Nueces County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

That job falls to a magistrate. The county has a Magistrate Court of its own, and the local lawyer-appointment plan promises every arrested person a turn before a magistrate inside 48 hours. Texas law draws the same line (Crim. Proc. arts. 14.06, 15.17). This first hearing may take place face to face or over a two-way video link.

Anyone booked by city police in Corpus Christi stays at the City Detention Center, 3312 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, until magistration. The city's Municipal Court operates that site, so call the court at 361-826-2500 with questions.

At that hearing, the magistrate's tasks are to:

• name the charge and lay out the rights to silence, to a hired lawyer and to have that lawyer present for questioning;
• walk the person through the request for an appointed lawyer and assist with the paperwork;
• settle bail no later than 48 hours after arrest, choosing the mildest terms able to get the person back to court (Crim. Proc. art. 17.028).

When the top charge is Class B or more serious, the magistrate first reviews a public safety report, a summary of the person's past arrests and convictions. Scores and dollar suggestions are kept out of it (Crim. Proc. arts. 17.021, 17.022). If a jailer has reason to think the person is mentally ill, word must reach the magistrate in 12 hours (Crim. Proc. art. 16.22). To find out when a county arrest will be heard, phone Jail Information at 361-887-2300.

Texas recognizes two families of bond, bail bonds and personal bonds (Crim. Proc. art. 17.01). In practice, three kinds show up at this jail:

• Personal bond. The person signs, promising to attend court, and no money changes hands (Crim. Proc. art. 17.03). The county's lawyer plan says local magistrates grant personal recognizance bonds with conditions attached. A program under the county's Court Administrator keeps tabs on people released this way.
• Cash bond. Paying the entire bail in cash leaves that sum on deposit with the court. That money comes back, minus fees, after the case ends (Crim. Proc. art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. Here a licensed surety company or agent backs the full sum. In return, relatives hand over a nonrefundable fee, often with collateral.

For some charges, a personal bond is barred by law. Examples are most violent crimes, terroristic threat graded Class A or above, some violations of protective orders and gun possession by a felon. With burglary, organized criminal activity and certain big drug cases, only the judge who will try the case may grant one (Crim. Proc. art. 17.03).

Conditions often ride along. Drunk driving cases that involve a repeat offense, a kid in the vehicle, an injury crash or a death call for a breath-test lock on the car (Crim. Proc. art. 17.441). In family violence cases, a GPS ankle monitor may be ordered.

Texas has no statewide price chart. Every bail has to fit the actual person and case (Crim. Proc. art. 17.028). In setting it, the magistrate looks at (Crim. Proc. art. 17.15):

• what figure would make a return to court likely;
• whether it would be so steep that it oppresses them;
• the facts of the charge, including any violence;
• the cash the person could realistically gather;
• danger to the victim, officers and neighbors;
• the person's record and any skipped court dates;
• whether the person is a citizen.

How serious the charge is weighs heavily. Class C tickets are fine-only, with a $500 cap, and personal bonds are the norm there (Crim. Proc. art. 45A.107). A Class B can bring half a year behind bars, and a Class A a full year. Felonies reach into state jail and prison terms (Penal Code 12.21-12.35).

The law fixes just two dollar caps. When someone held without a warrant gets no timely probable cause ruling, release must follow on bond no higher than $5,000 for a misdemeanor or $10,000 for a felony (Crim. Proc. art. 17.033). Filed bail forms sit on the state's TOPICs bail portal. For the actual figure on your person, dial 361-887-2300.

The county jail at 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 lists office hours as seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Go in this order:

1. Phone Jail Information at 361-887-2300. Make sure a magistrate already set bail, and write down the figure for each charge.
2. Find out which window accepts a cash bond, what forms of money it takes that day, and the payee for a cashier's check or money order.
3. Going through a bondsman? The bondsman delivers the bond papers to the jail. Your fee goes to the bondsman only.
4. Have a photo ID with you. Guard the receipt: refunds of cash go only to the name printed there (Crim. Proc. art. 17.02).
5. Before paying, ask if an outside warrant, parole hold or immigration detainer sits on the file.

