Grant County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds
Grant County bail and bond: the Ephrata courthouse, the jail, and the path to release
Grant County runs its own jail, and the county seat is Ephrata, where the courthouse sits at 35 C Street NW. The courthouse main line is 509-754-2011. Adults arrested in Grant County are held at the Grant County Jail. Look up your person with Grant County Inmate Search before you call anyone. This page explains how release and bail work in Washington, and who to ask in Grant County.
1. Is my relative in the Grant County Jail?
Search the name with Grant County Inmate Search. A new booking can take a while to post. If you cannot find the name, call the courthouse at 509-754-2011 and ask for the Sheriff's Office jail desk. Have the legal name and birth date ready.
2. Where do I go in Ephrata?
The courthouse is at 35 C Street NW, with a mailing address of PO Box 37, Ephrata, WA 98823. The Grant County Public Defense office uses the same street address, in Suite 401. Call before you drive, because bail may be paid at the jail, at the court, or through a bond agent, depending on the case.
3. How soon must a judge see a person arrested in Grant County?
Grant County follows two clocks. The first: a judge must find probable cause within 48 hours of a warrantless arrest, and weekend hours count. The second: the first appearance, with a lawyer provided, is due by the end of the next business day for the court.
4. What can the judge do at the first appearance?
There are four outcomes: promise to appear, conditions, bail, or detention. The judge begins with the promise and moves up only when needed. Bail is for cases where nothing milder will bring the person back, and the judge must use the least restrictive rules that work.
5. Bail, bond, promise to appear: what is the difference?
Bail is the security a court asks for so the person returns to court. A bond is the paper that backs it. An unsecured bond is a written promise: no money moves now, but the person owes the full amount after a missed date. A surety bond comes from a licensed agent. An appearance bond is a deposit of cash or other security held by the court. The judge picks the form.
6. How do I post bail?
Call the jail through the courthouse line, 509-754-2011, with the full name and booking number. Ask for the amount, the court that set it, and the payment forms accepted. Read the bail guide too. The court that holds the case keeps the money until the case ends, and your receipt is your proof.
7. Should I use a bail bond agent?
A bond agent is optional. If you cannot pay the full bail, the agent takes a fee and stands behind the full amount in court. Check the license with the Department of Licensing (chapter 18.185 RCW) and keep copies of every paper you sign. State law lets you choose a surety over cash alone.
8. Can I use land or a house?
A judge has to approve it. Agents who write property bonds are licensed by the state and must file a list of approved courts. Ask the court clerk what documents this judge needs.
9. How do I get a lawyer or a lower bail?
For a lawyer, contact Grant County Public Defense, Suite 401 at the courthouse address, 509-754-6027. The court appoints counsel for those who qualify. To seek lower bail, the lawyer asks the judge for a hearing and presents the charge, court history, work, family, and housing.
10. What rules can come with release?
A judge can limit where the person lives or travels, set a curfew, require electronic monitoring or regular reporting, ban weapons, and ban alcohol or drugs without a prescription, with testing. Contact with named people can be forbidden. The person must obey every term. A lawyer can ask the judge to change a rule that stops the person from working.
11. What if the record shows no bail?
Reasons include a hold from another agency, a capital charge, or a class A felony where a judge has found, after a hearing and on clear and convincing evidence, a propensity for violence. Ask the clerk which applies.
12. What if the arrest was for domestic violence or DUI?
Police must arrest in many domestic violence incidents, and a judge sees the person by the next judicial day, often adding no-contact rules. DUI arrests with a prior in the last ten years bring custody until a judge orders release.
13. How long can someone be held before a charge is filed?
After the first appearance, jail time without a filed charge is capped at 72 hours, with Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays not counted, unless the person consents. When no written charge arrives in time, release is required.
14. Where does Grant County hold teens?
Grant County sends youth in detention to Martin Hall, 201 S. Pine, Medical Lake, 509-565-8113. Parents should ask about visiting rules, which are set by Martin Hall. For hearing dates, call the courthouse at 509-754-2011.
15. Can the first hearing happen by video?
Yes. Court rules let a judge hold preliminary appearances, bail hearings, and arraignments by video when everyone can see and hear each other, and these hearings are treated as held in open court. Either side may ask for an in-person hearing. Lawyer and client must be able to talk in private.
16. What if the person misses court?
A warrant follows. A surety bond can be declared forfeited, with judgment against defendant and surety, but only if the surety receives written notice within thirty days. Otherwise the forfeiture is void.
17. Is cash bail refundable?
The court returns cash bail after the case. Ask the clerk, and bring your receipt. Agent fees do not come back. Jail-account deposits are not bail.
