Bail Bonds in Ottawa County, KS – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

To better understand how bail bonds work in Kansas, let's start with the arrest. Upon arrest anywhere in the state of Kansas, a person must be processed at the local county jail. To be released from jail, a few steps must occur, including being 'booked in' and posting bail. You may need to meet with the Bail Magistrate. The Bail Magistrates reviews your case and determines if you will be released on Personal Recognizance or if bail will be set for your release.

In Kansas, you will go through an interview to determine your criminal history and risk upon leaving jail - risk to cause harm to others and risk of running away and not showing up to your court dates. Upon review, your bail amount will be assessed and depending on your risk level, extra precautions might be taken to track you (GPS device), drug/alcohol tests, or other stipulations. When the bail amount is confirmed, a bail bonds agent can be sent to post the bond at the local jail. At this time the jail release process begins and typically can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to be completed. Using the service of a bail bondsman typically requires collateral and someone to co-sign on the bail bond.

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.

Kansas bail bond costs are defined by the Department of Insurance and are non-negotiable. The bail bond fee is set at 10% of the bail bond amount. This means you will pay a $1,000 fee on a $10,000 bail bond. These fees cannot be negotiated up and down as they are set by the Kansas government.

Before committing to using a bail bondsman, make sure you have had the chance to meet with the bail magistrate who may be able to release you on Personal Recognizance, which means a free release, although certain restrictions may be put in place to ensure your safety to others and your presence in court.

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 Ottawa County, KS. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

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