Nobody expects you to know this. These are the questions families ask first.

Start with the person's full name and the jail or county where they are being held. A booking number helps if you have it, but you do not need one to make the first inquiry. If you are not sure where the person is being held, tell the agent where the arrest happened.

The agent checks the bail amount and explains the next steps. If you decide to apply for a bond, the agent will explain what information and paperwork are needed for that bond.

Bail is the amount a court sets. A bail bond is a surety company's written promise to the court that the person will appear, posted by a licensed agent in place of that amount. How bail bonds work sets out the five basic forms of release, and which one an agent writes.

Sometimes bail is set by a schedule shortly after booking, and sometimes it waits for a judge. Call anyway. An agent can tell you which situation you're in and what happens next, and there is nothing owed for that conversation.

In some cases, yes. Call and an agent will tell you what applies.

Yes. Call us anytime 24/7, and a licensed bail agent will walk you through the process.

A premium, which is a percentage of the bail amount the court sets. In California the premium is generally 10% of the full bail amount, filed by the surety with the state. That cost can be lower based upon available rebates. A licensed agent explains it before anything is signed. What a bond costs explains how the number is worked out.

In California the cost of a bond is generally 10%. If the bail amount is $10,000, the cost would be $1,000. The surety files that rate with the state, and we do have rebates available that in many cases can reduce the cost of the bond. The question underneath that one is usually different: what has to be paid up front. Financing is available, payments are 0% interest, and the terms are flexible. Call and we'll walk you through what applies to you and what your options are. No pressure, information is always free.

Bail premiums, also known as bail fees (the percentage you pay to the agent), are not refundable and are fully earned once the bond has been posted to the jail or filed in court. It does not matter if the defendant is on bail one day or 3 years. Read more about whether the bail premium is refundable.

It is the responsibility of the co-signer to see that the bail premium is paid and the defendant appears in court. Any additional expenses of the bail bond are paid by the co-signer to the bail agent. In case of a forfeiture and summary judgment, it is the duty of the indemnitor or co-signer to pay the full penal amount of the bail. Our co-signer information page covers how long that lasts, what happens if a court date is missed, and how it ends.

No. As a co-signer for the bail bond, you are responsible for all the court dates that may be set by the judge. It is important you remain in close contact with the defendant until he/she is no longer required to appear. Additionally, if a balance is owed to Lucky Bail Bonds as part of a fee agreement, the debt remains yours even if the defendant agrees to pay the balance and fails to do so. Everything a co-signer agrees to is in the written agreement you will receive a copy of. If you have additional questions, we are happy to answer.

A bail bond is good for as long as the case remains active or until a determination is made: the case is dismissed, the defendant is ordered into diversion, the defendant is sentenced or remanded to custody, or the bond is exonerated. Read more about how long a bond lasts.

The bond is forfeited. The co-signer would be required to immediately bring the defendant in to reinstate the bond, or have the bail agent or a peace officer surrender him or her back into custody. In case of a forfeiture and summary judgment, the co-signer must pay the full penal amount of the bail. Read more about what happens if the defendant misses court.

The co-signer is no longer liable once the defendant has completed all of their court appearances and all premiums and expenses have been paid. The bond is then exonerated. Read more about getting off the bond.

No. Whether collateral applies to a particular bond is an underwriting decision, and the agent tells you before you commit to anything.

Often, yes. Some bonds are handled start to finish over the phone and online, and nobody has to come in at all. Which ones depends on the bond, the county, and what the surety requires, so tell an agent about yours and they will say what, if anything, has to happen in person.

A recent booking may not appear in the county's online inmate search right away. Check the spelling of the name and confirm that you are searching the county where the person may be held. A missing result does not, by itself, confirm that the person has been released.

Use the official jail information number on our Fresno County Jail page, or contact our office for help checking where the person is being held.

Release times vary depending on the time of day and how busy the corrections staff is. Once a bond is posted, our agent can offer an estimated release time. That estimate can change and is not a guarantee. The jail controls the release process.

In most cases, our agents can process the paperwork in about 20 minutes and have the bond posted within an hour. In the case of very large bonds, or bonds posted for you at jails outside of Fresno, that time frame will increase. Our agent can tell you what applies to your situation once we get a chance to review the bail information that has been set.

Often you don't have to wait for someone to be picked up. In many cases, bail can be posted at the court on a warrant. The court can then recall the warrant and set a court date. Whether that route is available depends on the warrant and the court's requirements. A planned court date beats an arrest at work or at home.

Contact a licensed agent to check whether a bond can be posted and what the next steps would be. The court decides whether to recall the warrant; posting a bond does not guarantee that result.

Yes, though they come up rarely. Federal court has its own paperwork and requirements, so say it's a federal matter when you call and an agent will tell you what that changes.

Yes. When you apply for a bond, a licensed agent asks for the personal information the application and underwriting need, such as a Social Security number, payment card details, or photographs of documents. That happens by phone or email, not through the form on this site. If you're not sure a message came from Lucky, call the office at (559) 268-4646 before you send anything.

It asks for your name, an email address, a phone number, whether you'd like a call, a text or an email back, the jail or county, the name of the person in custody, and a note. You need to give your name and how you'd like a reply, plus the phone number or email address for that reply. Everything else is optional, including the name of the person in custody. What you send goes straight to Lucky's own mailbox as an email. It isn't stored on the website and it doesn't go through a third-party form service.