Key contacts
- County jail
- Grant County Jail, Ephrata, WA; through the courthouse line 509-754-2011
- Bond guide
- Grant County jail and bond guide
- Custody lookup
- Grant County Inmate Search
- Courthouse
- 35 C Street NW, PO Box 37, Ephrata, WA 98823; 509-754-2011
- Public defense
- Grant County Public Defense, Suite 401; 509-754-6027
- Juvenile detention
- Martin Hall, 201 S. Pine, Medical Lake; 509-565-8113
Amounts, hours, and numbers are updated by the county from time to time, so call the courthouse before you pay. This guide is not a substitute for a lawyer.
Grant County Jail
Address:
35 C Street NW
Ephrata, WA 98823
Phone:
509-754-2011
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Grant County
What kind of bonds are accepted in Grant County?
Who can set bail in Grant County?
When is bail set in Grant County Washington?
Does Grant County have bail?
Yes, Grant County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Grant County?
Bonds in Grant County are available in several forms including release on own recognizance, citation release, cash bail, property bond, and surety bond.
Who can set bail in Grant County?
For minor, non-violent crimes bail is set according to a bail schedule. For more serious offenses a judge will set the bond following a hearing.
When is bail set in Grant County Washington?
For minor, non-violent offenses when bail is set according to a bail schedule the defendant will be informed of bail during the booking process. For more serious offenses a bail hearing will be scheduled, usually on the next court date not including weekends or holidays.
What is Bail?
Bail is what the arrested in Grant County must pay or do to stay out of jail until the first court appearance. The agreement to bail acts as a promise that the arrested will return to court for court dates and trial. Bail usually refers to a dollar amount, but bail can also mean something that has to be done, or a condition such as reporting to an officer of the court, a curfew, restraining orders or attending a treatment program.
Bail is usually a significant enough amount of money and/or condition that the person will be negatively impacted and has incentive to return to court and not flee. A flight risk usually means that the person would flee the area, and not necessary that they are going to take an airplane.
Washington State's suggested bail schedule, though a judge has the authority to set bail above or below the suggested amounts:
If a judge in Washington feels that the arrested will return to court for further proceedings, the arrested could be released under a conditional release without needing to pay bail money. This is called Released on Own Recognizance, or ROR.
Conditions for ROR might be to obey all court orders and laws, maintain contact with the lawyer, report changes in residence or have no contact with the victim. Family support will show the court that there are people who will make sure that the defendant makes it to court.
If the judge or bail schedule determines that the defendant would be a danger to the public if they were released, bail can be denied, and the person will be detained in the Grant County Jail until the case is resolved or goes to trial.
Bail can be denied if the defendant did not comply with bail conditions from a previous arrest. Bail is usually denied in cases of violent offenses.
What is the difference between Bail and Bond?
Bail and bond are used interchangeably to mean the same thing but technically, they are different. The bail is the amount to be paid and a bond is a signed document promising payment of the bail amount with certain conditions. Think of a bond as a loan to pay for the bail.
The bond payment is always written to the court in your municipality, Grant County or district directly and does not go through the defendant. Chances of obtaining a bond from a bond company or clerk of court are better if family is involved.
The thought of being in jail can cause the arrested to panic and try to secure a bond immediately.
DO NOT panic and take the time to understand all the options.
More courts are now trying to work with defendants to make bail work and might provide non-monetary options or even reduce the bail.
Payments to a bond company are not refundable. It is a long process to get back property title or money that was given to the clerk of court or bondsperson to secure the bond. This could put your loved ones into a difficult financial situation.
Another reason not to unnecessarily rush into securing a bond is that if the court notes that you came up with the money to pay a bond company, they may assume you have resources to pay a defense attorney and decline public defense.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ever been involved in their criminal defense understands, fighting your case while ‘out on the streets’ gives you a much better chance of either winning, or getting a more favorable sentence.
What are the different types of bonds in Grant County?
Based on a review of information from the arrest, the judge or bail officer will determine and notify the accused of which types of bonds are available to them.
To describe the types of bonds, let’s use an example of buying your neighbor’s car. Your neighbor decides the price of the car and how they would be paid.
Similarly, the court (meaning a police or bail officer, clerk of court, bail magistrate or judge) determines the bail amount and how it would be paid.
Here are different options that the seller of the car or the court might consider:
You could pay full asking price for the car in cash. This is similar to paying cash bail. The full amount of bail would be paid to the town or county clerk or at the jail. Cash, cashier’s checks and credit cards are usually accepted.
