Bonding Procedures
There are several ways that you can make bond for an inmate in the Shelby County Jail. For more information, select the type bond from the menu below.
Cash in the amount of the total bond. This must be in the form of a money order or cashier’s check made out to Mary Harris, Clerk of Court. The balance of a cash bond will be returned to the defendant after any outstanding fines and costs on any and all cases are deducted.
You may use a professional bonding company licensed and approved to do business in Shelby County. Fees for bonding company services are determined by the individual bonding companies.
You can also view and download a copy of the List of Approved Bonding Companies (PDF).
Citizens who wish to make cash bail payments may do so using GovPayNet. GovPayNet accepts major credit and debit cards for cash bail twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week on-site, online through the GovPayNet website, or by phone by calling 877-392-2455.
Cardholders can make payments on their own behalf or on behalf of friends or family. They need only know some basic information about the arrestee and the bail amount - information that the Shelby County Jail can provide prior to the cardholder contacting GovPayNet.
For convenience, GovPayNet’s dedicated, bilingual Bail Specialists are available around the clock should cardholders require additional help.
Location of Property
If the property is in Shelby County, we can approve the bond. If the property is located in another county, you will have to go to that county’s Sheriff’s Office to have the bond approved. Upon approval bring the bond papers to the Shelby County Jail. Out of county property bonds will be required to meet that particular county’s requirement for bonds.
Property Value
Only one property is needed to make a property bond as long as the property is valued at or above the amount of the bond. Multiple bonds can be made using the same property so long as the total amount of the bonds does not exceed the property value.
For example, if the property is valued at $10,000, one $10,000 bond or two $5,000 bonds can be made with this piece of property.
Property Under Multiple Names
If the property is in the name of more than one person, all people listed on the property must be present to sign the bond. The name of the incarcerated person may not appear on any property used for bail.
Commercial Properties
If the property is a commercial property, you must be able to show authorization from the company to sign the bond. All commercial property must be approved by the Sheriff or his designee.
Approval
Bonds will be approved on an individual basis and not a cumulative basis.
Unless emergency or exigent circumstances exists, bonds which cannot be approved by on-duty Sheriff’s Office personnel will not be approved during the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
A purge bond is an amount of money paid to the county in lieu of serving a sentence in certain types of cases. This is often seen in cases of Domestic Relations or child support.
Purge bonds can be made during regular business hours (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) at the clerk’s office located in the Shelby County Courthouse. Afterhours, purge bonds can be made at the Shelby County Jail.
The only authorized payment type for a purge bond is a money order or cashier’s check made out to Mary Harris, Clerk of the Court. No personal or business checks may be accepted. The amount of a purge is set by a judge and must be paid in full before an inmate is released on this type of bond.