Seagoville Police Department Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate. The arresting agency has a 48-hour limit for that appearance, which can happen live or on a video screen (CCP art. 15.17). In this county, the magistrates for new arrests work inside the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202. You can reach them at 214-653-2842 or 214-653-5856.

At this quick hearing, expect the magistrate to:

• name every charge filed;
• cover the person's rights: silence, a lawyer, and a free lawyer if money is short;
• hand over the lawyer request form and help them finish it;
• review a public safety report and the person's record before setting bail on Class B and higher charges (CCP art. 17.022);
• pick bail terms for this one person, choosing the lightest ones that still keep people safe and bring them back to court (CCP art. 17.028).

Pretrial Release workers look at each new booking to see who might qualify for a personal bond. When jail staff suspect a mental illness, they must alert the magistrate inside 12 hours (CCP art. 16.22). Felony magistrates also hold court in the Auxiliary courts at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-5792.

Texas law splits bail into two families. One is a bail bond, secured by cash or by a surety. The other is a personal bond, which is just a sworn promise to return (CCP art. 17.01). In practice, families at Lew Sterrett see four choices:

• Cash bond. You hand over the full amount. Money comes back minus fees after the final ruling, provided the person never skipped court (CCP art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. A licensed bonding company backs the whole amount. Its fee is kept no matter how the case ends.
• Attorney bond. The person's own lawyer can act as the surety. The bail bond board keeps a list of lawyers approved to write bonds.
• Personal bond. No bond money is paid. Pretrial Services does charge a fee of $20 or 3% of the bond, whichever is larger. A $10,000 personal bond, for example, carries a $300 fee.

Personal bonds are off limits for a long list of charges (CCP art. 17.03). These include many crimes of violence, a terroristic threat charged as Class A or above, breaking certain protective orders, and gun possession by someone with a felony record. On burglary, organized crime and several drug felonies, the trial judge alone can approve one.

Release terms can include a GPS ankle monitor or an alcohol monitor. For a second DWI, or one where a child rode in the car, bond must require an ignition interlock (CCP art. 17.441). Pretrial Services oversees these programs from the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Room A9, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-875-2302, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our summary of Texas bail laws explains the statewide rules in more depth.

Each amount is set one person at a time. Texas has no statewide bail schedule, so the figure that counts is the one printed on that person's bond paperwork. The magistrate has to think about seven things (CCP art. 17.15):

• whether the amount and terms will bring the person back to court;
• bail must never become a tool of oppression;
• the kind of charge and the facts behind it, especially any violence;
• how much the person can really afford;
• the safety of the alleged victim, officers and the community;
• prior convictions, open cases and any past failure to appear;
• citizenship status.

State law also puts a ceiling on bond in one situation. After a warrantless arrest, if probable cause still hasn't been decided, the jail must release a misdemeanor suspect by hour 24 on a bond of $5,000 or less. A felony suspect goes free by hour 48 on a bond of $10,000 or less. Prosecutors can ask for a brief delay (CCP art. 17.033).

After magistration, the round-the-clock jail line, 214-761-9025, can read you the amount on each case. The Sheriff's Bond Administration Section also takes bond questions at 214-653-2755.

The Sheriff runs the Bond Desk inside the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202. It never closes, not even on holidays. Here is the routine:

1. Phone 214-761-9025 first. Jot down their legal name and birthday beforehand. Note each bond amount next to its case number.
2. Ask whether another county's warrant, an ICE detainer or some other hold would stop the release.
3. Bring your current government photo ID. You must be an adult to post.
4. Carry cash. If you'd rather not, a cashier's check or money order works, with Dallas County as payee. It must come from a Dallas-Fort Worth area bank, and you must show the purchase receipt.
5. Guard the bond receipt. Only the payer listed on it can collect a refund.
6. Ask how long releases are taking that day, then wait close by.

People walk out through the Lew Sterrett intake and release area. A personal bond fee is also paid at this desk.

