance.
• Fewer second chances. CCP art. 42A.102 keeps deferred adjudication away from most murder cases and some intoxication offenses.

When the state seeks death, the county plan hands the defense to a regional office that handles capital cases.

Criminal cases here are handled by two prosecutor offices. Ask the clerk on the case which office filed it:

• District Attorney's Office: 409-267-2682
• County Attorney's Office: 409-267-2411

Defendants who can't pay get a private attorney chosen by turns from a court list. Misdemeanor appointments are made at the county-level courts, and felony appointments at the 253rd or 344th. Under CCP art. 26.04, the appointed attorney is expected to try contacting the client promptly, generally the working day after appointment.

Ask the magistrate for counsel, or send the state form by email. Felony requests go to indigentdefense@chamberstx.gov. Misdemeanor requests go to indigentdefense.misd@chamberstx.gov. Every detail is in the Chambers indigent defense plan.

Try the county's Court Records Portal first. It is the county's web door to district and county court records and payments. A clerk can help if your case won't show.

The courts also run re:SearchTX, a free statewide site for filed papers like charges and judgments. You need to register, and hearing dates aren't part of it.

Hearing dates are easiest by phone:

• Felonies: District Clerk, 409-267-2432
• Class A and B cases: County Clerk, 409-267-2418
• Class C cases: the JP office or city court printed on the citation

Have the full legal name, birthday and any case number ready.

Sheriff's Warrant Services deputies carry out warrants across the county, alongside constables and city officers. Reach Warrants at 409-267-2548. Constable offices answer at 409-267-2614 for Precincts 1, 4 and 6, and 409-267-2517 for Precincts 2 and 5. Statewide, DPS names its worst fugitives on Texas 10 Most Wanted. Clerks run name checks too, at the counter or over the line. Many people phone an attorney first, then arrange to turn themselves in at 201 North Court, Anahuac, TX 77514, or request a fresh setting from the issuing court. The District Clerk keeps felony warrant paperwork: 409-267-2432.

Galveston's federal court, part of the Southern District, takes them. The court's clerk works inside the federal building called the United States Post Office and Courthouse, 601 Rosenberg, Room 411, Galveston, TX 77550, 409-766-3530.

• The U.S. Attorney's main office is 1000 Louisiana, Suite 2300, Houston, TX 77002, 713-567-9000.
• Early on, a federal judge holds a hearing on custody before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Before trial, the Marshals Service holds federal defendants and assigns their jail. Galveston office: 601 Rosenberg Street, Suite 502, Galveston, TX 77550, 409-766-3771.
• If a defendant qualifies, the Federal Public Defender steps in from 440 Louisiana Street, Room 1350, Houston, TX 77002, 713-718-4600.
• Someone already sentenced federally shows up on the BOP inmate locator.

The Chambers case still runs its course. What changes is when the person can walk out. In order:

1. ICE sends Form I-247A to the Anahuac jail as a detainer request.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the hold can last up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. CCP art. 2A.060 makes compliance mandatory for any Texas jail, with one exception: proof of lawful status. GC 752.053 adds a ban on local rules that hamper immigration enforcement. On 287(g), a 2025 statute gives jail-operating counties until December 1, 2026 to seek an agreement; the Sheriff's Office can tell you the outcome here.
4. ICE officers from Houston come for the person; that field office serves Southeast Texas. That office is at 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator afterward.

CCP art. 26.13 also obliges the judge to flag removal risk for non-citizens who enter a guilty or no-contest plea. Talk to a lawyer before any plea.

TDCJ, the state's prison agency, takes charge of state jail and prison sentences. Until TDCJ picks them up, people stay in the Anahuac jail. TDCJ intake follows, and staff then assign a unit.

• Their new unit appears on the TDCJ inmate lookup; enter a last name, TDCJ number or SID.
• Unit details sit on our Texas state prisons directory.
• Probation sentences are supervised by the local CSCD, 409-267-2753.

Juvenile court in Texas is for kids ten and older who were not yet seventeen on the offense date (FC 51.02). Here a county juvenile board chooses the judge who serves as juvenile court, under FC 51.04.

• Juvenile Probation works out of 407 S. Main Street, Anahuac, TX 77514, 409-267-2747. Phone that office to learn which facility has your child.
• FC 54.01: no youth sits in detention past the second working day without a judge looking at it, and appointed counsel comes first.
• FC 54.02 lets a judge, after a hearing, move some teens accused of grave felonies to adult court. For capital and first-degree charges, that can start at 14.
• Juvenile lawyers are assigned under a separate juvenile board plan.

Highlights from the victims' rights list in CCP art. 56A.051:

• Victim safety is a factor any magistrate weighs when fixing bail.
• Victims who ask get advance notice of court dates.
• The judge reads a victim impact statement before handing down a sentence.
• Victims learn about state money help for crime costs.

The Sheriff's Office lists Victim Services at 409-267-2534. Free custody alerts by phone or email come from Texas IVSS-Counties; its help line is 866-268-8959 any hour. If the offender is already in state prison, reach the TDCJ Victim Services Division at 800-848-4284. For crime costs like treatment, therapy and missed paychecks, the Attorney General may reimburse victims up to $50,000. Apply online or call 800-983-9933.