Runnels County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate does. Texas requires that each person under arrest be brought before one within 48 hours, in the room or by video link (CCP 14.06(a), 15.17(a)).

For Runnels arrests, that magistrate is usually a Justice of the Peace. The regional lawyer plan says the Sheriff turns in a list of every new prisoner by 9:00 a.m., and the Justice of the Peace begins these jail hearings by 1:00 p.m. daily (area indigent defense plan).

• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1: 613 Hutchings Avenue, Room 303, Ballinger, TX 76821, 325-365-2137
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Winters: mailing address P.O. Box 657, Winters, TX 79567, 325-754-4270. Phone to ask where the office sits.

During this short hearing, the charge is read aloud, the rights to silence and to counsel are explained, and the person is offered the chance to request appointed counsel. Bail comes next. Texas wants that call made within 48 hours of arrest, fitted to the person, using the mildest conditions that keep everyone safe (CCP 15.17(a), 17.028).

Texas law names two main kinds of bail. One kind needs money or a surety, and the other doesn't (CCP 17.01 through 17.03). For a family, three real options follow.

• Cash bond. The full amount is deposited. It is paid back at the end, after any fee the law permits.
• Surety bond. For a fee you pay, a licensed bondsman vouches for the entire sum. Their fee stays with them.
• Personal bond. Nothing is put down. The accused signs a pledge to appear. Here, the lawyer plan has the Sheriff notify the personal bond desk of the Concho Valley probation agency. That agency's Ballinger office is at 608 Strong Ave., Ballinger, TX 76821, 325-365-3452.

Certain charges rule out a personal bond. A few are listed violent crimes, a felon carrying a gun, a Class A or worse terroristic threat, and some protective order breaks. When the case is burglary, organized crime or one of certain drug felonies, a yes must come from the trial judge (Code of Criminal Procedure art. 17.03).

Release can carry extra rules. An ignition interlock gets put in the car for intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter, a repeat DWI, or a DWI while a child rode along (CCP 17.441(a)).

No single Texas price list exists. A county may use a local schedule, yet the magistrate still has to weigh the person in front of them (CCP 17.028). For the exact figure on each count, the jail can tell you at 325-365-2110.

State law lists what the magistrate considers (CCP 17.15(a)):

• a figure that gets the person back to court, never one meant to oppress
• the crime charged and the facts around it
• what the person can truly afford
• protection of the victim, police and the wider community
• prior record, drawn from a state public safety report
• citizenship status

Since 2021 that report is needed before bail on Class B and higher charges. The report holds no risk score and offers no dollar figure (Code of Criminal Procedure arts. 17.021, 17.022). Fine-only Class C matters normally end with a personal bond or a written date to appear in court.

Jailers there cover the clock in two 12-hour shifts, so someone can pick up an evening call. Work through this list:

1. Dial 325-365-2110. Spell the full name slowly and share the date of birth.
2. Note the bail listed for every count.
3. Ask whether the bond can go in at the jail tonight or must wait for a court clerk.
4. Ask what forms of money they take and the exact payee for a check.
5. Ask about holds and outside warrants before paying anything.
6. Drive to 200 S. Hickory Hill Road, Ballinger, TX 76821 with photo ID. Save each receipt.

A criminal history check comes first whenever a sheriff or jailer takes bail, and jail staff cannot decide the figure when the charge is violent (CCP 17.20, 17.22). Family violence cases bring a four-hour wait after posting, which a magistrate's written order can stretch to 48 hours (CCP 17.291(b)).

Sometimes. A cash deposit can be made with the court under Texas law (CCP 17.02). After charges are filed, phone that court's clerk first and ask whether a deposit can be made there.

• District Clerk, felony files: P.O. Box 166, Ballinger, TX 76821, 325-365-2638
• County Clerk, Class A and B files: 325-365-2720. Ask which room it uses inside the courthouse at 613 Hutchings Avenue, Ballinger, TX 76821.
• Ballinger Municipal Court, city tickets: City Hall, 700 Railroad Ave., Ballinger, TX 76821, 325-365-5437

For a Justice of the Peace case, use the precinct numbers from the first answer.