For county cases, Pretrial Services says bonds are posted in person, at the Bond Desk or through a bonding company. Suburban lockups each have their own habits:

• City of Dallas. Officers bring adults straight to Lew Sterrett. Once a magistrate sees them, they become county prisoners.
• Garland Detention Center, 1900 W State Street, Garland, TX 75042, 972-485-4890. When a Class B or higher case is ready to go to the District Attorney, the person is sent to the county jail.
• Grand Prairie Detention Center, 1525 Arkansas Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 75052, 972-237-8951. Grand Prairie reaches into four counties, so bond above Class C is posted wherever the case will be filed. For city warrant payments, call 972-237-8947.
• Richardson City Jail, 972-744-4820. Felony and other non-Class C bonds go to the Sheriff at Lew Sterrett, or to the Collin County Sheriff in McKinney.
• Irving City Jail, 305 N. O'Connor Road, Irving, TX 75061, police non-emergency line 972-273-1010. It keeps people awaiting transfer as well as people serving city court sentences.
• Mesquite City Jail, front desk at 777 N. Galloway Ave., Mesquite, TX 75149, 972-216-6243. The Mesquite jail roster shows each fine and bond.
• Hutchins holding facility, 550 West Palestine Street, Hutchins, TX 75141, 972-225-2225. It accepts money orders, cashier's checks and cards; cards cost 3% extra.
• Carrollton and Seagoville. Their police lockups are the Carrollton Jail, tied to the police station at 2025 E. Jackson Road, Carrollton, TX 75006, and the Seagoville police jail, tied to the station at 600 N Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159. To find out if someone has been moved to the county, call 214-761-9025.

Class C tickets that carry only a fine belong to justice and city courts, where a personal bond is normal (CCP art. 45A.107).

The desk takes three things: U.S. currency, cashier's checks and money orders.

Write Dallas County as the payee. The check or money order must be bought at a Dallas-Fort Worth area bank, and staff will ask for the purchase receipt. Credit and debit cards are refused for cash bonds, and Western Union is unavailable.

Pretrial Services says county bonds can be posted only in person. Watch out for callers who demand bond money by CashApp, a wire or gift cards. That is a scam. If someone contacts you this way, verify with Pretrial Services at 214-875-2302 before you send anything.

Charities that post cash bail must register with the County Clerk and follow both CCP art. 17.071 and the Sheriff's rules.

Texas requires a bail bond board in every county with 110,000 or more people. The board licenses bonding companies and posts their names where people are booked and in the criminal courts (Occupations Code ch. 1704). Here the board works from the Frank Crowley Courts Building, mail box LB-31, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-2756.

• Check the board's roster of licensed bond companies before you sign.
• Jail staff may not steer you to any company.
• Texas puts no limit on what a bondsman charges, so ask for the price on paper. A receipt is required by law.
• Bondsmen are barred from drumming up business inside the jail.
• Collateral comes back within 30 days after the case ends and you ask in writing.
• A bondsman who wants off the bond has to warn the defense lawyer first and file an affidavit. On a felony, the prosecutor gets notice as well (CCP art. 17.19), and a judge decides.

Every bond is tied to one case only. Before paying, call 214-761-9025 and ask staff to read out each hold. These are the usual ones:

• More than one case. Each charge, even an old city ticket that turned into a warrant, needs its own bond.
• Out-of-county warrant. A magistrate here may accept bail on it, and the bond is then forwarded (CCP art. 15.18).
• Felony while on felony bond. Release is up to the court handling the first case, or a court it picks (CCP art. 17.027).
• Parole warrant. Someone held on a parole violation stays in until the hearing (Gov't Code 508.254(c)).
• Family violence. If violence looks likely to continue, the person stays at least four hours after bond is posted. A magistrate's written order can stretch that hold to as long as 48 hours (CCP art. 17.291).
• Probation. For a county probation question, contact the adult probation office, 1300 W. Mockingbird Lane, 3rd Floor, Dallas, TX 75247, 214-653-5300.
• Immigration. ICE detainers have their own answer on this page.

As a rule, Texans can get bail. Capital cases with strong proof of guilt are the main exception (Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11). After a hearing, later sections permit denial in these cases:

• Some felonies, by a district judge. Examples: someone who already has two felony convictions, or one charged with a felony while out on bail (sec. 11a).
• A felony or family violence case where the person broke a bond condition meant to protect others (sec. 11b).
• Violations of certain protective orders (sec. 11c).

