Palo Pinto County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate. Texas gives the jailer no more than 48 hours from arrest to put the person before one (Code of Criminal Procedure, or CCP, Articles 14.06, 15.17). That title fits a wide range of judges, from the county's five justices of the peace to the district judge (CCP Article 2A.151).

Expect a quick session. Your person hears what they are accused of. The magistrate then lays out their rights: silence, a hired lawyer or a free one, and an examining trial if it is a felony. Wanting a free lawyer? The magistrate must help with that form (CCP Article 15.17).

Inside those same 48 hours, bail gets decided for this individual alone, and the conditions should be the mildest ones that still protect people (CCP Article 17.028). One extra step applies when the charge is Class B or above. Under Senate Bill 6 (CCP Articles 17.021, 17.022), passed in 2021 and called the Damon Allen Act, a public safety report built from past records lands on the magistrate's desk first. That report gives no rating and never proposes an amount. The hearing time comes from jail staff at 940-659-2085.

The statute's two labels are "bail bond" and "personal bond" (CCP Articles 17.01 to 17.03). At the Cedar Street jail, that plays out as three options:

• Cash bond. The full amount gets paid by someone up front. If every hearing is attended, it is returned when the case closes, less any lawful fee.
• Surety bond. A bondsman (or some other surety) guarantees the full bond. That service costs a nonrefundable fee.
• Personal bond. A signed promise is enough. No money changes hands and no one cosigns.

Some charges block a personal bond. Among them: lots of violent crimes, terroristic threats at the Class A level and up, a few kinds of protective order violations, and felons who had a gun (CCP Article 17.03). Any bond can carry conditions. A common one bars any contact with the alleged victim. A repeat DWI, among other drunk driving charges, brings an ignition interlock device on the vehicle (CCP Article 17.441). Every county in Texas shares these bond basics, gathered on our Texas bail laws page for quick reading.

Texas leaves the dollar figure to the magistrate, with no statewide chart to copy from. Article 17.15 of the CCP tells them to weigh these points:

• a sum big enough that skipping court would hurt
• never an amount used as a weapon against the accused
• the nature of the charge and how it happened
• what the accused can truly afford
• protection for the victim, police and the public
• the person's record and the safety report
• citizenship status

On the Sheriff's booked inmate list, every charge carries a bond, and a total appears above the charges. A charge reading "NOT SET" is still waiting on the magistrate, while "DENIED" means bail was refused on that count. Amounts may move after a hearing, so call the jail at 940-659-2085.

Booking sits inside the Law Enforcement Center, 420 Cedar Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484, which also houses the Sheriff's Office. Detention officers there complete the bond paperwork. Follow these steps:

1. Phone 940-659-2085 and ask for Booking.
2. Spell the name for the officer and give the birth date. Write down the total bond and which charge each part belongs to.
3. Confirm that no count still shows "NOT SET," because those can't be paid yet.
4. Ask which payments Booking takes for a cash bond, what name goes on a cashier's check, and what hours you may come.
5. Working with a bondsman? Give them the booking details so they can file the bond at the jail.
6. Bring photo ID. Save every receipt the officers give you.

Family violence charges can slow release. A magistrate who thinks the violence could go on triggers a four-hour wait, and the clock starts when the bond is posted. A written order can stretch the wait to two full days (CCP Article 17.291).

Sometimes. Texas allows cash bail to be deposited with a court, and the clerks keep each court's file. Before you go, phone the right clerk. Ask if it can take bail on this case, and if the jail lets the person out once it is paid. Both offices are in the courthouse at 520 Oak Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484:

• District Clerk (felonies): mail to P.O. Box 189, Palo Pinto, TX 76484. Call 940-659-1279 during business hours.
• County Clerk (misdemeanors that can bring jail time): mail to P.O. Box 219, Palo Pinto, TX 76484. Call 940-659-1277. It is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, without closing for lunch.
• County Clerk's Mineral Wells annex: 100 SE 6th Avenue, Suite 102, Mineral Wells, TX 76067, 940-468-0170. It keeps the same weekday hours but closes from noon to 1 p.m.

The jail and the clerks each decide what they accept for bail. Before making the drive, call the jail at 940-659-2085. Ask which payments are good for a cash bond, and ask about personal checks.

Putting money on an inmate's account is different from bail. For account deposits, the Sheriff's Office accepts money orders and cashier's checks in person at the Law Enforcement Center, and it does not take cash. A money order may also come by mail; the inmate mailbox is listed on our jail mail page. Online deposits go through jailatm.com, which the Sheriff's commissary page names. Account money is spent on commissary.

The justice courts collect ticket fines on their fine payment site. Mineral Wells court fines are paid on the city's payment page. Both are for fines, not bail. Keep cash out of the mail.

