Fannin County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate does, and fast. No more than 48 hours after the cuffs go on, the arresting agency must deliver each person to one (TCCP arts. 14.06, 15.17). Locally, the plan judges wrote for appointing lawyers lists the County Judge and each Justice of the Peace in that role. The JPs keep a rotation so somebody covers new bookings every day. Some hearings happen face to face, others over a closed-circuit camera at the jail.

What the magistrate does in those few minutes:

• Reads out the accusation, then the rights: silence, a lawyer, and an examining trial on a felony.
• Hands over the paperwork for appointed counsel and walks the person through it.
• Fixes bail person by person, aiming for the gentlest terms able to protect the public and the case (TCCP art. 17.028).

Class B charges and above come with a public safety report. Picture a record sheet: prior cases, yes; a risk number or a suggested amount, no (TCCP arts. 17.021, 17.022). Jailers who notice signs of mental illness during booking have 12 hours to alert the magistrate (TCCP art. 16.22). Silo Road staff can share the hearing time as soon as one is on the calendar.

Texas law sorts release into bail bonds, propped up by cash or a surety's promise, and personal bonds, which lean on a signature (TCCP arts. 17.01-17.03). Here is how the three play out for a family:

• Cash bond. The full sum sits on deposit with the court. The money waits there until the case closes, then returns if the accused made each hearing.
• Surety bond. A licensed bondsman puts the business on the hook for the full bail. What you hand the bondsman is a fee for that service, and it stays with the business.
• Personal bond. Nobody pays bail up front. A signed pledge to appear stands in for money, and the magistrate may add rules like reporting in or keeping away from someone.

Some people can't get that last option. Barred groups include certain violent offenses and terroristic threats of Class A grade or higher. Two more: breaking some kinds of protective orders, and a convicted felon who was carrying a gun. So is a fresh charge against someone already supervised for violence (TCCP art. 17.03). With burglary, organized crime or particular drug felonies, a personal bond takes approval from the trial court itself.

On a fine-only ticket, a written promise to appear can replace any bond (TCCP art. 15.17(b)). Picked up for DWI again, or with a child in the back seat? That adds a breath-test lock on the vehicle as a condition (TCCP art. 17.441). Readers wanting the statewide rules can visit our Texas bail laws page anytime, day or night.

Texas uses no statewide price sheet. Each Fannin magistrate runs the charge past a short checklist written into the statute (TCCP art. 17.15):

• does this number bring the accused back for court;
• is it fair, not a way to crush them;
• the offense and its details;
• what the person and family could truly raise;
• how to keep the victim, officers and neighbors safe;
• past record and citizenship.

Only a few hard dollar caps exist. Suppose deputies arrest someone without a warrant, and the 24- or 48-hour mark slips by before anyone decides probable cause. Release must then follow on a bond no higher than $5,000 for a misdemeanor or $10,000 for a felony. A person too broke for even that gets a personal bond (TCCP art. 17.033). Prosecutors may seek extra time, capped at 72 hours.

For the figure on your person's charges, phone 903-640-4171 and have their legal name and birthday handy. Bonds stack, so ask for each one and the grand total.

Bonds for people in custody run through the jail, 2389 Silo Road, Bonham, TX 75418. The Sheriff's Office next door is 2375 Silo Road, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-2143. In order:

1. Phone the jail, 903-640-4171, and confirm both the booking and that bail now exists.
2. Jot down each count, its bond and any conditions.
3. Find out where the bond desk is today, when it is staffed, and what it takes.
4. Ask about holds from other agencies before money leaves your hands.
5. Bring photo ID and the correct amount, then keep the written receipt.

A hired bondsman delivers the bond paperwork to the jail on your behalf. Staff accepting any bond look up criminal history first (TCCP art. 17.20).

Felony bonds end up in the District Clerk's records. The County Clerk keeps the jailable misdemeanor files. Both offices now work from the Justice Center on North Center Street. Phone first and ask if that window will take cash bail for your person:

• District Clerk (felonies): 2225 N. Center Street, Suite 100, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7459. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with early closing at 2:00 p.m. on November 10 and December 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027.
• County Clerk (misdemeanors): 2225 N. Center Street, Suite 200, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7486; criminal desk 903-583-8502. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed November 11, November 26-27 and December 24-25.