Voters approved Proposition 3 in November 2025, adding sec. 11d. Its list starts with murder and capital murder. It adds the aggravated forms of kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault, plus aggravated assault that badly hurts someone or uses a weapon. Indecency with a child and trafficking round it out. Bail must be refused if, after a hearing, the prosecutor convinces the judge that no bail will prevent a no-show. It must also be refused if the prosecutor proves by clear and convincing evidence that no bail will keep others safe. The defense can't start this; only the prosecutor can. A judge who grants bail anyway puts the reasons in a written order.

New 2025 rules also let the prosecutor ask a district judge to revisit a felony bail set by a magistrate (CCP art. 17.029). The state may also take a too-low bail to a higher court in certain violent cases (CCP art. 44.01). The office that handles these requests is the Criminal District Attorney, LB 19, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-3600.

Yes, by asking the judge who has the case. A defense lawyer files the request. Families can help by gathering paycheck records, a rental agreement, support letters from relatives, plus the bond amount the family could truly raise. Ability to pay is one of the factors in CCP art. 17.15.

• Examining trial. Before indictment, a person charged with a felony can ask for this hearing, and the magistrate can take another look at bail there (CCP art. 16.01). The felony courts page has the examining trial request form.
• Slow prosecution. The law sets deadlines for the state to announce ready. Miss one, and release on personal bond or reduced bail is generally required (CCP art. 17.151, with exceptions). Felony: 90 days. Misdemeanor punishable by over 180 days in jail: 30 days. Other jailable misdemeanor: 15 days. Fine only: 5 days.
• Offering supervision. A judge may feel safer with a monitor in place. Pretrial Services handles alcohol monitors at 214-875-2289. It handles GPS and other electronic monitors at 214-875-2282.

Tell the magistrate you want one. A sworn money statement gets filled in, with the magistrate's help. The form must reach the court within 24 hours. In a county of this size, a lawyer must be appointed by the close of the first working day after that (CCP art. 1.051).

The felony plan treats someone as unable to pay when either of these is true:

• household income at 150% of the federal poverty guideline or lower, with $15,000 or less in assets;
• the person gets SNAP food benefits, Medicaid, public housing, SSI or TANF.

The county Public Defender's Office is first in line for these cases. Its office is on the 9th floor at 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-3550; mail goes to Suite C-1, LB 2 at that address. A felony defendant who is already out of jail asks at the Criminal District Court Manager's Office, 5th Floor, Room A14, Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207. Misdemeanor cases follow the county criminal courts' appointment plan. If you want to hire your own lawyer, the jail handbook lists a lawyer referral line at 214-220-7400.

Felony and misdemeanor courts share the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207. Both clerk offices keep weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Felonies: Criminal District Courts No. 1 through 7, ten more numbered District Courts and three Auxiliary courts. The District Clerk's criminal section is on the 2nd floor, 214-712-3088.
• Class A and B misdemeanors: County Criminal Courts No. 1 through 11 and two County Criminal Courts of Appeals. The County Clerk's criminal office is on the 2nd floor, Room A-1, 214-653-7099.
• Justice court, Precinct 1: 8301 S. Polk Street, Dallas, TX 75232, 972-228-0280 or 972-228-2272.
• Justice court, Precinct 2: 140 N. Garland Avenue, Garland, TX 75040, 214-643-4773; also 500 S. Galloway Avenue, Suite P200, Mesquite, TX 75149, 972-285-5429.
• Justice court, Precinct 3: 6820 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Dallas, TX 75240, 214-321-4106 or 214-904-3042.
• Justice court, Precinct 4: 106 W. Church Street, Grand Prairie, TX 75050, 214-751-4040 or 214-589-7000.
• Justice court, Precinct 5: 9731 Lake June Road, Dallas, TX 75217, 214-943-6980; also Oak Cliff Government Center, 702 E. Jefferson Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75203, 214-943-5981.
• Federal court: Earle Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1452, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.

Every city also has a municipal court for its own Class C tickets. Our court page names them.

Refunds are handled by the clerk for the court where the case was, not by the Sheriff, after the case closes. Keep the original receipt.

