Bail Bonds in Howard County, IA – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

To better understand how bail bonds work in Iowa, we need to understand how the bail amount is set and what bail options you have to be released from jail. Upon arrest anywhere in the state of Iowa, a person is usually processed at the local county jail. In order to be released from jail, a few steps must occur, including being booked and posting bail.

Within 24 hours of arrest, a hearing with the judge will take place. The judge will review the notes of your arrest, your crime history, and assess your risk of flight and harm to others if you were to be released prior to your court hearings. Once the bail bond amount is decided, Iowa's court system determines the options you have for release and if cash bail and surety bail bonds will be an option to you.

If you can't afford to pay the full bail bond amount in cash, you can contact a bail bonds agent in Iowa to post the bond at the local jail. Using the service of a bail bondsman typically requires collateral and someone to co-sign on the bail bond. It typically takes anywhere from 1-2 hours to be released from jail once bail is posted.

We highly recommend reading of our complete guide on how bail bonds work to learn more about the bail process. If you are attempting to bail someone out from another state, you can talk with your local bondsman - that's the bondman in your county, and not the state where the person is detained.

In Iowa there is no bail bond fee maximum that is set but most Iowa bail bondsmen follow the same 10% fee structure as other states. Rates can be found on file with the Iowa Department of Insurance.

Typically, bondsman also expect collateral to be put up on larger bail bonds. This would be in addition to the 10% fee they charge. When there is higher risk, the bondsman wants to ensure they can obtain value back in property in case the person does not appear in court and they can't be located. While the judge can set your bail amount higher or lower than the scheduled bail amount, the typically bail cost structure in Iowa looks like this:

• Controlled Substance Violations - $25,000 - $50,000
• Class B Felony - $25,000
• Class C Felony - $10,000
• Class D Felony - $5,000
• Misdemeanor - $300 to $2,000 (simple to aggravated)

We recommend reading our guide on how much bail costs for a deep dive into fees bondsmen charge. It's also critical to understand that you do not get bail money back, specifically the 10% bail fee back from the bondsman.

Annual number of crimes that were reported to the police in Howard County, IA. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

We provide estimates on average bail prices for different misdemeanor and felony crimes in Howard County, IA. These are estimates since the exact amounts can vary substantially depending on your age, details involving the charge, criminal history, and prior record of not appearing to court.

• Assault – Ranges from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on type of assault
• Drugs – Possession of controlled substance can range from $500 to 2,500 bail
• Robbery - $25,000 to $100,000 bail amount
• Murder – No bail amount set or $1 million in some cases
• Manslaughter – Voluntary manslaughter $100,000 and involuntary starting at $25,000
• DWI / DUI - $500 to $2,500 depending on history and details surrounding the offense
• Public Intoxication – Typically $200 to $500
• Burglary - $20,000 minimum but up to $50,000 in some areas

Check our detailed guide to learn more about how bail is determined, find additional bail prices for crimes, and find out how bail can be lowered.

Key demographic data based on Census for Howard County, IA. Much of this information can be useful for bail bondsmen who are prospecting the county as a possibility to start a bail bonds business. Education, income, and employment statistics are vital in assessing the overall risk of a population when it comes to lending money for bail. Median home values are useful to determine collateral for property bail bonds.

Unemployment data is based on Bureau of Labor statistics. Employment status is the single most important piece of information that bail bondsmen consider when deciding to bail someone out of jail. Having a job and an active income stream is the single most impactful reassurance bondsmen can have.

Property bonds are a good way of making bail if an individual has equity in their property but very little or no cash. By looking at the median home values in Howard County, IA, we can roughly estimate the asset potential the county’s residents have.

We pride ourselves on our reader focused approach, which includes providing information on resources that may be useful.

It’s generally a good idea to get in touch with a lawyer to seek assistance for the trial, fair sentencing, and even to challenge the bail amount that is being set for the person you are looking to release from jail. Particularly when cash bail is set, it’s important that bail is set fairly, which is an area where a lawyer can assist.

If you need free or low-income legal help, you may qualify for assistance from the American Bar Association.

One of the shortcomings of the bail system is the time someone can be stuck in jail – it’s often enough time for a person to lose their job. To make matters worse, having a tarnished record further complicates matters. This is why we are listing reputable job centers near Howard County, IA to help get people back on their feet.