Bail Bonds in Washington County, MN – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

Upon arrest anywhere in the state of Minnesota, 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 meeting the terms for jail release. For simple misdemeanor charges, judges will often have conditional or unconditional release options where not bail is needed. The difference between conditional and unconditional bail is simply whether the judge puts special restrictions in place after your release, like limited your travel options, drug testing, or assigning a person to oversee you while out of jail.

More significant criminal charges in Minnesota typically come with a firm bail amount that is set, where the person needs to come up with the cash for the full bail amount, or they can use a bail bondsman if they are unable to come up with the funds. Once the bail bond amount is decided, a Minnesota bail bonds agent can be used to post the bail bond at the local jail. 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.

Per the Department of Commerce, Minnesota does not have a maximum cost set for bail bond fees. A private, commercial bail bondsman can charge any fee that's determine appropriate to stay in business to make a profit and cover the risk of bailing someone out. Most Minnesota bail bonds typically follow the 10% fee structure but it's not a fixed, guaranteed fee.

There may also be a fee to cover the travel costs for the bondsman if he needs to come to jail to bail you out. Also, make sure to check with your bail bondsman on any other contractual rules outside of bail bond fees - like tracking devices, check-ins, travel rules outside of the state of Minnesota, and any drug or alcohol checks. While these bail bond stipulations are not actual direct money costs, 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 Washington County, MN. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

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