Santa Clara County Bail Schedule 2026: How to Read It

Quick answer: Santa Clara County's current criminal bail schedule is the Superior Court's 2026 Criminal Bail Schedule, adopted and effective January 27, 2026. It lists presumptive amounts and release instructions for felony and misdemeanor matters. Start with the exact charge, classification and current custody record, then read the general rules and any qualifying conditions. A warrant amount or a judge's current order can control instead of a simple schedule lookup. The printed court amount is also separate from the charge for a commercial bail bond. Use the court's current schedule page to obtain the document.

Updated September 30, 2026. This guide is for families dealing with an adult Santa Clara County criminal matter. It uses the court's actual posted 2026 schedules, current California law and official custody, calendar and pretrial information. Individual charge classification, release eligibility and legal disputes require case-specific review.

Santa Clara Schedule Questions at a Glance

In this guide: Current editions | Reading a row | Selected amounts | General rules | Judicial review | Warrants and court orders | Local records | Release alternatives | The bond agreement | Examples | How Bail Hotline can help | FAQ

Choose the Document That Fits the Matter

The county posts criminal and traffic schedules separately. Their titles, dates and purposes need to be read together. A document can use the word bail while addressing a different kind of proceeding from the arrest a family is trying to understand.

The 2026 Criminal Bail Schedule has felony and misdemeanor sections. Its signed adoption page gives January 27, 2026 as both the adoption and effective date. The court's current landing page says it remains effective until January 1, 2027 unless amended or repealed.

The Traffic Bail Schedule page posts a separate 2026 document effective January 1, 2026. Its local preface addresses infractions filed in the Traffic Divisions. The court also warns that schedule figures do not necessarily show the total sum owed after applicable assessments and fees.

A driving allegation is not automatically a traffic-ticket matter

The criminal schedule itself includes Vehicle Code felony and misdemeanor entries. A driving-related booking therefore should be checked against its actual classification and case division, rather than routed to a traffic payment screen merely because a vehicle was involved.

Likewise, a traffic fine-reduction or ticket-payment option is not a general way to post release bail for a person in criminal custody. Use the instructions for the specific proceeding and confirm the receiving agency before sending money.

Start from the current court page

The court provides an archive of earlier criminal schedules. An older PDF may still be hosted on the official website or appear in a search result. Its location on that website does not make it the current edition.

Open the current landing page, then inspect the document's cover and adoption or effective-date page. Keep that date with any note made from the tables. If the court posts an amendment later, confirm whether it changes the relevant entry or rule before reusing a saved figure.

This guide stays with Santa Clara County. Our statewide bail-amount guide helps readers identify the proper county. The Los Angeles felony schedule guide and Santa Barbara schedule guide explain those counties' separate documents and release rules. Their figures and methods should be checked within their own jurisdictions.

Read a Row With the Charge Record Beside It

Obtain the exact code section and any subsection from the current booking or case record. A general description such as assault, theft or resisting an officer may correspond to more than one entry. The correct row also depends on whether the matter is being treated as a felony or misdemeanor.

Use the PDF's contents to reach the right section, then search within that section for the code. Read the adjacent entries and any notes rather than stopping at the first occurrence. The same code can appear in different parts of the document.

Match the classification before comparing amounts

The felony tables begin in the document's felony portion; the misdemeanor portion has its own instructions and entries. A family comparing numbers from the two sections may be comparing different versions of the allegation.

If the classification is unclear, ask counsel or the agency maintaining the current record. The schedule does not authorize a relative to choose the less costly classification. Later charging or court decisions should also be checked against any earlier booking information.

Keep the columns straight

Felony rows generally identify the code, offense, term and bail. The term column concerns the listed punishment range, not the amount paid for release. A short sequence of numbers in that column should not be read as a price, installment schedule or promise about the eventual sentence.

The bail column can contain a number, a reference to an underlying offense or a notation needing further explanation. Carry the full wording into your notes. Omitting an asterisk or qualification can change what a reader thinks the entry means.

Selected Entries From the January 2026 Criminal Schedule

These four entries illustrate how classification and the particular row matter. They come from the court's January 27, 2026 criminal schedule, not from a general California price range. They are printed schedule amounts for the listed entry, before any applicable combination rules, allegations, judicial decisions or other custody matters are resolved.

