Kaufman County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate makes the call, usually within hours. Texas sets a 48-hour outer limit for getting an arrested person in front of one (CCP art. 15.17(a)). It can happen across a table or over live video. A justice of the peace, a county court at law judge or a district judge can all fill that role (CCP art. 2A.151).

In a 2022 site visit, the state's indigent defense agency checked a sample of these local hearings. Nearly all of them, 98%, came within two days of arrest, and most came the same day. What happens there, step by step:

• name the charge, then explain the right to silence and to counsel;
• offer a free lawyer to anyone who can't pay, and help with the request form;
• study a public safety report first whenever the charge is Class B or above, a Damon Allen Act rule from 2021;
• fit the bail terms to this one defendant, going no stricter than needed (CCP art. 17.028).

The jail also has a court coordinator. Reach that desk through 972-932-4337 or by email at CC@KAUFMANSO.COM.

Texas law groups bail into bail bonds and personal bonds, under CCP art. 17.01. Locally, people usually meet one of these:

• Cash. Someone hands the court the whole amount in cash. That money is held and refunded later, minus any fee, once the defendant has done everything the bond asked.
• Surety. A licensed bondsman signs a pledge covering the whole bail. In return, the company charges the family a fee for the risk.
• Personal bond. Nobody puts up money. The defendant's own signature is the promise to return for each hearing and live by the rules.
• A written court date only. On a fine-only Class C charge, the magistrate can skip bond and simply hand over a notice to appear (CCP art. 15.17(b)).

Some defendants can't be offered the signature option at all. That group includes people facing violent crimes on the state's list and a felon caught with a firearm. On burglary or organized crime, the decision belongs to the judge who will try the case (CCP art. 17.03).

Most people leave with conditions attached. Typical ones are staying away from an alleged victim or, after a second DWI, driving only with an ignition interlock. The county's Pretrial Bond Supervision Department checks on people released under such rules. Find it at 1906 E. US Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4773. The statewide rules, from bond types to denial hearings, are laid out on our Texas bail laws page.

Each figure is picked for one person on one case. Once the hearing is done, the jail at 972-932-4337 can read you the number. Texas has no single statewide chart of amounts.

Article 17.15(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure hands the magistrate a checklist:

• Will this amount bring the person back, without being so steep it punishes?
• How serious was the act, and did it involve violence or an officer?
• What can this person truly afford? Pay stubs and bills can be shown.
• Would release put the victim, police or neighbors at risk?
• What does the record show about old convictions, open cases and missed court?
• Is the person a U.S. citizen?

State law does cap bail in one narrow case. The limits apply only to warrantless arrests where the probable cause question sits undecided too long. A misdemeanor defendant must then walk free within 24 hours, with bond held to $5,000 at most, and a felony defendant within 48 hours, with bond held to $10,000. A request from the state can delay this for as long as 72 hours, under CCP art. 17.033.

A defendant on Class B or higher who has no way to pay may sign a sworn form saying so, and a prompt review must follow. Past bail decisions from around Texas show up on the state's TOPICs bail form search.

You'll find the jail at 1900 E. US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142. The county's Bail Bond Administrator has a desk in the Sheriff's Office at that same spot. Work through this list:

1. Phone 972-932-4337. Read off the legal name, the birthday and any SO number from the inmate list.
2. Write down the amount for each charge, which bond types were approved, and every hold.
3. Ask where bonds get posted, during which hours, and what money the window will accept that day.
4. Using a bondsman? Pick one from the county's approved company list, and the company handles the filing.
5. Bring government photo ID to the window. Hang on to each slip of paper you sign or get.
6. Expect release paperwork to take a while. Family violence cases add a required four-hour pause after bond when officers think the violence could continue (CCP art. 17.291(b)).

The jail office answers on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A late-night or Sunday trip is safer after a phone check.

The jail holds the person, so ask there first. After charges reach a court, that court's clerk can say whether bond money is taken at its counter:

• District Clerk, for felonies: Justice Center, 1902 E. US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4640, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• County Clerk's Court Division, for Class A and B misdemeanors: 1902 US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4736, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Pretrial Bond Supervision, for people let out on a personal bond with rules: 1906 E. US Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4773.

Forney's police station at 110 Justice Center Drive, Forney, TX 75126 has a jail entrance staffed around the clock. After a Forney arrest, dial 972-552-6625 to learn if the person is still at the station and how that city takes bond. A Class C warrant from a justice or city court is settled with that same court, where a personal bond is the norm (CCP art. 45A.107).

Each window sets its own rules, so phone the jail at 972-932-4337 and ask what the bond desk takes today. A few facts help you plan:

• For its own fees, the District Clerk accepts cash, checks and cards, with an added charge on cards. Call 469-376-4640 to learn if a cash bond follows the same rules.
• Fines and court costs at the end of a case are paid to Court Collections, 1902 US Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4675, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Money for snacks and calls sits on a separate jail account, so ask before counting on it for a bond.

