Santa Clara County Jail inmate lookup, bail & release · San Jose, CA
Someone you love was just taken to the Santa Clara County Jail.
Here’s what happens in the next 72 hours, and what to do tonight.
- Free, confidential consultation, day or night
- We ask for O.R. release or lower bail at the first hearing
- Attorneys who handle cases at the Hall of Justice on Hedding Street every week
Check the bail amount
Santa Clara County bail schedule. A judge can change it at arraignment.
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This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Rabin Nabizadeh who has practiced law since 2004. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
Arrested in San Jose or anywhere in Santa Clara County? Our San Jose criminal defense attorneys at 2570 N. First Street handle Main Jail and Elmwood cases every week.
What to do right now
Find them
Search the Sheriff’s inmate locator with their full legal name. A new booking can take a few hours to appear. Write down the booking number (the “CEN”). You’ll need it for bail, money deposits and visits.
Call Administrative Booking
Call (408) 299-2305. Booking can tell you the charges, the bail amount, any holds, the first court date and the projected release.
Call a defense lawyer before arraignment
Pretrial Services interviews people in the jail around the clock. A lawyer can push for O.R. release now, or ask for lower bail at the first hearing, which can save you the 10% bond fee you never get back.
Jail calls are recorded, except calls with their lawyer, and prosecutors use those recordings. Say “we’ll talk about it with the lawyer” and keep calls to logistics.
Main Jail and Elmwood: where they’re held
Main Jail, San Jose
150 W. Hedding St, San Jose, CA 95110, across from the Hall of Justice. New arrests are booked here, and bail is posted at the cashier window in the lobby. Most people booked are cited and released or post bail.
Elmwood Men’s Facility, Milpitas
945 Thompson St, Milpitas, CA 95035. Visitor entrance is the West Gate off Great Mall Parkway. Main line (408) 957-5300.
Elmwood Women’s Facility, Milpitas
Women in custody are housed in the women’s facility on the Elmwood campus in Milpitas.
In 2026 the county approved a multi-year rebuild of Main Jail North and Elmwood, including a new intake building. No closures have been announced.
Which courthouse will the case go to?
The Santa Clara courthouse is temporarily closed. Criminal cases are heard at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, the Palo Alto Courthouse and the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill.
Hour by hour after an arrest
- Hour 0–6
Booking at the Main Jail
Fingerprints, photo, property, medical screening and a warrant check. They show up in the online locator during or after this step.
- Hours 2–12
Pretrial Services review
Pretrial Services staff work in the jail 24/7. Eligible people can be released on O.R. straight from the jail. People who aren’t eligible, for example because of a serious or violent charge or past failures to appear, wait to see a judge.
- Any time
Bail can be posted
Scheduled bail can be posted at the Main Jail lobby cashier, 5 a.m. to midnight, or through a bail agent.
- Within 48 hours
Charges filed and arraignment
Under Penal Code §825, someone in custody must see a judge within 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays. If release is denied, a judge reviews probable cause and sets bail, with a court date within 3 business days.
- At arraignment
Release hearing
The judge can release on O.R., release on supervised O.R. (SORP), lower bail, or set conditions. Under In re Humphrey (2021), the court has to consider whether the person can afford the amount.
Bail lookup: Santa Clara County
Source: Santa Clara County Superior Court 2026 Local Criminal Bail Schedule (adopted January 27, 2026, in effect until January 1, 2027). Charges from one incident use the highest single amount. Priors, enhancements and separate incidents raise it. A judge can set a different amount at arraignment.
How to post bail
Cash at the Main Jail
Cashier window in the Main Jail lobby, 5 a.m. to midnight. Cash, cashier’s check or money order, payable to “Santa Clara County Judicial District.” Refunds are mailed about 4–6 weeks after the case ends.
Bail bond
A licensed bail agent posts the full amount for a fee, usually about 10%, that you don’t get back. The Sheriff’s Office can’t recommend an agent.
Ask for release first
Before paying a bond fee, ask whether the person qualifies for O.R. or SORP. A lawyer can often get bail lowered or waived at arraignment.