Source: the actual 2026 Criminal Bail Schedule, adoption page 2 and the pages identified above.

The two PC 69 rows are a useful reading example. Finding the section number alone does not settle which amount applies. A felony entry and a misdemeanor entry can have different figures, even though the code number looks the same.

The robbery row shows another reason to retain detail: the document identifies a particular degree and subsection. A broad description on a news page or a family message should not replace the actual charge record and applicable schedule entry.

None of these figures is a quotation for a commercial bond, a prediction of the judge's decision or an assessment of a particular person's release eligibility.

Read the General Instructions Before Building a Total

A table entry is only part of the document. The general instructions explain how certain missing entries, multiple charges and qualifying allegations are treated. They can also require a judicial decision before release.

Several charges do not use one universal shortcut

The criminal schedule's instructions distinguish charges arising from the same course of conduct on the same occasion from charges arising from separate courses. They also provide a separate combination rule for sex offenses arising from threat or violence.

Consequently, neither adding every displayed amount nor always taking the single highest row is a complete method for every Santa Clara booking. Ask which provision was applied and which alleged course or courses of conduct the calculation uses. A family should not decide that legal classification from a short charge list alone.

Keep the reported total with an explanation of its components. If a figure differs from a single row, the difference may involve another charge, an allegation, a court decision or another identified matter. Obtain the explanation before assuming the row or the total is mistaken.

An unlisted felony still needs the correct rule

The felony instructions include a fallback tied to the top state-prison term potential for an unlisted offense plus enhancement. For example, the January 2026 instruction lists $10,000 for a three-year top term. That is a conditional default, not the amount for every felony missing from a family's search.

Counsel can help identify the relevant offense and alleged enhancement before that provision is used. A reader who cannot find a row should retain the code and ask for the applied rule rather than substitute another county's default.

The unlisted-misdemeanor instruction has explicit exceptions

Printed page 48 provides own-recognizance release for misdemeanors not specifically referenced, subject to its stated exceptions. Those include specified existing release statuses at arrest and specified active formal probation, parole or other supervision statuses. For the described exceptions, the instruction sets scheduled bail at $10,000.

This is not a blanket statement that every misdemeanor booking is released without money. Check whether the offense is specifically listed, whether an exception applies, and whether a warrant, order or separate custody matter changes the practical answer.

Allegations and special conditions belong in the explanation

The document contains separate enhancement sections and special rules, including prior-conviction and DUI-related distinctions. These should be read with the exact allegation and current record. They are not an invitation to add an assumed amount for a history a relative has heard about informally.

When the total remains unclear, ask for the charge, allegation, applicable instruction and controlling order used to reach it. That gives counsel and the agency something specific to reconcile.

When a Number Is Not Enough to Authorize Release

Some entries or instructions require judicial review even where a dollar amount appears. The 2026 criminal instructions identify specified cases needing review, including matters under PC 666.1 and Health and Safety Code 11395. Confirm the actual current authorization before treating the number as a complete release instruction.

Read the no-bail asterisk with its instruction

The felony schedule uses a No bail* notation for certain entries. Its accompanying instruction addresses the initial booking treatment and judicial consideration at arraignment under applicable law. The notation should not be turned into a claim that a charge label permanently resolves every constitutional bail question.

If the current record says no bail, ask counsel what order or determination applies and what proceeding is needed. A bail company cannot replace a court decision with a different interpretation of the printed label.

The operative hearing rule has its own qualifications

Penal Code 1270.1 generally requires an open-court hearing before own-recognizance release or departure above or below the schedule for its specified offenses, subject to the statutory exception. The offense and circumstance limits should be checked in the actual statute.

The county document's general notes do not replace those qualifications. If a hearing or judicial review is identified, ask counsel what decision is pending. A scheduled hearing, eligibility for consideration and an order actually authorizing release are separate milestones.

Warrants, First Appearances and a Changed Amount

Penal Code 1269b distinguishes an amount fixed by a warrant, the county schedule and the judge's amount after appearance. Santa Clara's general instructions similarly explain the schedule's principal use before a first court appearance after a warrantless arrest.

For an arrest on a warrant, obtain the warrant information and current order instead of assuming that a table lookup supplies the operative amount. Once a judge has addressed the charge, confirm the amount fixed in that proceeding and any later order.

