Hays County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate does, and here that job belongs to the county's Magistrate's Office. Four associate judges staff it, serving under the district judges and the County Court at Law judges. Hearings run every day, 365 days a year, holidays included. Their duties are on the Magistrate Court page.

Under Texas law, Code of Criminal Procedure art. 14.06 and art. 15.17 put an arrested person before a magistrate quickly, inside 48 hours. The judge may meet the person face to face or see them on a video screen. People call this step magistration. During it, the judge:

• names the offense charged and explains the right to remain silent;
• explains that they may hire their own lawyer or ask for one paid by the county;
• helps with the form that requests an appointed lawyer;
• sets the bail amount and any bond rules, like staying away from a victim.

A pretrial officer from Judicial Services may first interview the person and suggest release terms. The decision must come within 48 hours of arrest, fit that one person, and use the lightest rules that still protect everyone (art. 17.028). To learn when magistration is scheduled, call the jail at 512-393-7800.

Texas law splits bail into two families (art. 17.01). One is the bail bond, where cash or a surety stands behind the promise. The other is the personal bond. The county's Bond Information page says most people arrested here receive a personal bond. Someone with a long record may be given a cash or surety bond instead.

• Personal bond. The accused signs, promising to show up for every court date. Nobody pays cash or hires a bondsman (art. 17.03).
• Cash bond. Someone puts the entire amount in the court's hands. The money returns, minus any fee, after the person meets all conditions (art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. A bondsman holding a county license stakes the full amount with the court. Your cost is the bondsman's fee. That money belongs to the bondsman from the start, so dropped charges won't bring it back.

Certain charges rule out a personal bond entirely. Among them are many violent offenses, a terroristic threat at Class A or above, some protective-order violations and gun possession by a felon. Senate Bill 9 widened that list in 2025. Three charge groups need the trial court itself to approve any personal bond: burglary, organized criminal activity and certain drug felonies (art. 17.03). Our statewide Texas bail rules page goes deeper.

Judicial Services, also called Pretrial Services, supervises people on personal bond. Its office is in the Government Center, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 1204, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-393-7785, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

The standard rules are short. Check in with Judicial Services once released. Report a move, a new phone number or a job change. Stay out of new trouble with the law. Skip alcohol and illegal drugs, and test when asked. Pay whatever fees the judge assigns.

A fee applies only when the judge orders it:

• Personal bond fee: $20, one time
• Drug testing: $25, one time
• GPS device: $3.00 or $4.50 per day, depending on the device
• Portable alcohol monitor: $4.15 per day
• Interlock or alcohol monitor checks: $10 per month
• GPS monitoring: $10 per month

The county's guide points people to the Judicial Services payment page for these charges. It is meant for supervision fees and never for bail. An ignition interlock is also a required bond rule for a second or later DWI, DWI with a child on board, intoxication assault and intoxication manslaughter (art. 17.441).

Bond amounts here come one case at a time. Texas has no statewide price list, and even a local bond schedule has to bend to the person-by-person rule (art. 17.028). Questions the magistrate must weigh come from art. 17.15:

• Will this amount bring the person back to court?
• Is it being used to punish or oppress? It can't be.
• What is the charge, and was anyone hurt or threatened?
• What can the person actually pay?
• Is the victim, the police or the public at risk?
• What do the DPS record and the public safety report show?
• Is the person a U.S. citizen?

That report grew out of the Damon Allen Act, Senate Bill 6 of 2021. Judges must look it over first in any case at Class B or above. It lists facts, not a score or a dollar suggestion (art. 17.021, art. 17.022).

Suppose a warrantless arrest, and the probable cause decision runs past its deadline. The bond then may not exceed $5,000 on a misdemeanor or $10,000 on a felony (art. 17.033). For the figure in an actual case, call the Bonding Department at 512-393-7807. Alternative number: 512-393-7690.