Get the payment rules by phone before making the drive. When you call 325-365-2110, cover these points:

• Will they take paper cash, and do they make change?
• Do they want a money order or cashier's check, and payable to whom?
• Can you pay by card, and does that add a fee?
• What paperwork does a bondsman have to drop off?

Think about whose name will be on the cash receipt. Texas refunds cash bail to that person (CCP 17.02).

Under Occupations Code 1704.002, a board to license bondsmen is a must only where population reaches 110,000. Smaller ones are free to form a board if they like. This county counts about 9,700 residents. With no board in place, a list of eligible sureties may be posted by the Sheriff (CCP 17.141), so ask the jail at 325-365-2110 whether one is up.

• No state cap limits a bondsman's fee. Shop around first.
• You are owed a written receipt. Bondsmen may not hunt for customers in the cell blocks.
• When the case closes, request your collateral in writing. The law gives them 30 days to return it.
• A lawyer of record in the case is also allowed to post the bond.
• Before handing a client back to jail, a bondsman owes the defense attorney notice first, along with a sworn affidavit to the court (CCP 17.19).

Those fee and collateral rules come from Occupations Code 1704.163 through 1704.305.

Yes. A paid bond covers only its own charge. Ask the jail at 325-365-2110 about each item below before you pay.

• ICE detainer. Texas jails comply with ICE holds, except for someone who shows lawful status (CCP 2A.060).
• Parole blue warrant. Release waits on a hearing about the claimed parole violation (Government Code 508.254(c)).
• Warrant from a different county. A Runnels magistrate may set and take bail on it, then forward the bond (CCP 15.18). The other county can still ask for the person.
• Family violence. The four-hour wait, or more if ordered in writing.
• Mental health. Possible mental illness goes to the magistrate's desk within 12 hours of jail staff noticing it, and that step can push release back (CCP 16.22).

Nearly every charge in Texas is bailable. The state constitution allows denial for capital offenses with evident proof. It also allows it in some repeat felony cases, new felonies while on bail, bond breaks and protective order breaks (Texas Constitution, art. I, sections 11 to 11c).

Proposition 3 then passed statewide on November 4, 2025, creating section 11d, which reaches trafficking, murder, aggravated kidnapping, capital murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, child indecency, plus aggravated assault involving serious harm or a weapon. On that list, a hearing can end in no bail at all. The prosecutor must prove a likely no-show or a danger to others. The request is the prosecutor's alone. A judge who grants release anyway must put the reasons on paper. That amendment is new, so expect changes as courts use it.

A 2025 statute adds one more tool. If a bail on a listed violent charge looks too small to prosecutors, they can appeal it. The defendant waits in custody during the appeal, which a higher court must settle in 20 days (CCP 44.01).

The 119th District Attorney prosecutes felonies from Runnels: 124 W. Beauregard, San Angelo, TX 76903, 325-659-6583. Misdemeanors go through the County Attorney at 325-365-2337.

Through a written motion, the defense lawyer can ask the trial judge for a smaller amount or lighter conditions. Bring pay stubs, rent bills, proof of a steady job and family ties, since what a person can pay counts by law (CCP 17.15(a)).

Slow prosecutions can also force a change. If prosecutors are not ready for trial within these windows, release on personal bond or a cut in bail must follow (CCP 17.151):

• felony charges: 90 days
• Class A level misdemeanors, over 180 days possible: 30 days
• lesser jailable misdemeanors, 180 days or less: 15 days
• citations punished by a fine alone: 5 days

Some exceptions apply. Prosecutors have a tool as well: on a felony, they can have a district judge revisit the bail (CCP 17.029).

Yes, if jail is possible and they can't pay a lawyer. The best time to ask is the jail hearing. The request form, an affidavit of indigence, goes to the County Court for misdemeanors or the District Court for felonies, and a ruling is due within three working days (area indigent defense plan; CCP 1.051(c)).

The Concho Valley Public Defender's Office takes these cases first. Find it at 113 W. Beauregard Street, San Angelo, TX 76903, 325-229-4671. Appointed counsel must reach out quickly, trying before the following working day closes (CCP 26.04).

Plans like this one are overseen statewide by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Nearly all of them meet in Ballinger. The courthouse stands at 613 Hutchings Avenue, Ballinger, TX 76821, and its general line is 325-365-2633.