Pretrial Services and O.R. release
Santa Clara County’s Office of Pretrial Services has staff in the jail 24 hours a day. They check criminal history and run a risk assessment, then either release eligible people on O.R. or send a report to the judge.
O.R. from the jail
Many newly booked people are released on their own recognizance without seeing a judge. Serious or violent charges and past failures to appear usually rule this out.
Supervised O.R. (SORP)
Release with conditions such as check-ins, GPS, alcohol monitoring or DV counseling. After a SORP release, the person must call Pretrial Services the first business day, 2–4 p.m., at (408) 918-7900.
What helps
A local address, a job or school, family ties and a clean court record. Have this ready for the lawyer before the first hearing.
What a “1275 hold” means
Sometimes the family has the bail money ready, but the jail won’t take it. That’s usually a Penal Code §1275.1 hold. The court won’t accept bail until someone proves the money didn’t come from a felony. Holds are most common in drug sales, fraud, theft and robbery cases. If the court doesn’t act on the declaration within 24 hours, the person must be released once bail is posted.
To lift the hold, the defense shows where the money came from: pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, loan papers, or the bond cosigner’s income and collateral records. Don’t pay a bondsman’s fee before the hold is lifted, and don’t move cash between accounts right before the hearing. Our Santa Rita Jail guide walks through a 1275 hearing step by step.
Check the case status online
Santa Clara County criminal cases are on the court’s Case Information Portal. It shows whether charges were filed and the next hearing date and department. Case documents generally aren’t online.
Open the portal
Go to portal.scscourt.org and choose a criminal case search.
Search the case
Search by the person’s name or by case number. New cases can take a few days to appear.
Read the next hearing
Note the date, time and department. Put the department into the decoder below to see which courthouse it’s in.
Criminal department ranges from the court’s courthouse directory. Daily calendars are at portal.scscourt.org/calendars.
Can’t find the case?
Arrested in the last 2 days
The DA may not have filed yet. Someone in custody has to be charged and arraigned within 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays (PC §825).
Cited and released
The arraignment date is on the release paperwork. Charges can also be filed later: generally within 1 year for misdemeanors (PC §802) and 3 years for most felonies (PC §801).
Released on O.R. or SORP
The court date is on the release papers. If you lost them, call us and we’ll find it.
Want us to check for you?
Call us with the person’s name and date of birth. We’ll look up the case, tell you whether charges were filed, and find the next court date.
Call (408) 708-2992Visiting someone at the Main Jail or Elmwood
Register first
Every visitor must register in the county’s Online Visitor Registration and be approved, which takes several business days. One approval covers both jails.
Book 1–21 days ahead
Book online or by phone at least 24 hours ahead. Available days and times show when you book. Elmwood allows two 30-minute visits a week; check in 45 minutes early.
Money and commissary
Deposit online at TouchPay or by phone at 1-866-232-1899 (facility code 295110 plus the CEN), at lobby kiosks, or by money order with the PFN.
Visiting rules change. Confirm with the Sheriff’s Office before you drive out.
Questions families ask
How do I find out if someone is in the Santa Clara County Jail?
Search the Sheriff’s online inmate locator by name, or call Administrative Booking at (408) 299-2305. Booking can give the charges, bail, holds and first court date.
How long does release take after bail is posted?
Usually several hours, longer on busy weekend nights. Release paperwork, property return and a final warrant check all happen after payment.
Can I get the 10% bond fee back?
No. The bondsman’s premium is their fee. Cash bail is returned if every court date is kept, which is why it’s often worth asking for O.R. or SORP release first.
What is SORP?
Supervised O.R. release. The person is released without bail but must follow conditions set by Pretrial Services, like check-ins or GPS, until the case ends.
Where are women held in Santa Clara County?
Women are booked in San Jose and housed at the Elmwood Women’s Facility in Milpitas.
Arrested in another county?
Every county has its own jail, court and bail schedule. Our guide for families covers each one.
Criminal Process Guide
Criminal Defense Lawyers Near You
Get Your Loved One Home
The first 48 hours shape the whole case. A lawyer at the first hearing can ask for release or lower bail.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
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