The jail stands at 1307 Uhland Road, San Marcos, TX 78666. Work through this list:

1. Search the jail roster and copy the name exactly as it appears.
2. Phone the Bonding Department at 512-393-7807. Ask the amount on each charge, whether holds exist, and where payment goes today.
3. Going with a bondsman? Pick one off the approved list the Sheriff's Office keeps. Staff can't make the choice for you.
4. For a cash bond, buy an exact cashier's check or money order for the full sum. Ask whom to make it payable to.
5. Show a government photo ID and save all paperwork.
6. Be patient. Bonds are handled in the order received, and the jail can't promise how long it will take.

Releases go on at all hours. When the name vanishes from the roster, the person has left the jail. Anyone freed on personal bond reports to Judicial Services next, at 512-393-7785.

Yes. The Sheriff's bail answers say cash bonds run through the District Clerk or the County Clerk, depending on the level of the case. Both sit in the Government Center in San Marcos.

• District Clerk (felonies): 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 2211, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-393-7660.
• County Clerk (Class A and B misdemeanors): 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 2008, San Marcos, TX 78666. Cash bond line: 512-393-7738. Alternative number: 512-393-7330.

To pay at a clerk's window:

1. Call ahead with the full name. Get the cause number and the bond total.
2. Ask which kinds of payment the window accepts that day, and how to reach the county's Cash Bond Payment Portal if you want to use a card.
3. Bring photo ID and exact funds, and leave with a written receipt.
4. Ask how the clerk lets the jail know the bond is paid, so release moves along.

Plan on exact funds. Judicial Services says a cash bond is posted with an exact cashier's check or money order for the whole amount. State law also allows a deposit in U.S. currency (art. 17.02), so check before carrying cash.

• Card for a cash bond: the clerks send card users to the county's Cash Bond Payment Portal. Ask the District Clerk or County Clerk for the link.
• Card at the jail: the county accepts cards only from people in custody, and only for Class C fines.
• Bondsman's fee: goes to the bondsman you hire, and the county never collects it. Ask for a receipt each time.
• Judicial Services fees: paid on their own payment page, apart from any bail.

Never mail cash. If a payment type worries you, call the Bonding Department at 512-393-7807 before leaving home.

With 304,390 residents in the Census Bureau's estimate for mid-2025, this county is well past the 110,000 mark where state law makes a bail bond board mandatory (Occupations Code 1704.002, 1704.051). The board licenses bondsmen, and only licensed ones may write bonds here.

The Sheriff's Office holds the board's approved list, which rotates every week. Jail staff are barred from calling a bondsman for you or naming a favorite. More is on the county's bail bond information page.

• Occupations Code 1704.163 lets the attorney of record post bond for a client, no bail license needed.
• No state cap limits a bondsman's fee, so get the price in writing before signing.
• Expect a receipt for any money or property handed over (Occupations Code 1704.305).
• Under Occupations Code 1704.304, bondsmen may not solicit clients inside the jail.
• Pledged property, such as a car title, is returned too. Send a written request once all cases end, and the bondsman has 30 days to return it (Occupations Code 1704.301).
• Before a bondsman can surrender a client, notice must go to the defense lawyer, plus the prosecutor in felony matters. A sworn form is filed too (art. 17.19).

Every bond is linked to a single case. Before paying, have the Bonding Department at 512-393-7807 read off every hold. These come up often:

• An out-of-county warrant. The magistrate here may set and take bail on that warrant, sending the paperwork to the issuing county (art. 15.18).
• Felony arrest while on felony bond. Release then needs the judge over the earlier case, or a court that judge picks in writing (art. 17.027).
• Parole. A parole warrant normally keeps the person locked up until the violation hearing is held (Government Code 508.254).
• Domestic cases. A 2025 law requires a four-hour wait after bond in a family-violence arrest if officers believe more violence could follow. If a magistrate signs an order, the wait can run another 48 hours at most (art. 17.291).
• Immigration. An ICE detainer stays in force after bond (art. 2A.060).
• Two separate cases. A municipal ticket and a county charge need two bonds.