Jail staff taking a bond have to pull criminal history first. In a violent case they can't pick the dollar amount themselves (Crim. Proc. arts. 17.20, 17.22). On a family violence arrest where further harm looks likely, release waits four hours past the posting of bond (Crim. Proc. art. 17.291).

The answer hinges on the arresting agency and the court that ends up with the file. A two-minute call saves a drive downtown.

• City Detention Center, 3312 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401. City police arrests stay here until magistration. The Municipal Court runs it from 120 N. Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-826-2500, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Ask where a bond set there gets paid.
• District Clerk, keeper of felony files, 901 Leopard St., Room 313, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-0450. When a felony is on file, ask whether its counter accepts cash bonds.
• County Clerk, keeper of Class A and B misdemeanor records, 361-888-0580. Ask which room handles bonds and its hours.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, 705 W. Avenue A, Port Aransas, TX 78373, 361-749-5660. Port Aransas citations from constables, game wardens and troopers are filed there.

To reach any other justice court, call the county's main switchboard at 361-888-0111 and ask which precinct holds the case.

On seven listed misdemeanors, an officer can write a citation rather than haul the person to jail. That citation works as a summons to a first hearing, known as initial appearance or magistration. The District Attorney's office oversees the program.

• Court meets the second and fourth Wednesday every month, 1:30 p.m., on the first floor in the Central Jury Room of the courthouse, 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401.
• A letter giving the date arrives by mail. Show up with the citation and a photo ID.
• Mailing something in won't close the case. A no-show can trigger a warrant and a stay in jail with no bond.
• Possible outcomes run from trial, jail or a fine, to probation, deferred adjudication or pretrial diversion. Diversion costs a fee and requires classes and community service, after which the charge is dropped.

The program line is 361-888-0271, reached through Room 206 of the courthouse.

Accepted payment can change without much notice. Before heading out, ask the jail at 361-887-2300 whether it takes bills, cashier's checks, money orders or cards today, and what a card costs extra.

Don't mix up bond payments with the city court's pay lines. Those settle tickets and city warrants only:

• City court online payments tack on 3% plus $2.50. Paying through 866-299-7084 adds $2.50.
• Paying a city ticket that way is treated as a conviction on it.
• Paying only part of what's owed leaves a warrant in place.

Never put cash in an envelope. A charity bail group that steps in must hold a county clerk certificate and can't charge you a cent (Crim. Proc. art. 17.071).

Counting 352,992 people (Census Bureau, July 1, 2025), the county sits well past the 110,000 line that makes a bail bond board mandatory. Writing bonds here takes that board's license (Occupations Code 1704.051, 1704.151). That board posts its current list of sureties for the public at booking and in criminal courts (Occupations Code 1704.105, 1704.107). Company and individual surety license applications go through the County Clerk's Treasury section.

• The fee is whatever the bondsman sets, since state law has no cap, so ask for it in writing.
• Expect a written receipt for each dollar or item you hand over (Occupations Code 1704.305).
• Inside the jail, sureties are barred from chasing clients, and officers are barred from recommending one (Occupations Code 1704.304). That ban covers jailers too.
• Collateral comes back after the last case closes. Ask for it in writing, and the bondsman must return it within a month (Occupations Code 1704.301).
• The defense lawyer handling the case is allowed to post the bond (Occupations Code 1704.163).
• A bondsman dropping a client has to notify the defense lawyer and swear out an affidavit (Crim. Proc. art. 17.19).

Questions about a license go to the County Clerk at 361-888-0580.

