San Patricio County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

That job falls to a magistrate. Under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, called the CCP below, JPs, city judges, county judges and district judges all qualify (art. 2A.151). Nobody may sit in a Coastal Bend cell longer than 48 hours before seeing one, and sooner is expected (arts. 14.06(a), 15.17(a)).

In this county, those first hearings happen through the Central Magistrate at the courthouse, 400 W Sinton St, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9300. Courthouse doors are open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. They stay shut Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. On session days you can watch the hearings over Microsoft Teams, using the link the Sheriff's Office page gives.

Expect this rough order. First the charge is named. Then come the warnings. Your loved one may stay silent, may hire counsel, may have counsel beside them while police ask questions, and has a right to an examining trial. Next the magistrate asks about a free court lawyer and helps fill in that request. Finally a bail decision is made for this one defendant alone, picking the mildest conditions able to keep the wider community safe (CCP art. 17.028).

Anything from a Class B up also means paperwork: the magistrate studies a public safety report beforehand. Picture it as a records printout listing old cases, warrants and missed dates. It carries no risk score, and it stays silent on dollar figures (CCP arts. 17.021, 17.022). Picked up late on a Friday? Ring the jail at 361-364-9630 and ask when the magistrate sits next.

Texas sorts bail into two groups. A bail bond leans on money, either your own cash or a surety's guarantee. A personal bond leans on a signature alone. Day to day, here is what each means:

• Cash bond. The full sum gets paid, dollar for dollar, to secure release. Make each court date and that money can return to you (art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. With this one, a licensed bondsman guarantees every dollar in writing to the court. Your family pays a cut, and they keep that cut no matter how the case ends.
• Personal bond. No money down at all. The defendant signs a written pledge to return (CCP art. 17.03).
• Leaving with just a court date. On a fine-only Class C count, release can come with only a paper listing the court date, no bond at all (art. 15.17(b)).

For many charges, the personal bond door is shut. The statute's violent offenses close it, and so does a felon caught armed. Certain protective order violations do too, as does a terroristic threat graded Class A or more. Burglary and some drug felony cases need approval from the trial judge, under that same article.

Bond terms may add rules too, for instance a no-contact order. A DWI repeat offense, or a DWI with a child passenger, triggers an ignition interlock, a breath tester the car won't start without (CCP art. 17.441). For questions about release terms, reach the county's Pretrial Services, 404 W. Market St., Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-4243.

No single Texas price chart exists. Counties may adopt local schedules, and each one still has to obey state law (art. 17.028(d)). In practice, a magistrate weighs each file on its own. Article 17.15(a) names each weight placed on the scale:

• high enough that a court date is likely to be kept
• never so steep that bail turns into oppression
• what was charged, and how serious it is
• how much the family can honestly raise
• whether anyone, including the victim or a deputy, could get hurt
• criminal record, along with that safety report
• whether or not the person holds U.S. citizenship

Only a couple of dollar limits sit in the law itself. They apply after a warrantless arrest where no one rules on probable cause quickly. At that point a misdemeanor bond can be no higher than $5,000 after a day in jail, and a felony bond no higher than $10,000 after two days (CCP art. 17.033).

Finished bail forms from Texas courts sit on the TOPICs bail portal. For the figure in your own case, dial the jail at 361-364-9630. Staff will want the exact legal name and birth date.

You'll find the jail beside the Sheriff's Office at 300 North Rachal, Sinton, TX 78387. Work through this list before you go:

1. Phone the jail at 361-364-9630. Spell the person's name carefully and share their birthday.
2. Get the bond figure for each separate count on paper.
3. Find out which window or desk handles bonds today, its hours, and what forms of money it will take.
4. Check for holds that might keep them inside anyway.
5. Photo ID and the right dollar figure both matter. Save the receipt.

Deputies and jailers who take bail must pull up the person's record before anything else. Violent cases are different: there, only a magistrate names the amount, as CCP art. 17.20 and art. 17.22 require. The Sheriff's Office main desk answers at 361-364-9600.