• Felony cases. The person on the receipt brings or mails a copy to the District Clerk cashier, 2nd floor, Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207. The cashier works 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Allow two weeks or more. Refund desk: 214-653-5962.
• Misdemeanor cases. Bring the original receipt to the County Clerk on the 2nd floor. Or mail it to LB43, 133 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas, TX 75207, along with a copy of your ID and a notarized letter. Questions: 214-653-5742.

On misdemeanor bonds posted since Sept. 1, 2015, the County Clerk holds back 5%, up to $50. The court can also apply cash bail toward fines and costs owed in the case.

Skip a court date and the judge can forfeit the bond. A bonding company is let off the hook if the person lands back in jail in time: 180 days on a misdemeanor, 270 on a felony, under CCP art. 22.13. A missed date can also be charged as its own crime, bail jumping. Its level, Class C up through third-degree felony, follows the original charge (Penal Code 38.10). For forfeiture questions, call the District Clerk at 214-653-5970 or the County Clerk at 214-653-5752.

Tell the person to hang on to the wristband or ID barcode as they leave. Without it, their account balance is held for 24 hours. After that it can be collected at the Lobby Information Window in the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202.

• Show a valid photo ID.
• Stored property is released as one batch, never piece by piece.
• Carry the signed release form to the control center in the front lobby.
• Any excess property has to be collected within 30 days.

Before making the trip, check with 214-761-9025. Our inmate account page explains deposits and balances.

Yes. Federal charges from here land in the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas. Its clerk sits in the Earle Cabell Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1452, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.

• A detention hearing comes first, and then a federal judge rules on release (18 U.S.C. 3142). County magistrates play no part.
• Before trial, custody rests with the U.S. Marshals Service, Room 1657 in that building, 1100 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-767-0836. Ask the Marshals where the person is being housed.
• The Federal Public Defender represents federal defendants who can't pay. Its office is at 525 South Griffin Street, Suite 629, Dallas, TX 75202, 214-767-2746.
• Once a federal sentence begins, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. FCI Seagoville, 2113 North Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159, 972-287-2911, is the federal prison inside the county.

No. An ICE hold stays even after a state bond is paid. What usually follows:

1. Federal immigration agents file a hold request (Form I-247A) at Lew Sterrett.
2. Under that request, staff may keep someone up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under Texas law, a jail must comply with a detainer and inform the person of it. The duty ends if the person proves they are a citizen or here lawfully (CCP art. 2A.060). Local governments are barred from policies that hinder immigration enforcement (Gov't Code 752.053); the Sheriff answers questions on local practice.
4. ICE officers then take custody. ICE's North Texas office sits at 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
5. Check the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter an A-number when one is known. Otherwise the locator needs a name plus birth country.

Since 2025, certain appointed magistrates may not release anyone held on an immigration detainer (CCP art. 17.027). And under another 2025 law, counties with jails face a December 1, 2026 deadline to request a 287(g) arrangement with ICE. For this county's status, ask the Sheriff's Office.

Misdemeanor jail time stays in the county jail. When the judge permits, it may be served at home through the Alternative Sentencing Program at Pretrial Services, 214-875-2282.

For felonies, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice takes over. For a state jail felony, the sentence is spent in a state jail unit; higher felonies mean prison (Penal Code ch. 12). Once sentenced, the person stays at Lew Sterrett until TDCJ takes them to an intake unit. Staff there classify them and choose a unit.

• Our Texas state prisons page covers each prison and how to stay in touch.
• Use a last name, TDCJ number or SID number on the TDCJ inmate search, which TDCJ refreshes on working days.

Texas sends children ages 10 through 16 to juvenile court (Family Code 51.02). A 17-year-old is handled in adult court. Officers have to notify a parent right away.

A youth who is kept goes to the Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center, which is inside the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center, 2600 Lone Star Drive, Dallas, TX 75212. Call Central Control at 214-698-4212.

• A judge, at a detention hearing, decides if the child may go home (Family Code 54.01).
• The county holds that hearing within 48 hours, and a lawyer is named before it starts.
• If the child stays, the judge looks again at least every ten working days.
• Intake screening: 214-698-4313. Juvenile Department main line: 214-698-2200.
• Juvenile public defenders work at 2600 Lone Star Drive, Suite A-132, Dallas, TX 75212, 214-698-4400.