The first four questions
- Where is the defendant — which city, which jail or station? Custody moves, so we verify rather than assume.
- Full legal name, spelled out. Jail systems match on the booking name, not a nickname.
- Date of birth. Common names are common, and the DOB is what separates them.
- What were they arrested for? The charge drives the bail schedule amount and whether any hold applies.
What we do with those answers
We locate the booking, confirm the bail amount from the county schedule, and check whether anything blocks release — an outside warrant, an immigration detainer, or a transfer already in progress. That takes a few minutes and it decides everything after it. Our inmate search page is the same lookup, from your side.
The second wave of questions
- Who is signing as indemnitor, and what is their relationship to the defendant?
- Employment and residence for the cosigner — the underwriting basics.
- Whether a payment plan is needed and what down payment works.
- Whether collateral is on the table for a larger bond.
What information does a bail bondsman need has the full checklist.