Bail Bonds in King County, WA – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

After being processed by a Washington jail, many bail bond companies can come pick you up privately. Installment payment plans are often available depending on the situation. Before coming to a bail bondsman in Washington, make sure you review the exact bail bond that's required for release.

If you have the money to pay the bail bond directly, you can get the full amount back after the court dates. Make sure you can trust the person you are bailing out so you don't lose all the money you paid. If you want to limit risk, contact a bail bondsman in Washington. Using the service of a bail bondsman typically requires collateral and someone to co-sign on the bail bond.

In order to be released from jail, a few steps must occur, including being booked into jail and posting bail. When the bail amount is confirmed, a bail bonds agent comes to post the bail bond at the local jail. At this time the jail release process begins and typically takes anywhere from 1-2 hours to be completed. Even though cash bonds are acceptable, it is usually not a common practice due to it's high expense.

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.

Washington's Department of Licensing does not set a maximum fee for the bail cost that you can be charged. There is a minimum payment of $50, however. Court and administrative fees can be added on top of the main bail bond costs so please check with your bondsman or court to understand the full bail bond fee structure. Large bonds (usually over $1,000) typically come at a 10% charge.

Be sure to take everything into account when choosing your bail bondsman in Washington. It's possible that one bondman may charge you 10% for the bail bond but will put in place a lot of rules upon release. They may add contractual rules outside of bail bond fees, for example, requirements on tracking devices, check-ins, travel rules outside of the state of Washington and drug or alcohol tests. While you may save 5% on your bail bond fee vs another bondsman, is the 5% bond discount worth it to you considering the extra stipulations? They are not direct money costs, but they do take up your time from school and work and increase your risk of not meeting your release obligations.

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 King County, WA. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

We provide estimates on average bail prices for different misdemeanor and felony crimes in King County, WA. 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 King County, WA. 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 King County, WA, 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 King County, WA to help get people back on their feet.