Posting before court does not freeze the case's future conditions

A commercial arrangement or earlier release does not remove the judge's authority under the applicable procedure and law. If a subsequent court decision changes the amount or conditions, obtain that decision and ask how the existing undertaking relates to it.

Under section 1275, public protection, offense seriousness, prior record and likely appearance are among the judicial considerations. The actual Kowalczyk decision from April 30, 2026 also supplies the individualized constitutional framework, including qualified reasonable attainability when money bail is necessary. A schedule adopted earlier in the year does not replace controlling law.

Give counsel accurate information about resources and proposed release arrangements. Neither unsupported hardship assertions nor a generic schedule amount predicts the result of an individual review.

A warrant notice has a local counsel-led process to ask about

The court's Criminal FAQs link its Arraignment on Arrest Warrant Protocol. It allows a person who receives an arrest-warrant notice to arrange the described out-of-custody arraignment through counsel, with specified advance, booking and appearance steps.

The protocol does not guarantee continued release or automatically recall the warrant merely because a date has been arranged. Ask counsel whether it fits the actual matter and confirm the current instructions before taking action. It is distinct from simply finding an amount in the schedule.

Confirm Custody and the Next Hearing Through the Correct Service

Begin with the person, booking and case identifiers. Keep the agency, current location, information date and any reported release restriction together. Another person's result or an older screenshot may concern different charges or a different procedural stage.

The Sheriff's Office links its official Who's in Custody service from the Main Jail page. The linked service now opens the county-branded ATIMS lookup. Its public landing has verification requirements; this guide does not report an individual search or promise that every record will be immediately available.

For a custody question that remains unresolved, the county's official contact list identifies Booking Information at (408) 299-2305. Confirm the current amount, any other custody matters and the appropriate receiving process. Visiting registration and commissary deposits serve different purposes from arranging release.

Use the court's calendar route for the court question

The Criminal Calendars page directs users to the Public Portal Calendar Search. The current portal offers separate criminal calendar choices for Hall of Justice, South County and Palo Alto.

Confirm the case, courthouse, department and next appearance from the current records and counsel. Do not select the nearest courthouse simply because it is convenient. A custody location and the place where the case will be heard are different pieces of information.

The Main Jail is at 150 West Hedding Street in San Jose. The court's warrant FAQ identifies the Hall of Justice at 190 West Hedding Street. Those nearby addresses are not interchangeable destinations for every task. Verify where a particular booking, payment, filing or appearance must be handled before traveling.

If online information is missing or conflicts with a document, ask the appropriate agency or clerk to reconcile it. A blank search result should not be treated as an order canceling a court obligation.

Understand Release Alternatives and Continuing Conditions

A monetary schedule entry is part of the release framework, but a court may authorize another route under the applicable law and facts. Own recognizance, often shortened to OR, involves release on the required promise and conditions rather than posting monetary bail for that release requirement.

Santa Clara County's Office of Pretrial Services provides investigative reports to assist court decisions and supervision services. The county Public Defender's Popular Services page tells an arrested person to speak with a Pretrial Services officer at jail about eligibility for release without bail.

These are subjects to ask about in the actual case. Eligibility for consideration does not itself establish that release has been ordered or completed, and another identified custody matter may remain.

Supervised release brings instructions to follow

The county's Pretrial Supervision page identifies the supervised own recognizance program, or SORP. As posted when checked September 30, 2026, a person granted that release is instructed to call (408) 918-7900 on the first business day after release between 2 and 4 p.m. for officer assignment.

Use the actual release instructions and current agency guidance. The page also requires a scheduled intake and continuing compliance with court conditions and appearances. Leaving custody is the start of those obligations, not confirmation that the case has ended.

The criminal schedule's DUI instructions include SORP eligibility, including cases with alleged priors. That does not make a printed amount or an eligibility reference equivalent to a completed approval. Confirm the ordered route and conditions with counsel and the appropriate agency.

Separate the Court Amount From the Bond Agreement

The schedule describes the court's presumptive bail framework. A commercial surety bond has a separate premium agreement and may involve approved payment arrangements or security. The California Department of Insurance describes the undertaking through a licensed agent representing a surety insurer.

Obtain the actual proposal for the current amount and case. Identify the total charge, what is due now, any remaining balance, required signers and security. A premium payment and a court-held deposit have different purposes and rules.