You could sign an agreement on your own or with another person to pay for the car at a future date knowing that your neighbor would know where to find you if you stopped payment. This would be similar to a cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond which are bonds to where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible for making sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up.
Surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
You can put a deposit down for your neighbor’s car and sign an agreement that the car will be paid off at a later date. Cash percentage in lieu of bonds is when the defendant pays a percentage of the bail amount, usually 10%, to the court which then holds the money until the case is over.
The amount is returned to the person who paid the 10% after the case is over. In most cases, the full amount is not returned if there are court fees or fines due. This is a type of surety bond if another person signs the bond paperwork.
You could sign an agreement that if the car were not paid off, that your neighbor would get your house or something of value. A property bond is a bond that the courts might consider in which the bond is pledged in land or home real estate (mobile homes are not accepted).
Usually, the property must be in the same state as the courts, and it must be worth at least 1 ½ - 2 times the amount of the bond.
There are multiple court fees involved to execute a property bond with the courts and a tedious process to get the property deed back. This is another type of surety bond if another person or a bond company is used to secure the bond.
You could also go to a local bank and take out a car loan offering property or anything of value for collateral. You may get someone to co-sign on the loan and offer their property. The bank charges fees, interest and could keep your property if you did not pay the loan back, or even on time.
A professional bondsperson makes money, at least 10% of the bond amount by providing you with a “loan” called a bond. The percent that they charge is fixed by the state and cannot be negotiated. The defendant or surety does not get that 10% or more back even if the terms of the bail are met.
With a property bond, the property deed would need to be signed over to the bondsperson and everyone on the deed would need to be involved.
Since the bondsperson signed off, to be responsible that you show to court as your surety, they can send a bounty hunter to bring you to court if you flee. A bondsperson does not have to give you a bond if the defendant seems to be too much of a risk.
Ask the bondsperson to explain all the costs: percentage, fees or court fees. There is never a reason to rush through signing the paperwork with a bond company. Make sure that everything told to you is in writing and that you understand what you are signing. Ask questions, and if you feel rushed or don’t understand the contract with the bond company, you might want to call another one.
(There have been phone scams where a bond company calls and informs a person that their family member has been arrested and they ask for financial information. A bondsperson will not call asking for money without involvement of the arrested.)
Does Grant County have bail?
Yes, Grant County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Grant County?
Bonds in Grant County are available in several forms including release on own recognizance, citation release, cash bail, property bond, and surety bond.
Who can set bail in Grant County?
For minor, non-violent crimes bail is set according to a bail schedule. For more serious offenses a judge will set the bond following a hearing.
When is bail set in Washington?
For minor, non-violent offenses when bail is set according to a bail schedule the defendant will be informed of bail during the booking process. For more serious offenses a bail hearing will be scheduled, usually on the next court date not including weekends or holidays.
Can I get the bail or bond reduced in Grant County Washington?
Yes, your attorney can file a motion to reduce or modify bail.
In Grant County Washington, who can pay bail for me?
The person posting bail should be a relative or close friend, called a surety, because they are promising and taking responsibility that you will return to court to get their money back.
A surety is not responsible for court fees or paying off personal debts for the defendant. A professional bondsperson who is approved by the State of Washington could be the surety and execute a bond to the court on your behalf.
Can bail be paid online in Grant County Washington?
Yes, Washington does offer online bail payment. Contact the jail for specific information on how to pay bail: Go to the Grant County Jail for more information about the jails in Grant County.
What options are there to pay bail in Grant County Washington?
Cash, cashier’s check, credit card, debit card, surety or via the inmate’s jail account. Contact the jail for specific information on what methods of payment are accepted and fees involved: Go to the Grant County Jail for more information about posting bail in Grant County.
Will I get all my bond money back in Washington?
Bail money is returned to the person who paid the bail; in whole or in part once the case is finished. There may be fees, restitution (money to pay for damage caused by the crime) or fines that come out of that amount. If you used a bondsperson, you would not get your 10% back. Property is returned by the court or bondsperson after the appropriate requests and formal paperwork are completed with the court.
Can I get bail or a bond with no money down in Grant County?
The judge or officer who sets bail determines which kind of bail will be an option for you, but a cash bond and PR bonds usually do not require cash down, though you might have to pay court fees.
A cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond are bonds where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible to make sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up. A surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
What are the least expensive and affordable bail bonds in Washington?
The Grant County Jail or court in this jurisdiction can provide you with a list of approved and licensed bond companies, but they cannot recommend a specific company. You are not obligated to use the first company available and can call several companies to compare what kind of bonds that the bondsperson is willing to execute.
The percentage of bail that the bond company can charge is set at 10%, by the state and cannot be negotiated.