Bail Bonds in Watauga County, NC – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

Upon arrest anywhere in the state of North Carolina, 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. If your arrest is for a simple charge, the bail can be set quickly via a bail bond schedule which shows bail amounts for common misdemeanors, however the judge may need to be involved in setting the bail amount when it comes to larger, more violent offenses, which typically takes longer to process.

Once your bail amount is set, it's important to know your bail options so you can better understand how bail bonds work in North Carolina. Before using a bail bondsman, you should know all bail options that exist in North Carolina in order to be released from jail. Bail bondsmen will fall under surety, or bail bonds, which will cost you a small percentage of the total bail amount.

To avoid the fee, you have 3 other options in North Carolina. You can 1) pay in cash but you have to pay the entire bail amount; 2) the jail can 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; or 3) you can be released from jail in North Carolina by using 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 North Carolina court will issue a warrant for your arrest and can take over your property.

When the bail bond amount is decided, a bail bond agent can post the bail bond at the local jail. Now the release process starts and typically can take anywhere from 1 to 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.

Bail bonds can cost up to 15% of the total in North Carolina as written in NC Statue 58-71-95(5). Please note that your bail bondsman in North Carolina may charge you less. The 15% is not a minimum - it's a maximum bail bond fee in the state. Depending on your criminal history, character, the total bail amount, and quality of co-signer, you might be able to obtain a lower fee on your bail bond.

Be sure to take everything into account when choosing your bail bondsman in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina 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 Watauga County, NC. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

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