If the court record changes while arrangements are being discussed, confirm the proposal against the new information. Keep the signed documents and receipts with the relevant orders. Our guide to the full financial commitment of bailing someone out develops those distinctions in more detail.

Three Hypothetical Lookup Problems

These examples are fictional reading exercises, not case decisions or price quotations.

The section number matches, but the classification does not

A family finds a PC 69 row and assumes it answers the question. It then notices that the booking classification differs from the PDF section it opened. It checks the corresponding felony or misdemeanor entry and asks for confirmation of the actual classification and operative amount before using the number in a bond discussion.

An unlisted misdemeanor has an exception to examine

A relative cannot find a misdemeanor entry and reads the general OR instruction. The current record also indicates a supervision status. The family obtains the exact status and asks whether the page 48 exception applies, instead of assuming that absence from the table settles the entire release question.

A single row is compared with a multi-charge total

A booking lists several charges and reports an amount above one selected row. The family asks which combination instruction, allegation or current order was used. It retains the explanation with the record rather than replacing the reported total with its own sum or the highest visible amount.

How Bail Hotline Can Help

Everything above this section is written to be useful whether or not you ever call us. This is the one place we talk about ourselves.

Bail Hotline has been family-owned since 2004 and operates through DMCG, Inc., licensed by the California Department of Insurance under license 1845394. Our team is available 24/7 at (888) 958-1228.

Have the current Santa Clara amount? We can explain the bond steps.

Our San Jose office serves Santa Clara County and provides free inmate information and bail guidance. Bring the current booking or case details so the team can explain the available process and walk each cosigner through the actual agreement.

Dedicated posting agents are available around the clock. A large, complicated or out-of-county bond is not an automatic no; we consider the particular situation. Support through the case includes text court-date reminders and appropriate warrant walk-through assistance when an appearance problem needs attention.

Every case is different, and the judge makes the final decision on court matters. Honest mistakes and willful conduct can require different responses. We explain and coordinate available bond steps without promising approval, a court result or a particular release time.

Use our locations directory for another office and the bail FAQ for general process questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Santa Clara criminal bail schedule is current?

The court currently posts its 2026 Criminal Bail Schedule, adopted and effective January 27, 2026. Its landing page says it remains effective until January 1, 2027 unless amended or repealed. Start there and check for later changes rather than relying only on a saved filename.

Does a code number alone identify the correct amount?

Not always. Check the subsection, classification, adjacent entry and qualifying rules. The felony and misdemeanor sections can contain the same code with different amounts. Confirm the current charge record before selecting a row.

Are all misdemeanors released on own recognizance?

The unlisted-misdemeanor instruction has exceptions, and listed offenses have their own entries. Existing release or specified supervision status can matter. A warrant, current court order or separate custody basis also needs its own confirmation.

Do I add every charge's amount together?

Use the county's actual combination instructions. They distinguish the same course of conduct, separate courses and a specified sex-offense rule. Ask how the reported total was determined rather than assuming one shortcut fits every booking.

Does No bail* mean no judge can ever authorize release?

Read the accompanying instruction and current order. The notation concerns the schedule's specified initial treatment and judicial consideration under governing law. Counsel can explain the actual determination and needed proceeding; the table label alone is not a complete constitutional decision.

Does posting before arraignment prevent bail from changing?

An earlier arrangement does not remove the judge's authority under applicable law. Confirm the operative amount and conditions after a court appearance or later decision, and ask how the current undertaking relates to any change.

Is the printed amount the bail company's fee?

The court amount and the commercial premium agreement are separate. Obtain the actual terms for the correct case, including payments, balance, signers and security. A schedule entry does not supply that complete financial proposal.

Where should I confirm the next court appearance?

Use the court's current Criminal Calendars route and the actual case documents, then confirm with counsel or the appropriate clerk if anything conflicts. Keep the courthouse and department separate from the current custody location and retain the appearance instructions.

Sources and Scope

The guide uses the cited official court schedules and local agency pages, current California statutes and the actual Supreme Court bail opinion. Schedule figures are dated to the January 27, 2026 criminal edition, and the examples demonstrate reading rather than calculate an individual's bail.

Court orders, exact allegations, release restrictions and the person's current circumstances still need their own review. This local guide provides a way to organize that information and reach the proper source for the next decision.