Check the file for these before counting on a release:

• A second case. City and county charges are bonded out one by one.
• A warrant out of another county. A magistrate in Nueces may set bail on it, then forward the bond papers to the issuing county (Crim. Proc. art. 15.18).
• A new felony during a felony bond. Only the judge on the older case, or a judge that court names in writing, may free the person (Crim. Proc. art. 17.027).
• A parole blue warrant. A parolee brought back for a violation is held for the hearing (Gov't Code 508.254).
• Immigration. When ICE has lodged a detainer, a magistrate appointed by the courts can't order release (Crim. Proc. art. 17.027).
• Family violence. Even after bond, there is a four-hour pause, which a signed magistrate's order may lengthen up to 48 hours (Crim. Proc. art. 17.291).

Ask Jail Information at 361-887-2300 to list each hold and case number before any money changes hands.

Bail is the rule in Texas. Its oldest carve-out covers capital crimes with plain proof of guilt (Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11). Three more routes allow a district judge, after a hearing, to order a person held without bail: some repeat felonies, a broken safety condition of bond, and a violated protective order (Tex. Const. art. I, secs. 11a, 11b, 11c).

A newer route came from the ballot. In the November 4, 2025 election, Proposition 3 passed (Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11d). Covered charges begin with murder and capital murder. Next come aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and aggravated assault that used a weapon or caused grave injury. The last group is aggravated sexual assault, trafficking of persons and indecency with a child. For those, bail must be denied when the prosecutor proves at a hearing:

• by a preponderance of the evidence that the person would likely skip court; or
• to a clear and convincing level, that no bond terms could protect the victim, police and public.

Nobody but the prosecutor can file for this denial. A judge who sets bail on such a charge must write down the facts and reasons. A 2025 change also lets the state challenge a low bail on certain violent charges in the court of appeals. That court has 20 days to rule while the accused stays locked up (Crim. Proc. art. 44.01).

Felony prosecution in this county belongs to the District Attorney's Office, 901 Leopard St., Room 206, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-0410.

1. Ask the defense attorney to file a bond reduction motion in the trial court.
2. On a Class B or higher charge, the jailed person can swear out an affidavit saying the bail is beyond their means, and a prompt review must follow (Crim. Proc. art. 17.028).
3. Collect proof of work and housing, and settle on a real number the family can reach.
4. In a felony, the person may request an examining trial, and the magistrate there can revisit bail (Crim. Proc. art. 16.01).

The calendar can help. A jailed defendant whose prosecutor isn't trial-ready must be offered a personal bond or reduced bail after a set wait. Felonies get 90 days. Class A cases get 30. It drops to 15 for a Class B and 5 for a Class C. Some exceptions apply (Crim. Proc. art. 17.151).

For felony cases, ring the District Clerk at 361-888-0450. Misdemeanor cases run through the County Clerk at 361-888-0580.

At magistration the person learns about the right to an appointed lawyer and gets help with the request (Crim. Proc. art. 15.17). Here that request is an Affidavit of Indigence, a sworn money form in English or Spanish, sent to the county's magistrates or the judge on the case. The full district court lawyer plan can be read online.

• Because the county tops 250,000 people, appointment must happen before the first working day after the request arrives is over (Crim. Proc. art. 1.051).
• After appointment, counsel gets one further working day to make contact with the client (Crim. Proc. art. 26.04).
• A court can weigh income, debts and family size, but having made bail is no reason by itself to turn someone down.

The county's Mental Health Public Defender's Office started in 2022 with a state grant. You'll find it at 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-414-6610. It takes county criminal cases for clients who can't afford a lawyer. New cases are handed out in turn to that office and to private appointed attorneys.

For complaints about how the plan is run, families may contact the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

• County courthouse, 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401. Felonies are tried by eight numbered district courts. County Courts at Law 1 through 5 take the Class A and B docket. The Magistrate Court is in the same building. Felony records: District Clerk, Room 313, 361-888-0450. Misdemeanor records: County Clerk, 361-888-0580.
• Municipal Court, for city tickets and city warrants, 120 N. Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-826-2500.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, which takes Port Aransas tickets, 705 W. Avenue A, Port Aransas, TX 78373, 361-749-5660. For the remaining precincts, call the county at 361-888-0111.
• Federal court, U.S. District Court, 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

A cash deposit returns to the name on the receipt, less fees, after the case ends with every bond rule kept (Crim. Proc. art. 17.02). A clerk's cut of 5%, at most $50, applies only after a conviction or deferred adjudication. Fines and costs the defendant owes may be taken out of the deposit first. Once the case is final, the clerk hands out the form to release the funds free of charge.