Under Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11, bail is a right for nearly everyone. The one built-in exception is a capital charge backed by evident proof. Later amendments added more:

• A district judge may refuse bail after a hearing for certain repeat or on-bail felonies (sec. 11a).
• Bail may be refused after someone on felony or family-violence bond breaks a safety condition (sec. 11b), or breaks a protective order (sec. 11c).
• Proposition 3 won at the polls on November 4, 2025. It created sec. 11d. That part covers indecency with a child, human trafficking, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated robbery, murder, capital murder, aggravated kidnapping and some aggravated assaults. Bail "shall be denied" in those cases once the prosecution proves, at a hearing, that the accused would likely flee or put others in danger.

A sec. 11d denial has to be requested by the prosecution. When a judge grants bail anyway in one of these cases, a written order with findings is required. Prosecutors gained one more tool in 2025, when Senate Bill 9 let them appeal a bail amount they consider inadequate on the listed violent charges. The appeals court decides within 20 days, and the accused stays in jail until then (art. 44.01).

In this county, requests to deny bail come from the Criminal District Attorney's Office, which prosecutes felony, misdemeanor and juvenile cases. The District Clerk at 512-393-7660 can give you the office's number.

There are three common routes:

1. Show the money problem. On charges of Class B and up, the person may file a sworn statement of inability to pay. A judge then reviews it without delay (art. 17.028).
2. File a motion to reduce. The defense attorney puts the request on paper for the judge. Bring proof: recent paychecks, rent or mortgage papers, and a list of what relatives can put up. Texas bars bail meant to oppress (art. 17.15).
3. Count the days. Texas sets deadlines for the prosecution. A jailed defendant whose case isn't ready for trial in time gets a personal bond or a cut in bail (art. 17.151):

• Felony: 90 days
• Misdemeanor with more than 180 days of possible jail: 30 days
• Misdemeanor with 180 days or less of possible jail: 15 days
• Fine-only charge: 5 days

For questions about getting a lawyer assigned, call Indigent Defense at 512-878-6740.

At magistration the judge walks the person through asking for a court-appointed lawyer, forms included. This is a county above 250,000 people, so the deadline is tight: the appointment is due by close of business on the first working day after the request is received (art. 1.051). From there, the lawyer's first try at reaching the client must happen before the next working day ends (art. 26.04).

• Indigent Defense takes the requests: 512-878-6740. Alternative number: 512-878-6597. Steps to apply are on the application page.
• Hays County Public Defender's Office, run by Neighborhood Defender Service of Texas under contract with the county: 1340 Wonder World Dr., Suite 108, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-749-0690.

Who qualifies for free counsel, and which cases go to the public defender, is set in the local indigent defense plan. Judicial Services staff can't suggest a private attorney.

The main criminal offices share the Government Center in San Marcos:

• District Clerk, for felony cases in the district courts: 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 2211, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-393-7660.
• County Clerk Courts Division, for County Courts at Law 1, 2 and 3: 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 2008, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-393-7330. Hearings line for those courts: 512-393-7625.
• Judicial Services, for bond supervision: 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 1204, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-393-7785.
• Justice of the Peace courts, for fine-only Class C cases: precinct courts sit in San Marcos, Kyle, Wimberley, Dripping Springs and Buda. The citation names the right one. Staff at the jail, 512-393-7800, can tell you which precinct holds a Class C case.
• Federal court: U.S. District Clerk's Office, Austin Division, 501 West Fifth Street, Suite 1100, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5896.

Refunds go to whoever is listed on the cash bond receipt, minus any fee, after the bond conditions are met (art. 17.02). Store that receipt somewhere safe.

• Misdemeanor refund: once the case is declined or disposed, give the County Clerk Courts Division a Cash Bond Motion and Order form, a copy of the cash bond receipt and a copy of your ID. The form is on the Courts Division page.
• Felony refund: call the District Clerk at 512-393-7660 and ask for the release paperwork.
• Clerk's fee: under Local Government Code 117.055, the clerk may keep 5%, capped at $50, and only in a case closed by conviction or by deferred adjudication.
• Money owed: the court can also apply the deposit to fines, fees and costs the defendant owes (art. 17.53).