Family violence cases carry a built-in wait. If more violence seems likely, the person sits four extra hours after posting. Under art. 17.291(b), a signed magistrate's order can stretch that by as long as two more days.

Texas treats cash bail as a deposit the court holds (CCP art. 17.02). So the clerk who keeps the file might take it. Both clerk offices sit inside the Sinton courthouse:

• District Clerk, for felony files: 400 West Sinton Street, Room 144, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9377. Staff are in from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1084, Sinton, TX 78387.
• County Clerk, where jailable misdemeanor files are kept: 400 W. Sinton St. #124, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9350.

Phone first. Learn whether that office will take bond on your case, which payments it handles, and how soon the jail releases once payment clears.

The District Clerk runs an online payment page meant for district case fines and costs. Before using it toward a bond, call and ask.

Accepted payment for bond can shift, so call the jail at 361-364-9630 before setting out. Ask about cash, money orders and cards by name. Cash should never travel by mail.

A jail account deposit is a whole different thing from bail. Deposits reach the account in three ways:

• a phone call to 866-345-1884
• the jail's internet deposit service
• a kiosk in the Sheriff's Office front lobby that accepts bills or a credit card

Account dollars cover items like snacks and hygiene goods. They can't be turned into bond money. For more, read our guide to sending money or the commissary page.

Going through a bondsman? Texas sets no top price on their fee. Anything you give them, money or property, earns you a written receipt (Occupations Code 1704.305).

Under the Occupations Code, a bail bond board becomes a must once a county reaches 110,000 residents (1704.002). Census Bureau figures show roughly 72,053 people here as of July 1, 2025, well under that mark. Counties below it may form a board if they wish.

With no board in place, state law allows the sheriff to keep a posted roll of approved sureties (CCP art. 17.141). Want that roll? Phone 361-364-9630.

• Whatever fee the bondsman charges stays with them, even if the charges get dismissed.
• Soliciting business behind jail walls is banned for bondsmen (Occupations Code 1704.304).
• Gave the bondsman a pickup's title or other collateral? Mail a written demand once the final case closes. State law then allows 30 days for its return (1704.301).
• A defendant's own attorney of record may sign on as surety too (1704.163).
• Bond agents must hand over a receipt for collateral too.
• Before surrendering a client, a bondsman notifies the defense attorney first and files a sworn statement with the judge (art. 17.19).

Paying one bond won't clear every reason the jail can keep someone. Watch for these roadblocks:

• A warrant out of another county. Under CCP art. 15.18, magistrates here may set an amount on it and forward the signed bond. Some agencies still drive over to collect the person.
• A blue warrant on parole. State law keeps a parolee confined while the violation is sorted out (Government Code 508.254(c)).
• Probation trouble. Prosecutors may file to revoke after any new arrest. Adult supervision for this county runs from 404 West Market Street, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-4243, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• An ICE detainer. State law makes jails honor them, barring proof of lawful status (art. 2A.060).
• The family violence wait. Four hours minimum after posting, when more harm seems likely (CCP art. 17.291).
• A separate city case. A municipal ticket or another file needs its own bond.

Before you pay anything, have the jail at 361-364-9630 list each hold out loud.

Texans accused of crimes usually get a bail amount. Even so, the state constitution has carved out exceptions over the years. Capital cases where the evidence is evident form the oldest one (Tex. Const. art. I, §11). Some repeat felony defendants can be held too, like a person with two prior felony convictions (art. I, §11a). That takes a hearing in front of a district judge first. Breaking a safety condition of a bond, or a family violence order, can also end bail (art. I, §§11b, 11c).

In November 2025 the state's voters passed Proposition 3. It added section 11d of that same article. It targets the gravest charges: murder of any kind, kidnapping or robbery when aggravated, aggravated sexual assault, trafficking of people, indecency with a child, plus those aggravated assaults in which someone was seriously wounded or a gun, blade, club or explosive came into play. The prosecutor alone may request a hearing to deny bail. Should the state prove that a no-show is the likelier outcome, bail is refused. The same happens if the state proves danger to others with clear and convincing evidence. Bail can still be granted, though only with a written order explaining why.