Fine-only Class C tickets stay with the three JP courts. Out there, a signature bond is how most people walk out (TCCP art. 45A.107):

• Precinct 1 (Bonham area): 101 E. Sam Rayburn Dr., Suite 109, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7489
• Precinct 2 (Leonard): 111 W. Collins, Leonard, TX 75452, 903-587-2846
• Precinct 3 (Windom): 711 State Hwy. 56, Windom, TX 75492, 903-378-0015

The bond desk sets its own payment list, so call 903-640-4171 before driving over. Silo Road staff can list what they take, from cash to cashier's checks, money orders or cards, plus any service fee and the right payee for a check.

County card pages exist, though they handle fines and court costs rather than releases:

• District Clerk: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express for copies, costs, fines and attorney fees on Certified Payments, Bureau Code 3586317.
• County Clerk: misdemeanor fines and costs on its payment page.
• Justices of the Peace: fine pages for Precinct 1, Precinct 2 and Precinct 3.

Cash bail is the court's deposit until the case closes, so file every receipt somewhere safe. Mailing cash is never wise.

Texas statutes call a bondsman a surety. The surety vouches for the whole bail, and you pay a fee that the business keeps. No state ceiling limits that fee. Rules worth knowing:

• Once a county tops 110,000 people, a bail bond board becomes mandatory. It licenses sureties and must post their names inside the booking room (Occupations Code §1704.002, §1704.105). Smaller places may form one by choice.
• No board? Then Texas lets the sheriff put out a roster of acceptable sureties (TCCP art. 17.141). The jail, at 903-640-4171, can say which list governs here.
• Expect paper proof whenever cash or property changes hands (Occupations Code §1704.305).
• Trolling for clients in a cellblock is illegal, and officials may not tell you which bondsman to use (Occupations Code §1704.304).
• Collateral comes back too. Once the cases end, mail a written request; the law gives the surety 30 days (Occupations Code §1704.301) to hand it over.
• Before handing a client back, a surety owes notice to the defense lawyer and must file a sworn statement listing why (TCCP art. 17.19).
• Attorneys of record can sign as surety for their own clients (Occupations Code §1704.163).

One bond covers one case. Before any payment, ask the jail at 903-640-4171 to read you each hold on file. Common ones:

• Another local case. A felony plus a misdemeanor means two separate bonds.
• Paper from another Texas county. Bail on that warrant can be taken here, with the bond shipped back to the county that issued it (TCCP art. 15.18). When nobody here takes it, the issuing county sends a car.
• Parole. A so-called blue warrant holds a parolee behind bars pending a hearing before parole officials, per Gov't Code 508.254.
• Probation. The judge on the earlier case rules on it. Adult probation for the county works from 725 CR 4200, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7446.
• Family violence. When officers expect more violence, release is delayed 4 hours beyond the moment bond is posted. Magistrates may add time in a written order, never past 48 extra hours (TCCP art. 17.291).
• ICE or the Marshals. Federal and immigration holds sit outside state bail.

Texas treats bail as the default for nearly every defendant, a promise written into Article I of its constitution. The oldest carve-out covers capital charges backed by evident proof, as Tex. Const. art. I, §11 states. Beyond that, a district judge may order someone held, after a hearing, on a few narrow grounds:

• Repeat felony cases. One example is someone already convicted of two felonies. Another is a felony charged while still out on bond in an indicted case (Tex. Const. art. I, §11a).
• Ignoring a safety condition on a felony or family violence bond (Tex. Const. art. I, §11b).
• Disobeying certain protective orders, which Tex. Const. art. I, §11c covers.

Voters statewide adopted Proposition 3 on November 4, 2025. That vote wrote §11d into Tex. Const. art. I. The section names human trafficking and indecency with a child first. Capital murder and plain murder are on it. Three aggravated crimes follow: robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault. Aggravated assault joins them when it left someone seriously hurt, or when the attacker had a gun, club, knife or explosive. On those counts, bail must be refused if prosecutors win a hearing by showing the accused may run off or may hurt other people. Only the state can ask. Granting bail anyway requires a written order explaining it.