• 119th District Court: felonies, shared with Concho and Tom Green counties. Records sit with the District Clerk, P.O. Box 166, Ballinger, TX 76821, 325-365-2638.
• County Court: Class A and B misdemeanors. Records sit with the County Clerk, 325-365-2720.
• Justice courts: Class C, fine only. Precinct 1 uses Room 303 of the courthouse, 325-365-2137. Precinct 2 gets mail at P.O. Box 657, Winters, TX 79567, 325-754-4270.
• Ballinger Municipal Court: city Class C cases, City Hall, 700 Railroad Ave., Ballinger, TX 76821, 325-365-5437.

Winters and Miles each have a city judge as well. For where a ticket from either town is heard, ask the Sheriff's Office at 325-365-2121.

After the case closes and all conditions are met, cash bail is refunded to whoever is named on the receipt, less any lawful fee (CCP 17.02). The clerk is allowed to keep a 5 percent fee, never above $50 (Local Government Code 117.055), and only following a conviction or deferred adjudication. Any leftover deposit may also cover that person's own fines and costs. Ask the clerk of the court that had the case how to get it back.

Missing court can cost the whole deposit. A judge can declare the bail forfeited (CCP 22.01). A surety escapes paying when the missing person returns to custody fast enough, meaning under 180 days on a misdemeanor or under 270 days in a felony case (CCP 22.13). Bail jumping is also a crime of its own (Penal Code 38.10), graded by the original case, with the top level a third-degree felony.

Call the jail at 325-365-2110 as release nears. Find out how the leftover balance on the inmate account is paid out, and when wallets, keys and phones in storage can be collected. If a relative will pick things up, find out which ID and written OK the jail will want from them.

Our money page covers deposits made while someone is inside. Purchases from the jail store are explained on our commissary page.

Federal cases from Runnels go to the federal court in San Angelo. San Angelo is one division of the Northern District of Texas. Clerk: the O.C. Fisher Federal Building, 33 E. Twohig Avenue, Room 202, San Angelo, TX 76903, 325-655-4506.

At the detention hearing a federal magistrate judge weighs release on conditions against holding the person until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142). County bondsmen have no role. Meanwhile, deputy marshals of the U.S. Marshals Service keep custody. Its San Angelo office opens only while court is in session: 33 East Twohig Street, Suite 106-D, San Angelo, TX 76903, 325-658-4056.

After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. When immigration agents ask the county jail to hold someone, expect these four stages:

1. Jailers in Ballinger get the ICE request on a Form I-247A.
2. The Sheriff's staff may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving ICE time to arrive (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Once ICE collects them, the person goes to an immigration facility. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator using an alien registration number (A-number), or the full name plus native country.
4. If that search turns up nothing, call a field office: Dallas, 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200, or San Antonio, 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300.

State law since 2017 says a Texas jail must comply with these requests, unless the person has shown lawful status. Local governments also may not limit immigration enforcement (CCP 2A.060; Government Code 752.053). The 2025 Legislature went further. Any Texas county keeping its own lockup now needs a 287(g) contract with ICE, signed by December 1, 2026. To learn where Runnels stands, call the Sheriff's Office at 325-365-2121.

Jail time of a year or less is done locally. For a state jail felony, time is served in one of the state jails. Longer felony terms (Penal Code chapter 12) mean the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. First comes an intake unit for screening. After that, TDCJ decides which permanent unit fits them.

Families can track them with the TDCJ inmate search; its data changes only on business days. A rundown of every unit sits on our Texas state prisons page.

Texas treats a young person as a child in court if the offense happened between the 10th and 17th birthdays. Once someone turns 17, new charges are adult charges (Family Code 51.02(2)). Youths stay out of the adult jail. Officers must quickly contact a parent (Family Code 52.02). Counsel is appointed first. Then comes a detention hearing. It is due no later than working day two of the youth's stay (Family Code 54.01).

Call Juvenile Probation at 325-365-5852 for the detention center's name and the hearing time. Centers in this region include the Tom Green County Juvenile Detention Center, 1253 West 19th Street, San Angelo, TX 76903, 325-655-2323, and the Taylor County Juvenile Justice Center, 889 South 25th Street, Abilene, TX 79602, 325-691-7462.