Grant County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Use Grant County Inmate Search and enter the legal name. A completed booking lists the charges and the bail. Bookings take time to post, so a name that is missing right after an arrest may simply need an hour.

The Sheriff's Office never closes, so you can call 608-723-2157 with the person's name and birth date at any time.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office operates the jail from 8820 Highway 35/61/81, Lancaster, WI 53813. The county does not send its arrestees to a state jail; Wisconsin has none.

The courthouse and the Clerk of Circuit Court are in Lancaster too, at 130 West Maple Street, so the jail and court are close together.

No bondsman can work in Wisconsin. State law says a surety on a bond must be a natural person who lives in the state, and it bars any surety from being paid. A company cannot qualify.

So skip any ad that claims a Lancaster bond agent. What you pay is the court's cash bail, and it goes to the court system rather than to a business.

Wisconsin treats "bail" as money and nothing more. Court orders such as staying away from a person, reporting to a supervisor, or avoiding alcohol are conditions of release.

Money bail needs a judge's finding of a reasonable basis to think the person might not come to court. When a violent crime is charged, the judge may look at the whole situation, including earlier violent convictions.

Call the Sheriff's Office at 608-723-2157 and ask which door and which hours apply to the booking. Bring photo ID and the booking number, and ask for a receipt for the exact amount.

Under state law an officer may take bail only at a sheriff's office or police station, and the Clerk of Circuit Court at 608-723-2752 may accept a credit or debit card.

A traffic ticket or other forfeiture case carries a deposit, which is a civil payment. A criminal misdemeanor carries cash bail. The statewide Uniform Misdemeanor Bail Schedule lists both, and totals often include added surcharges and court costs.

Paying a deposit does not end a criminal case, and bail does not end a ticket. Ask the Clerk which one applies.

No. A judge can release a person without bail, or on an unsecured appearance bond that costs nothing unless the person breaks the terms. The court can also place the person in the care of a responsible adult or limit travel and contact.

In misdemeanor cases, bail cannot rise above the biggest fine allowed for that offense.

The initial appearance must occur within a reasonable time. For a warrantless arrest, a judge has to review probable cause within 48 hours, and the hearing can be done over video.

Ask the Clerk at 608-723-2752 for the date and courtroom. An arrest late Friday may not reach a judge until the following court day.

A co-signer, called a surety, must be an unpaid adult who lives in Wisconsin. The judge may demand a sworn statement that the person can cover the bond and may question that promise later.

Because the statute has no set deed or lien process, ask the Clerk how the judge handles a signature or property before you offer either.

Yes, in narrow situations. A prosecutor may ask to hold a person charged with listed serious crimes, or with a violent crime when there is a prior violent conviction. That hearing must begin within 10 days.

The proof must be clear and convincing, and a hold runs no longer than 60 days after the hearing. Probation holds and warrants elsewhere also block release.

Officers must arrest in many domestic cases and cannot release the person until bail is posted or a judge sees the case. The person then signs release rules.

No contact with the victim and no visits to the victim's home for 72 hours. Violating that on purpose can cost up to $10,000, nine months in jail, or both.

If someone is arrested elsewhere on a Grant County warrant, state law requires the person to be taken to a judge in that county to set release terms, or returned to Grant County. Call 608-723-2157 to learn which applies.

Pay only at the location the arresting agency names.

The payer gets cash back when a case is dismissed or ends in an acquittal. After a conviction the court takes restitution first and the judgment second, and returns what is left after bond costs.

If the bond is broken, the court can order forfeiture and enter judgment after a 30-day notice period.

A missed date can bring a warrant, forfeiture of the bond, and a bail jumping charge, which is a Class A misdemeanor after a misdemeanor release and a Class H felony after a felony release.

Contact a lawyer immediately, and send the clerk any address change within 48 hours.

Request a public defender from the judge when the case first comes up. The Lancaster public defender office at 207 West Maple Street, Suite A, answers at 608-401-2030 and also serves Iowa, Richland, and Crawford counties.

A lawyer can request a bail reduction, and a review is available if the person is still held 72 hours after the first appearance.

Juvenile court, not adult court, takes a child's case, and the adult search leaves children out. The Clerk at 608-723-2752 gives the hearing time, and the Sheriff's Office at 608-723-2157 can say whether a child is in custody and where.

The state has only twelve county-run secure youth detention centers, so a child may be held outside Grant County.