Missing court leads to forfeiture through a judgment nisi (art. 22.02). The bondsman is cleared if the defendant lands back in custody before the deadline: 180 days in a misdemeanor, 270 in a felony (art. 22.13). A no-show can bring a separate charge, bail jumping (Penal Code 38.10).

Belongings are released at the jail, 1307 Uhland Road, San Marcos, TX 78666, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, except county and federal holidays. Keep these rules in mind:

• Before pickup, the person in jail must complete a property release card, at least 24 hours early.
• Whoever picks up shows a state ID.
• Excess property must be claimed within 7 days of the jail's notice.
• Items left after a transfer are destroyed or donated once 30 days pass.

A person released without proper clothes gets clothing from the jail. Money still on the jail account? Call 512-393-7800 to learn how the balance is refunded. Our inmate money page explains the account.

Federal cases from Kyle, Buda, Wimberley and the county seat go to the Austin Division of the federal court for the Western District of Texas. The clerk's office: 501 West Fifth Street, Suite 1100, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5896.

• In federal court, a detention hearing settles release. It usually comes at the defendant's first appearance. A lawyer may ask for a short delay (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Before trial, the U.S. Marshals Service holds people charged federally. Its Austin office is at 501 West 5th Street, Suite 3300, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5393. It can tell you which jail holds the person.
• If the family can't hire counsel, the judge may appoint the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas, 504 Lavaca Street, Suite 960, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5025.
• After a federal prison sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

County bonds and state bondsmen play no part in a federal case.

No. Paying bond settles the state side only. Immigration runs on its own track:

1. A detainer arrives from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. Its paperwork, Form I-247A, tells the jail that ICE wants custody of the person.
2. With a detainer on file, the jail can keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas law requires jails to follow ICE detainers and to let the person know a detainer is the reason. That duty ends if the person can document lawful immigration status or U.S. citizenship (art. 2A.060).
4. Government Code 752.053, passed in 2017, bars local policies that limit immigration enforcement. Senate Bill 8 of 2025 says each Texas county with a jail must have a 287(g) deal with ICE in place by the first of December 2026. Ask the Sheriff's Office at 512-393-7800 whether that agreement is signed here.
5. ICE officers come for the person. The ICE San Antonio Field Office, 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300, covers south-central Texas.
6. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The locator searches by A-number, or by first and last name together with country of birth.

A bondsman stays on the hook for the state bond during any federal immigration custody (art. 17.16).

Penal Code 12.35 sets state jail felony time at between 180 days and two years, served in a state jail. Under Penal Code 12.32 to 12.34, first-, second- and third-degree felony terms are served in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system.

New arrivals first pass through intake, where staff review security level, health and program needs. A transfer to a fitting unit comes after.

• The TDCJ inmate search can be searched three ways: TDCJ number, SID number, or last name with first initial. Expect results at least 24 hours behind, updated on working days only.
• For unit details, open our Texas state prisons page.

A youth who was 10 to 16 when the offense happened is handled in juvenile court. At 17, a person is tried as an adult and held with adults (Family Code 51.02).

Detained youths are taken to the Hays County Juvenile Detention Center, listed on the state registry as the county's pre-detention center in San Marcos. Call 512-393-5220 for its street address and visiting rules.

• Officers have to notify a parent, guardian or custodian without delay (Family Code 52.02).
• A youth picked up Friday or Saturday gets a detention hearing on the next working day. Otherwise it must happen within two working days. A lawyer for the child is in place before the hearing starts (Family Code 54.01).
• Under Family Code 54.02, certification lets the juvenile court send a child 14 or older to adult court on some serious felonies. A full investigation and a hearing must happen first.

Juvenile Court files are kept by the County Clerk Courts Division, 512-393-7330.