Hold on to the cash bond receipt like a check, because the refund goes to whoever is named there. Cash sent in an envelope can vanish, so hand it over in person.

With about 209,000 residents, this county is big enough that state law makes it keep a bail bond board (Occupations Code 1704.002). Only bondsmen holding its license may write bonds here. The board posts its list of licensed sureties in criminal courtrooms and at booking, as Occupations Code 1704.105 and 1704.107 require.

The latest approved bail bond companies list carries a January 2026 date. Board meetings start at noon on the second Tuesday monthly, in the County Court at Law 2 courtroom of the Justice Center. New local rules took effect May 1 and June 1, 2026. Call the Bail Bond Administrator at the Sheriff's Office, 972-932-4337, with questions.

• Texas leaves bondsman pricing uncapped. Ask for the quote and the payment terms in writing.
• Every dollar or item handed over earns a written receipt (Occupations Code 1704.305).
• Soliciting customers inside a jail breaks state law (Occupations Code 1704.304).
• When every case it secured has closed, ask in writing; the collateral is due back inside 30 days (Occupations Code 1704.301).
• Lawyers already hired on a case may act as the surety for that client, license or not (Occupations Code 1704.163).

Before quitting a bond, the bondsman has to warn the defense lawyer, plus the prosecutor on a felony, and then swear to a filing (CCP art. 17.19). The county posts those bond surrender forms for bondsmen.

Each bond is tied to one case number. Watch for these roadblocks:

• Another county's warrant. Bail on it can be set by a magistrate here, after which the bond paperwork heads to the other county (CCP art. 15.18). Allow extra time.
• A new felony charge during release on an earlier felony bond. Release then rests with the first court or one it picks in writing (CCP art. 17.027).
• A parole "blue warrant." State law keeps a parolee confined until the violation hearing (Gov't Code 508.254(c)).
• A probation violation. Adult probation for the county works from 408 E. College Street, Terrell, TX 75160, 469-376-4700.
• Family violence. Officers who fear more harm must hold off release for four hours after bond. A magistrate's signed order may extend it, up to two extra days in all (CCP art. 17.291(b)).
• Federal custody or ICE. Marshals prisoners are housed here, and an immigration detainer works apart from state bail (CCP art. 2A.060).

Spend nothing until a jail officer at 972-932-4337 has gone over every hold with you.

The Texas Constitution promises bail to nearly everyone. Only a capital charge with strong, evident proof falls outside that promise (Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11). Some defendants with felony records, and people who broke safety rules of a bond or a protective order, can also be held by a district judge after a hearing. Sections 11a, 11b and 11c of article I allow this.

Section 11d is newer. Voters added it through Proposition 3 on November 4, 2025. Its list of charges:

• capital murder or murder;
• trafficking people, or indecency with a child;
• aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault or aggravated kidnapping;
• aggravated assault that seriously injures someone or uses a firearm, club, knife or explosive.

For those charges, a no-bail order needs a motion from the prosecutor first. A hearing follows. The judge must refuse bail if the state proves a flight risk by the greater weight of the evidence. Danger to others needs a higher level of proof, called clear and convincing evidence. If bail is granted anyway, the judge has to put the reasons in writing.

Since S.B. 9 in 2025, prosecutors can also take a bail they find too small in certain violent cases to a higher court. That court must rule inside 20 days, while a jailed defendant waits behind bars for the answer (CCP art. 44.01). One office, the Criminal District Attorney, prosecutes every level of case here. Its number is 469-376-4760.

Often, yes. Defense counsel normally files a motion asking the assigned judge for a smaller figure or softer rules. These arguments carry weight:

1. Money. Bail may not be used to oppress, and the judge must weigh what the defendant can pay (CCP art. 17.15(a)). Bring proof of income, rent and debts.
2. The examining trial. Before an indictment, a felony defendant may ask for this hearing on probable cause. The magistrate can revisit bail at it (CCP art. 16.01).
3. Delay by the state. Prosecutors who can't announce ready for trial on schedule trigger a right to lower bail or a personal bond. The clock runs 90 days on a felony and 30, 15 or 5 days on lesser charges, with exceptions (CCP art. 17.151).
4. Supervision. Pretrial Bond Supervision can give the judge release options with check-ins.

The District Clerk at 469-376-4640 can tell you which court has a felony. The County Clerk's Court Division at 469-376-4736 does the same for a misdemeanor.

Money trouble shouldn't mean going without a lawyer. The request can start right at the magistrate hearing, where the magistrate explains the steps and helps with the forms. These are the local offices:

• Public Defender's Office, 1902 E. US Highway 175, Suite 500, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4534. The county plan sends it a quarter of the appointments in the case types it handles.
• Indigent Defense Court Program, 1902 E. Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4759. A person who got out before asking can turn in a sworn statement about money to the Indigent Defense Coordinator there.