The Criminal District Attorney's Office handles those hearings from a temporary site, 800 E. 2nd St., Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7448.

Start with the defense lawyer. That lawyer asks, by motion, for a smaller number. A hearing follows. Gather what a judge wants to see:

1. Pay stubs, a lease or deed nearby, and relatives who count on the person.
2. Bank records showing what the household can actually raise, since bail can't be oppressive (TCCP art. 17.15).
3. A list of rules the person will accept, such as curfew or weekly check-ins.

Delays by the state help too. If the prosecution misses its deadline, release comes on a signature bond or a lighter bail (TCCP art. 17.151). For a felony, that limit is 90 days. Jailable misdemeanors get 30 days when the top penalty passes 180 days, or 15 days otherwise. Fine-only cases get 5 days. Some exceptions apply.

Since 2025, prosecutors can seek district judge review of felony bail and appeal some violent-case bail they find too low (TCCP arts. 17.029, 44.01). Felony motions go to the 336th District Court, 2225 N. Center Street, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-2863. A misdemeanor motion lands before the County Court at Law, 903-583-9258; its clerk sits at 2225 N. Center Street, Suite 200, Bonham, TX 75418.

Here, judges assign private attorneys from a list to people who can't pay. Ordinary cases don't go through a public defender office. The county's written plan sets these steps:

1. At magistration, the person asks for appointed counsel.
2. They complete a sworn money form, the Affidavit of Indigency.
3. The magistrate forwards it inside 24 hours, to the District Clerk for felonies or the County Clerk for misdemeanors.
4. In a county this size, an appointment must happen within three working days once the clerk or judge has the paperwork (TCCP art. 1.051).
5. The appointed attorney then reaches out, or tries hard to, before the next working day closes (TCCP art. 26.04).

The 336th District Court rotates felony appointments through its list. Any capital murder case is assigned to a West Texas office that defends capital cases statewide: Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases, 806-696-3740. Its letters go to a West Texas box, PO Box 2097, Lubbock, TX 79408. Posting bail alone can't disqualify someone.

People already out of jail pick up request forms at the District Clerk, 2225 N. Center Street, Suite 100, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7459. The fine print lives in two TIDC documents, one for felony courts and one for misdemeanor courts.

One building now carries most criminal work. The 336th District Court moved into the Fannin County Justice Center, 2225 N. Center Street, Bonham, TX 75418, on September 21, 2026.

• 336th District Court (felonies): 903-583-2863. District Clerk in Suite 100, 903-583-7459.
• County Court at Law (misdemeanors above Class C): 903-583-9258. County Clerk in Suite 200, 903-583-7486.
• JP Precinct 1 (Class C): 101 E. Sam Rayburn Dr., Suite 109, Bonham, TX 75418, 903-583-7489, inside the older courthouse.
• JP Precinct 2: 111 W. Collins, Leonard, TX 75452, 903-587-2846.
• JP Precinct 3: 711 State Hwy. 56, Windom, TX 75492, 903-378-0015.
• Federal court: Paul Brown United States Courthouse, 101 East Pecan Street, Room 216, Sherman, TX 75090, 903-892-2921.

City tickets may belong to a municipal court instead. The state keeps a municipal court list by city.

Kept every promise and the case is over? Then the deposit flows back to the receipt holder, trimmed by any fee (TCCP art. 17.02). Clerks may skim 5%, topping out at $50, though acquittals and dismissals are spared that fee; it applies to convictions and deferred adjudication (Local Gov't Code 117.055). A judge may also let that cash cover the defendant's fines and fees (TCCP art. 17.53). To start the refund, request the clerk's free release-of-funds motion for cash bail.

A missed court date is what costs the money:

• The judge calls the name, then signs a judgment nisi, a forfeiture order that sticks without a good excuse under TCCP arts. 22.01 and 22.02.
• A bondsman is cleared if the missing person is jailed again fast enough: within 180 days in misdemeanor court or 270 days in felony court (TCCP art. 22.13).
• Skipping is charged as its own offense too (Penal Code §38.10). Its level mirrors the original charge, from Class C on a ticket to Class A on a misdemeanor and a third-degree felony on a felony.