Hiring a bondsman means the bondsman backs the whole bail amount with the court. If your person skips, the bondsman owes it. Families buy that promise with a fee. Texas puts no limit on the fee, and it isn't returned, even if the charges get dropped later.

• Bond companies here must follow the Sheriff's written bonding policy, dated February 2018, and file its forms.
• The bail bond board law kicks in at 110,000 people. Counties that size or bigger must have a board that licenses sureties (Occupations Code Section 1704.002). In smaller counties without one, the sheriff may hang up a roster of sureties who proved they have enough assets (CCP Article 17.141). To see which bondsmen the jail works with, call 940-659-2085.
• Get a receipt every time you pay. Get any collateral deal, like holding a truck title, in writing.
• Surrender is allowed too. A bondsman may return a client to custody after giving notice to the client's defense lawyer, plus the prosecutor on felony bonds, and making a sworn filing with the court (CCP Article 17.19).

A bond only covers the one charge it was set on. Other holds can still apply:

• Several counts. Each roster line may have its own bond, and every one of them must be posted.
• Out-of-county warrant. Sometimes a magistrate here can handle bail on that warrant, then forward the paperwork (CCP Article 15.18). When that doesn't happen, deputies from that county have to come pick the person up.
• Parole. A blue warrant, the name for a Texas parole violation warrant, keeps the person locked up pending a hearing on the violation (Government Code Section 508.254).
• Probation. Adult probation is run by the county's Community Supervision and Corrections Department, 503 Oak Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484, 940-659-1280.
• Family violence. Some of these cases add at least 4 hours after bond.
• Immigration. With ICE involved, a detainer can stretch custody up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.

Before paying anyone, have the jail list every hold, 940-659-2085.

The state constitution guarantees bail to almost anyone facing a charge. Capital cases, when guilt is plainly shown, were the first exception (Texas Constitution, Article I, Section 11). Smaller exceptions (Texas Constitution, Article I, Sections 11a to 11c) reach some repeat felonies, new felonies while on bail, broken safety conditions and broken protective orders.

On November 4, 2025, voters added Proposition 3 to the Constitution. It reaches murder, capital murder and a set of aggravated crimes, such as kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault and the most serious assaults, along with indecency with a child and trafficking. Judges must refuse bail on those charges when a prosecutor proves, at a special hearing, either flight risk or danger. Running away must be shown as more likely than not. Danger must clear the tougher "clear and convincing" standard. Only prosecutors can start this hearing. If the judge still allows bail, written findings are required (Texas Constitution, Article I, Section 11d).

A 2025 law adds two more tools. A prosecutor may have a district judge review a felony bail, and in certain violent cases the state can take a too-low bail up on appeal (CCP Articles 17.029, 44.01). The District Attorney's Office, 520 Oak Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484, 940-659-1251, prosecutes felonies here. The County Attorney's Office prosecutes misdemeanors from that building too, 940-659-1278.

It can be challenged. A defense lawyer can file a motion (a formal written request) asking the judge on the case to reduce it. To build the request:

1. Gather proof: recent paychecks, a lease or deed, nearby relatives, and an amount your family could really put together.
2. Have the lawyer file it. Felony bond motions go through the District Clerk, 940-659-1279. Misdemeanor motions are filed with the County Clerk, 940-659-1277.
3. Track how long your person has been jailed. When prosecutors miss the deadline to be trial-ready, a personal bond or reduced bail is required. The time limits are 90 days for felonies, 30 days for Class A, 15 days for Class B and 5 days for fine-only charges. There are exceptions (CCP Article 17.151).

An arrest made without a warrant has its own clock. Without a timely probable cause ruling, release is required by hour 24 for a misdemeanor, with bond of $5,000 or less, or by hour 48 for a felony, with bond of $10,000 or less. The state may ask to extend this to 72 hours (CCP Article 17.033).

Tell the magistrate that you can't pay a lawyer. Within 24 hours, that request is forwarded to whoever handles appointments (CCP Article 15.17). The law then gives one working day to name a lawyer in counties of 250,000 or more people, and three working days elsewhere (CCP Article 1.051).

Judges in this county appoint lawyers under three written plans: district court, county court and juvenile. Read all three on the state plan page. Questions about them go to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

The court looks at what the person earns, owes and who depends on them. Having made bail doesn't, on its own, rule someone out (CCP Article 26.04).

Felony and misdemeanor cases are heard at the courthouse, 520 Oak Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484. Its main line, 940-659-1253, connects to the County Judge's office.

• 29th District Court handles felonies. The District Clerk keeps its files, 940-659-1279.
• County Court tries Class A and B cases, which can bring jail. Files stay with the County Clerk, 940-659-1277.