Here, as in every county below 250,000 residents, the deadline to appoint a lawyer is three working days after the court receives the request, per CCP art. 1.051(c). A judge can't turn someone down just because they made bail (CCP art. 26.04(m)). Read the county's full appointed lawyer plan online. The Texas Indigent Defense Commission, which collects these plans, is at 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

The Justice Center, 1902 E. US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4100, houses most courts and opens weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• District courts for felonies: the 86th (469-376-4670), the 422nd (469-376-4666) and the 489th (469-376-4505).
• County Court at Law (469-376-4745) and County Court at Law 2 (469-376-4757) for Class A and B misdemeanors.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, 1906 E. US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4182.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Forney Sub Courthouse, 200 E. Main St., Forney, TX 75126, 469-376-4600.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Terrell Sub Courthouse, 408 E. College St., Terrell, TX 75160, 469-376-4587.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, 1906 E. US Highway 175, 2nd Floor, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4620, shut from noon to 1 p.m.
• Federal court, 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1452, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.

Every incorporated city also runs a municipal court for fine-only tickets from its own officers. Ask that city's police where it meets.

The person named on the receipt gets the cash back, less any fee, after the defendant has kept every term (CCP art. 17.02). Keep these points in mind:

• A clerk may keep up to 5% of the refund, $50 at most. That fee applies only when the defendant was convicted or got deferred adjudication (Local Gov't Code 117.055).
• Unpaid fines or court costs may be taken out of the deposit before anything is returned (CCP art. 17.53).
• After the case wraps up, the clerk has a no-cost form for asking the court to release the cash.

Skipping court puts the bond in danger. First the judge signs a judgment nisi, an early forfeiture order naming the defendant and any surety (CCP arts. 22.01, 22.02). Next, a grace window opens for the bondsman to track the defendant down. It lasts 180 days in misdemeanor cases and 270 in felony cases, and an arrest inside it can free the surety (CCP art. 22.13). Choosing not to appear is also a separate crime, Class C to third-degree felony depending on the case (Penal Code 38.10).

Felony refunds go through the District Clerk, 469-376-4640. Misdemeanor refunds go through the County Clerk, 469-376-4736.

Settle this at the jail, 1900 E. US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, before your loved one leaves. Officers at 972-932-4337 know how leftover account money gets back to its owner, and when stored clothing, keys or phones can be claimed. Carry a photo ID. Collecting things that belong to another adult may require their written okay, so ask.

This jail takes account deposits online or by money order, and it refuses cash. Letters that arrive after release go back to the sender. Our pages on jail account deposits and commissary cover the money side.

These cases go to federal court in Dallas, part of the Northern District of Texas. Filings are handled by the clerk at 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1452, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.

• A detention hearing, normally at the first federal court date, decides between release and jail until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Federal prisoners awaiting trial are the job of the Marshals, based at 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1657, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-767-0836.
• The county jail keeps separate housing for federal men and federal women, so the person may sit right here while the case runs.
• The Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Texas has its main office at 525 South Griffin Street, Suite 629, Dallas, TX 75202, 214-767-2746.
• After sentencing to federal prison, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. Bail and immigration are handled on separate tracks:

1. ICE files a detainer (Form I-247A) that requests extra time to collect the person.
2. That request covers up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under CCP art. 2A.060, the jail has to honor it and explain it to the person, though showing citizenship papers or lawful status ends it. A 2017 law (Gov't Code 752.053) also keeps local governments from blocking immigration enforcement.
4. Agents from the Dallas Field Office, which covers North Texas, then collect the person. That office is at 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
5. Check the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Searching by A-number works best; lacking that, enter the person's whole name along with their birth nation.

Under S.B. 8 (2025), every Texas county running a jail must seek a 287(g) deal with ICE; the cutoff is December 1, 2026. For this Sheriff's status, phone 972-932-4337.

That depends on the charge level (Penal Code 12.31-12.35):

• Class A and B misdemeanor time stays in the county jail.
• State jail felonies: a state jail stay lasting from 6 months to 2 years.
• Felonies graded first, second or third degree mean state prison, for 2 years up to life.

After sentencing to prison, people normally wait at the US 175 jail for a state transfer. The state then processes them at intake and assigns a unit. Search the TDCJ inmate lookup, which refreshes each working day. For background on the state's lockups, see our Texas state prisons page. If the judge chooses probation instead, the adult probation office in Terrell runs it, 469-376-4700.

Juvenile court in Texas handles children aged 10 to 16. From age 17, a case goes through the adult courts (Family Code 51.02). The arresting officer owes the parents prompt notice and the reason (Family Code 52.02).

• Expect a detention hearing on or before the second working day after custody. If the child is held on a Friday or Saturday, it comes by the first working day, and the child has appointed counsel by then (Family Code 54.01).
• Release is the default at that hearing. A judge may keep the child only for one of five reasons the law lists.
• No state-registered youth detention center operates inside the county, so a child who must be held is taken to one elsewhere.

Juvenile Probation is at 300 W. Mulberry Street, Kaufman, TX 75142, 469-376-4650. Staff work weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Staff can say which facility is holding the child and when a judge will hear the case. The county's juvenile lawyer plan sets out how youths get counsel.