Two more changes came in September 2025. Prosecutors gained the power to put any felony bail in front of a district judge again (CCP art. 17.029). And for listed violent offenses, the state can appeal a bail amount; the accused remains locked up until that appeal is decided (art. 44.01). Here, the District Attorney handles felony bail disputes from 400 West Sinton St., Rm 233, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9390. Staff work weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but step out for lunch between noon and 1 p.m.

Lowering bail starts with the defense lawyer filing a motion. Under Texas law, bail must not serve as oppression, and what the person can afford counts (CCP art. 17.15(a)).

1. Gather proof of work, a rental lease or home deed, local family ties and a short budget.
2. Pass it all to the lawyer so the judge can see the family's true limits.
3. Offer conditions that answer worries the judge may have, such as weekly check-ins or GPS.

Slow prosecutors can also open the jail door. Article 17.151 of the CCP gives the state deadlines to be ready for trial. If one passes while the person sits in jail, release on personal bond or at a smaller amount is required. The deadline is 90 days for felonies; 30 days for the most serious misdemeanors, those with jail terms past 180 days; 15 days for the rest; and just 5 when only a fine is possible. Some exceptions exist.

Ask the District Clerk at 361-364-9377 how a felony bond hearing gets on the calendar. For misdemeanors, the County Clerk answers at 361-364-9350.

It is, when the accused lacks money for a lawyer and jail is possible. Raise it during that first hearing. Texas law makes the magistrate spell out how to apply and assist with the forms. Then the clock runs:

• That request travels to the official who appoints counsel within a day.
• For a county of this size, appointment follows by the third working day after receipt (art. 1.051(c)).
• From there, the attorney gets one more working day to try reaching the client by phone, mail or a jail visit (art. 26.04).

Every county files a plan for these appointments, and you can read this one through the Texas Indigent Defense Commission plan search. Commission offices are at 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Days going by with no word from counsel? Call the clerk tied to that court. For felonies, ring the District Clerk at 361-364-9377.

Nearly every criminal court shares the courthouse at 400 W Sinton St, Sinton, TX 78387, main line 361-364-9300.

• 36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts, for felonies: 400 W Sinton St, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9310. The same judges ride circuit to Aransas, Bee, Live Oak and McMullen counties.
• County Court at Law, home to jailable misdemeanors: 400 W. Sinton St., Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9325.
• County Court at Law No. 2: 400 W Sinton St, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-587-3418.

Fine-only offenses are heard by justices of the peace. The precincts are numbered 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8:

• Precinct 1: 300 N. Rachal, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9620
• Precinct 2: 322 Main St, Odem, TX 78370, 361-587-3600
• Precinct 4: 900 Austin St., Portland, TX 78374, 361-587-3620
• Precinct 5: 619 N. Frio St., Mathis, TX 78368, 361-587-3640
• Precinct 6: 225 W. Wheeler, Aransas Pass, TX 78336, 361-587-3660
• Precinct 8: 215 McIntyre Ave, Taft, TX 78390, 361-587-3680

Tickets written by city officers land in that city's own municipal court; the department that issued one can point you there. Federal charges go across the bay to 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

The refund check for cash bail goes to whoever is named on that receipt, once the case ends with every bond condition met (CCP art. 17.02). A few deductions can happen first:

• Clerks may hold back 5 percent, never more than $50, and only if the case closed in a conviction, or in deferred adjudication (Local Government Code 117.055).
• Fines plus court costs the defendant owes can be paid out of the deposit (art. 17.53).
• When everything is done, the clerk hands out, at no charge, the form for requesting the money.

