Bail Bonds in Shelby County, AL – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

Upon arrest anywhere in the state of Alabama, a person must be processed at the local county jail. In order to be released from jail, several steps must occur, including being booked and posting bail. It's important to know what bail options you have at your disposal. Alabama uses a bail schedule with pre-defined bail amounts for common offenses. This speeds up the process to get out of jail as you don't have to wait for the judge to determine every bail amount set. Once the bail amount is confirmed, you can use a variety of options to be released from jail. A bail bond is the most common method of release in Alabama. The bail bondsman can post the bond at the local Alabama jail. Using the service of a bail bondsman typically requires collateral and someone to co-sign on the bail bond.

After bail is set and paid, the release procedure begins and typically can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to be completed. Although paying for the bond fully in cash is permitted, it is not common due to the high up-front expense. You will get your entire bail payment back when using cash, but you need to come up with the entire bail amount right away, and the cash won't be returned until after the trial.

Alabama's court system can also release you on Own Recognizance (OR) which is typically used on smaller crimes committed and the judge finds you low risk and has strong confidence that you will show up to court. The final option for jail release is on a Property Bond. You will need personal property or land/home value that's equal or greater than the bail amount. If you don't show up to court or violate your release terms, the Alabama court will issue a warrant for your arrest and can take over your property.

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.

As defined by the Alabama Department of Insurance, there is a required 10% bail bond fee to obtain a surety bond from a bail bondsman, but you can always go the route of using your own money or borrowing from someone else to avoid paying this fee. You should seek out the most reputable bail bondsman since the 10% bail fee will be the same across all companies in Alabama.

Misdemeanors charges in Alabama come with a bail amount of $300 to $7,500. Most charges are around $300-$1,000 but a Class A Misdemeanor in Alabama can be as high as $6,000 and a DUI in Alabama can have bail set from $1,000 to $7,500. The bail bond fee you will pay will be 10% of this amount.

Remember to carefully review the terms of the agreement to ensure it's fair. Some bail bondsmen may put in extra restrictions that others may not - like not being allowed to leave the state, having to wear a tracking device, or having more frequent check-ins compared to another bondsman.

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 Shelby County, AL. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

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