Skipping court puts the bail at risk. The judge signs an early judgment against the bond, which turns final if no good excuse is shown (Crim. Proc. arts. 22.01, 22.02). A surety gets released if the defendant lands back in custody within 180 days for a misdemeanor, or within 270 days for a felony (Crim. Proc. art. 22.13). A no-show can also mean a fresh bail jumping charge, and how serious it is depends on the original case (Penal Code 38.10).

Felony refunds: District Clerk, 361-888-0450. Misdemeanor refunds: County Clerk, 361-888-0580.

Settle property and any unspent account balance before release day ends. The main jail sits at 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, with Jail Information at 361-887-2300. Someone housed at the McKinzie Jail Annex, 745 North Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78406, can be asked about at 361-289-4200.

• Ask what hours property is released and which ID you need.
• Sending a relative in your place? Check first whether a signed note from the person is required.
• Find out how an unspent account balance gets refunded.

To learn how deposits work while someone is held, visit our page on jail account deposits.

Federal prosecutions starting on the Coastal Bend land in the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division, whose courthouse is 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

• A detention hearing, often on day one in federal court, decides between home and a cell. Either lawyer may ask to put it off a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Federal detainees stay under U.S. Marshals Service control, and its Coastal Bend office is at 1133 North Shoreline Boulevard, Suite 109, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3154. Phone that office to find the holding jail.
• The Federal Public Defender represents qualifying defendants from its office at 500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Room 301, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3532.
• After a sentence to federal prison, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Not by itself. The state bond and the federal hold travel separately:

1. Immigration agents lodge their paperwork, known as Form I-247A.
2. Jailers may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas jails must follow these detainers. Papers showing citizenship or legal presence in the country end it (Crim. Proc. art. 2A.060). Separately, a 2017 law bars any county or city from blocking immigration enforcement (Gov't Code 752.053).
4. Next, a 2025 Texas statute pushes each jail-operating county into a 287(g) pact with ICE, due December 1, 2026. The Sheriff's Office, 361-887-2222, can say where the county stands.
5. ICE officers take custody of the person. Nueces sits in the Harlingen Field Office area, 1717 Zoy Street, Harlingen, TX 78552, 956-389-7800. Among the centers tied to that office is the Rio Grande Processing Center, 1001 San Rio Blvd, Laredo, TX 78046, 956-718-4700.
6. Look the person up in the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name and birth country, or by the A-number on immigration papers.

Two kinds of state lockup exist. A state jail felony means a term in one of the state jail units. For third-degree felonies and up, the sentence is prison time (Penal Code 12.31-12.35). Both are part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Transfer isn't instant: the person usually waits on Leopard Street until state transport arrives, then goes through intake, where a fitting unit is chosen.

• The TDCJ inmate search searches by surname and first initial. It also accepts the state's TDCJ and SID numbers. It refreshes on working days and lags roughly 24 hours.
• Our Texas state prisons page gives details on each unit.

Juvenile court in Texas covers kids aged 10 through 16 on the offense date; a 17-year-old is booked into the adult jail like anyone older (Family Code 51.02). Detained kids go to the Juvenile Detention Center inside the Juvenile Justice Center, 2310 Gollihar Rd., Corpus Christi, TX 78415, apart from adults. It holds 24 youths, with room for up to 16 more in overflow.

• Police have to tell a parent quickly that the child was taken and give the reason (Family Code 52.02).
• Then comes a detention hearing. Count two working days from intake, or one working day for a Friday or Saturday intake. A lawyer must be in place before the hearing (Family Code 54.01).
• Instead of adult bail, the juvenile judge decides at that hearing whether the youth can go home.

Juvenile probation answers at 361-855-7303, Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The detention control room is 361-561-6041.