Missing court can cost the whole bond. In that event the court enters what Texas calls a judgment nisi: the bail is forfeited unless good cause is later shown (CCP chapter 22, arts. 22.01 and 22.02). Bondsmen can escape that loss when police catch the missing defendant and jail them soon. The limit is 180 days on misdemeanor cases and 270 on felony ones (art. 22.13). Failing to show can also add a new bail jumping charge, and the original case decides how serious it is (Penal Code 38.10).

For refunds, call the clerk holding the deposit: 361-364-9377 for the District Clerk, or 361-364-9350 for the County Clerk.

Jail staff bag up a person's belongings at booking and store them. Think wallet, keys, phone and clothes. Money left over in their jail account is theirs as well.

Before heading to 300 North Rachal, Sinton, TX 78387, ring the jail at 361-364-9630. Ask two things: how the jail refunds a leftover account balance, and which hours it releases belongings. A friend or relative fetching property may need the inmate's signed permission. Bring a photo ID either way.

Questions about jail account money in general? Our inmate money guide explains it in plain steps.

Any federal case started in this county goes to the Corpus Christi Division of this region's federal trial court, the Southern District. That federal courthouse sits at 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

• A federal magistrate judge across the bay decides release. If prosecutors push to keep the person locked up, that judge holds a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Bail bondsmen play no part there. Federal judges either release on conditions or detain, with no money bond business.
• Before any federal trial, it's the Marshals Service that chooses which jail holds a prisoner. Its Coastal Bend office is at 1133 North Shoreline Boulevard, Suite 109, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3154. Ask them which jail is holding the person.
• Those who can't afford a federal lawyer can ask about the Federal Public Defender, 500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Room 301, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3532.
• Once a federal prison term starts, search the federal BOP inmate locator.

Bond money on the Texas charge won't lift an immigration hold. The process usually goes:

1. Federal agents lodge a detainer with the Sinton lockup, using ICE Form I-247A.
2. Under that request, deputies may hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. A Texas jail has to comply with that request (CCP art. 2A.060). The only exception is someone who proves citizenship or lawful status.
4. Under Senate Bill 4 from 2017, local leaders can't stop deputies or jailers from helping with immigration enforcement.
5. Another state law, Senate Bill 8 of 2025, sets a deadline. Each county that houses inmates has to be in ICE's 287(g) partnership program on or before December 1, 2026. Wondering about Sinton? Phone the Sheriff's Office at 361-364-9600 to ask whether that has happened here.
6. ICE's Harlingen Field Office serves this area: 1717 Zoy Street, Harlingen, TX 78552, 956-389-7800.
7. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator, using full name and birth country.

Another 2025 rule: a court-appointed magistrate, as opposed to an elected judge, can't approve bail for anyone held on an ICE detainer (art. 17.027(a-2)).

Sentences on state jail felonies are served inside state jails. For third degree felonies and worse, the person heads into TDCJ prison custody instead. Once sentenced, most people stay in the Sinton lockup until a TDCJ transfer. Intake staff test and classify each newcomer before a unit is chosen.

• To check on someone, the TDCJ inmate search takes the surname, spelled to the letter, plus an initial. Have a prison number? Enter that instead. It refreshes only on workdays, and the data is always a day or more behind.
• Browse our Texas state prisons page for details on each unit.

Texas law calls someone a child for court purposes if they were at least 10 but younger than 17 when the act happened. A 17-year-old is charged like any adult (Family Code 51.02). Moms, dads or guardians get a prompt call from the arresting agency (52.02).

The county operates its own juvenile detention center in Sinton. It is a locked, 20-bed site for boys and girls awaiting court, shared with seven nearby counties. On the state's registry its number is 361-364-9506.

• A detention hearing can't wait long. Normally that means by the second working day. A youth picked up as the weekend begins gets a hearing by Monday, or the next workday if Monday is a holiday. Counsel is appointed for the youth beforehand (Family Code 54.01).
• Unless one of the legal grounds for holding applies, the judge has to send the child home.

Juvenile Probation keeps track of detained kids and court dates: 107 W. 5th Street, Sinton, TX 78387, 361-364-9500.