Five justice courts hear Class C cases, which carry fines only:

• Precinct 1, Palo Pinto: in the courthouse, 520 Oak Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484, 940-659-1202
• Precinct 2, Graford: 11225 State Highway 337, Graford, TX 76449, 940-664-2212
• Precinct 3, Graford: 328 North FM 2353, Suite 2, Graford, TX 76449, 940-779-3551
• Precinct 4, Gordon: 204 W. Oak Street, Gordon, TX 76453, 940-329-3141
• Precinct 5, Mineral Wells: 100 SE 6th Avenue, Suite 103, Mineral Wells, TX 76067, 940-659-1272

Inside Mineral Wells city limits, Class C tickets may go to Mineral Wells Municipal Court, 211 SW 1st Avenue, Mineral Wells, TX 76067, 940-328-7733. Its office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

The name printed on the cash bond receipt is who gets the money back, once the bond's conditions are satisfied (CCP Article 17.02). The clerk keeps 5%, no more than $50, if the file closes out with deferred adjudication or a conviction. Leftover cash may also be put toward fines and costs (Local Government Code Section 117.055; CCP Article 17.53).

Skip a hearing, and the bond is in jeopardy. A judgment nisi, the first forfeiture order, may follow (CCP Articles 22.01, 22.02). The surety pays nothing if the runaway is back in custody within 180 days for misdemeanor bonds, or 270 days for felony bonds (CCP Article 22.13). Bail jumping also becomes a fresh charge, graded to track the skipped case: a ticket case stays small, while a felony skip turns into a felony itself (Penal Code Section 38.10).

For a refund, bring the receipt and photo ID to the clerk who holds the cash. On felonies, that is the District Clerk, 940-659-1279. On misdemeanors, call the County Clerk, 940-659-1277.

Items taken at booking, plus money still sitting in the jail account, are released by detention officers at the Law Enforcement Center, 420 Cedar Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484. Call 940-659-2085 to ask when property can be collected and how the remaining balance is refunded.

Collecting for another adult? Bring a photo ID, and phone first in case the jail wants the prisoner's written okay. Our money page covers jail account deposits and refunds, and our commissary page covers spending.

Federal cases here are heard in Fort Worth, which belongs to the Northern District of Texas. Clerk: 501 West 10th Street, Room 310, Fort Worth, TX 76102-3673, 817-850-6600.

• Fort Worth's federal bench weighs release at a detention hearing, often held within days of the first appearance (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Federal detainees who aren't released stay under the U.S. Marshals Service. Its Fort Worth office, 501 West 10th Street, Room 211, Fort Worth, TX 76102-3660, 682-703-4574, can tell you which jail has them.
• Free federal defense: the Federal Public Defender, 819 Taylor Street, Room 9A10, Fort Worth, TX 76102, 817-978-2753.
• After sentencing to federal prison, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Yes. An immigration hold stays in place after a state bond is paid. Expect this order:

1. Immigration officers (ICE) fax or file a detainer with the Cedar Street jail. Form I-247A is the paper used.
2. Once it arrives, the jail may hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under Texas law the jail has to obey the detainer. Proof of legal status is the way out (CCP Article 2A.060). A 2017 law also bans any city or county rule that limits enforcement of immigration law (Government Code Section 752.053).
4. Under Senate Bill 8 (2025), Texas counties that keep a jail face a December 1, 2026 deadline to sign 287(g) deals with ICE. To ask about this county, call the Sheriff's Office, 940-659-2085.
5. From then on, ICE's Dallas Field Office, 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200, handles the case. Track their whereabouts on the ICE Online Detainee Locator with an A-number. No number? Name plus home nation can work.

A state jail felony is punished with time in a state jail, not prison. Third degree and higher felony sentences mean state prison, run by TDCJ, the state's prison system. Every new prisoner begins with intake and classification, then gets sent on to a lasting unit somewhere in Texas.

• Mineral Wells families can try a surname and one initial when they open the TDCJ inmate search. Having the SID or TDCJ number narrows it fast. Updates post on working days, and only current prisoners show.
• Before driving to a unit, read its visiting, mail and deposit rules via our Texas state prisons page.

If the child was between ages 10 and 16 when the offense happened, Texas juvenile court hears the case. Anyone 17 or older faces the adult system (Family Code Section 51.02). A parent or guardian must be told promptly by the officer holding the child (Family Code Section 52.02).

Kids held past intake see a juvenile judge quickly. Texas sets that detention hearing within two working days. A youth booked in on Friday or Saturday faces a tighter clock of a single working day. The teen gets a court-appointed lawyer before the hearing, and the judge rules on release (Family Code Section 54.01).

Call the Juvenile Probation Department, 100 SE 6th Avenue, Mineral Wells, TX 76067, 940-659-1682, for the teen's location and hearing time.