Felony refund questions: District Clerk, 903-583-7459, 2225 N. Center Street, Suite 100, Bonham, TX 75418. Misdemeanor refunds: County Clerk, 903-583-7486, 2225 N. Center Street, Suite 200, Bonham, TX 75418.

Whatever was in the person's pockets at booking, plus any balance on their jail account, stays with the jail. Phone 903-640-4171 to learn how a leftover balance is refunded on the way out, and what hours property pickup runs.

Carry a photo ID to 2389 Silo Road, Bonham, TX 75418. Picking up for another person? Silo Road may ask for a release signed by the inmate before handing things over, so check. While the person is still inside, read our inmate money page for deposit options, and see the commissary page for snacks and supplies.

On a federal charge, a federal judge controls release. Fannin cases are filed with the Eastern District's Sherman Division, which uses two courthouses: the Paul Brown United States Courthouse, 101 East Pecan Street, Room 216, Sherman, TX 75090, 903-892-2921, and the United States Courthouse, 7940 Preston Road, Room 101, Plano, TX 75024, 214-872-4800.

• Home or jail? A magistrate judge in Sherman or Plano decides that at a detention hearing, normally right at the first appearance. A postponement of a few days is possible (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Marshals hold federal defendants awaiting trial. The U.S. Marshals Service runs East Texas from 211 West Ferguson Street, 4th Floor, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-590-1370; Sherman staff answer 903-868-2379.
• Federal prisoners are housed under contract at the Silo Road jail, so a defendant may wait close by.
• No money for a federal lawyer? Sherman has a Federal Public Defender office at 600 E. Taylor Street, Suite 4000, Sherman, TX 75090, 903-892-4448.
• After a federal sentence, check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Your Fannin bond receipt won't lift an immigration hold. Step by step:

1. ICE delivers Form I-247A to Silo Road, a written request to hold on to the inmate.
2. Staff may then hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas jails have to go along with a detainer. The hold ends if the person shows papers, a Texas driver's license among them, proving citizenship or legal presence (TCCP art. 2A.060). Texas cities and counties are barred from hampering immigration enforcement (Gov't Code 752.053).
4. Under Senate Bill 8 from the 2025 session, any county operating a jail, contractor-run jails included, had until December 1, 2026, to join one of ICE's 287(g) programs. For the Silo Road jail's own answer, phone the Sheriff's Office at 903-583-2143.
5. Agents then drive the person away. Cases from North Texas fall under ICE's Dallas Field Office, 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
6. Run the ICE Online Detainee Locator, using the nine-digit A-number when the family knows it, or the name along with the birth country.

The offense level decides. State jail felons go to one of the TDCJ state jails. Third-degree and tougher terms, up through capital cases, mean a TDCJ prison unit, per Penal Code §§12.31-12.35 and the rest of chapter 12.

After a Fannin sentence, expect a wait at Silo Road until TDCJ sends transport. TDCJ then screens and classifies each new arrival before assigning a prison unit.

• On the TDCJ inmate search, put in a surname plus first initial. The form also takes the 8-digit SID or a TDCJ ID. It updates only on working days, so expect results at least a day behind.
• For a unit's address and visiting basics, open our Texas state prisons page.

Juvenile court in Texas handles ages 10 through 16. From 17 on, a case goes to adult court, because Family Code §51.02 stops calling them a child. Youth held from this county go to the secure center that Cooke, Grayson and Fannin share in Denison, 86 Dyess, Denison, TX 75020, 903-786-6326, never the adult jail on Silo Road.

• Officers owe parents or guardians prompt notice (Family Code §52.02).
• Count two working days from custody for the detention hearing. Arrests on Friday or Saturday move that deadline up to the next working day, usually Monday. Counsel gets appointed before that hearing begins (Family Code §54.01).
• That hearing settles whether the youth goes home.
• Some teens can be tried as adults. For grave felonies, a judge may do this for a youth 14 or older. Before that, Family Code §54.02 calls for a complete investigation and a hearing in juvenile court.

Fannin County Juvenile Probation, 903-583-7491, answers family questions about the Denison stay and the next juvenile court setting.