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California
Bail Bond Calculator
California fixes the bail bond premium at 10% of the bail amount — the same at every licensed agency in the state. Enter the bail below to see your premium, then see what a realistic down payment looks like starting as low as 1% down for qualified co-signers.
California Bail Bond Calculator
Cal. Ins. Code §1800 · Standard 10% filed premium
Enter the amount set by the court or county bail schedule. Range: $1 – $10,000,000.
Your Premium (10%)
Enter a bail amount to see your premium and down payment instantly.
Licensed California agents answer 24/7. Nothing you type here is stored.
Table Of Contents
How the premium is set in California, what bail typically runs by charge and by county, and what you actually need to pay today.
How This Calculator Works
California bail premiums are filed rates, not negotiable prices. Under Cal. Ins. Code §1800 and the rate filings approved by the California Department of Insurance, the standard bail bond premium is 10% of the total bail amount. Every licensed agency in the state charges from the same filed rate — if someone quotes you 5% with no explanation, ask to see the filing, because discounting a filed rate is a licensing violation.
The figure this tool returns is the premium: the fully earned fee paid to the bail agency for guaranteeing the full bail amount to the court. It is not the bail amount, and it is not a deposit that comes back at the end of the case.
The bail amount itself is a separate number. It comes from the county's uniform bail schedule, adopted annually by each superior court under Penal Code §1269b(c), or from a judge who raises, lowers, or eliminates it at arraignment. Since In re Humphrey (2021), California courts must also weigh a defendant's ability to pay and consider non-financial release conditions before setting money bail.
Once you know the bail figure, the math is fixed: bail × 0.10 = premium. What flexes is how you pay it — see 1% down bail bonds and affordable payment plans.
Premium Quick Reference
The 10% premium and a 1% starting down payment for the bail amounts we see most often across Southern California.
| Bail Amount | Premium (10%) | From 1% Down |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $50 | $5 |
| $1,000 | $100 | $10 |
| $2,500 | $250 | $25 |
| $5,000 | $500 | $50 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 | $100 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 | $200 |
| $25,000 | $2,500 | $250 |
| $35,000 | $3,500 | $350 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 | $500 |
| $75,000 | $7,500 | $750 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $250,000 | $25,000 | $2,500 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $100,000 | $10,000 |
The 1% column is the starting down payment for qualified co-signers, not a discounted premium — the remaining balance is paid on an approved plan. Not sure what bail will be for a specific offense? Start with felony or misdemeanor bail bonds.
Typical Bail By Charge In California
Ranges reflect what we commonly see across Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange County schedules. They are estimates for planning, not quotes — the controlling number is the one on the booking sheet or the judge's order.
| Charge | Typical Bail Range | Premium At 10% |
|---|---|---|
| DUI (first offense, misdemeanor) | $5,000 – $25,000 | $500 – $2,500 |
| Petty theft / shoplifting | $500 – $10,000 | $50 – $1,000 |
| Grand theft | $20,000 – $50,000 | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| Residential burglary | $50,000 – $100,000 | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Simple assault / battery | $2,500 – $25,000 | $250 – $2,500 |
| Domestic violence (PC 273.5) | $50,000 – $100,000 | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Drug possession | $2,500 – $25,000 | $250 – $2,500 |
| Possession for sale | $30,000 – $100,000 | $3,000 – $10,000 |
| Firearm possession (felon in possession) | $35,000 – $100,000 | $3,500 – $10,000 |
| Robbery (second degree) | $100,000 – $200,000 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Vehicular manslaughter | $100,000 – $500,000 | $10,000 – $50,000 |
| Failure to appear (bench warrant) | Often the original bail, doubled | Varies |
Enhancements, multiple counts, prior strikes, and probation or parole holds push these numbers up fast. A Penal Code §1275 hold can also require proof that the funds are from a lawful source before any bond is accepted.
Bail Schedules By County
The premium never changes — 10% statewide. The bail amount does, county by county, because each superior court adopts its own schedule.
Riverside
County Bail Bonds
View County
Los Angeles
County Bail Bonds
View County
San Bernardino
County Bail Bonds
View County
Orange
County Bail Bonds
View County
San Diego
County Bail Bonds
View CountyRiverside County
Riverside runs Cite and Release (CR), Book and Release (BR), and Pre-Arraignment Review (PAR) pathways, so some arrestees are released before bail is ever posted. See the Riverside County hub.
Los Angeles County
The largest schedule in the state, with separate felony and misdemeanor tables and frequent judicial deviation at arraignment. Start at our LA County hub.
San Bernardino County
Booking logistics differ between independent city PDs and Sheriff-contract cities, which changes how fast a bond can be posted. See the San Bernardino County hub.
Orange County
Orange County works from its uniform bail schedule with intake concentrated at the Intake Release Center before transfer. See the Orange County hub.
San Diego County
San Diego Superior Court publishes its own felony and misdemeanor schedule; we write bonds there as well. See San Diego County bail bonds.
Published schedules: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange County. Courts revise them, so we confirm the current figure before quoting anything.
Cash Bail vs Bail Bond
Both get someone out. They cost very different amounts on day one, and only one of them comes back.
| Cash Bail | Bail Bond | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount paid up front | 100% of bail, to the court | 10% premium, to a licensed agency |
| Money returned at case end | Yes, minus court fees and fines | No — the premium is fully earned |
| Typical time to gather funds | Days to weeks for most families | Same night, often within the hour |
| Payment plan available | No | Yes, for approved co-signers |
| Who guarantees appearance | The person who posted the cash | The surety, backed by your indemnitor agreement |
| Source-of-funds review | Possible under PC §1275 | Possible under PC §1275 |
On a $50,000 bail, cash means $50,000 tonight. A bond means $5,000 in premium — or as little as $500 to start with 1% down, frequently with no collateral.
Is The Premium Refundable?
No. The 10% premium is fully earned the moment the bond is posted and is non-refundable regardless of the outcome — dismissed, acquitted, or convicted. It buys the surety's guarantee of the full bail amount to the court and the agency's risk in standing behind the defendant's appearances. It is not a deposit against bail.
What is returnable is collateral. When a bond requires property or a vehicle title, that collateral is released after the case concludes and the bond is exonerated by the court — assuming all appearances were made and the premium balance is paid. Most of our bonds are written without collateral at all.
What Drives The Bail Amount
The premium formula is fixed. These six factors are what actually move the number you're calculating against.
The Charge And Its Enhancements
Every county schedule prices offenses individually, and enhancements — great bodily injury, firearm use, gang allegations — add their own bail on top of the base charge.
Number Of Counts
Bail is generally set per count. Three felony counts on one booking sheet can triple the schedule figure before a judge ever sees the case.
Criminal History And Strikes
Prior convictions, especially strike priors, push bail above schedule and can make a judge unwilling to reduce it at arraignment.
Probation Or Parole Holds
A hold means no release even after a bond posts, until the hold is lifted. We tell you up front when a hold makes posting pointless tonight.
Ability To Pay
Under In re Humphrey, courts must consider ability to pay and non-financial conditions like supervised release before imposing money bail.
Missed Court Dates
A bench warrant for failure to appear commonly resets bail at the original amount doubled, or at no-bail in serious cases.
Down Payments & Payment Plans
The premium is set by the state. How you pay it is where we can actually help.
Most families don't have thousands in cash at 2 a.m., and we don't expect them to. Qualified co-signers start with as low as 1% down and carry the balance on a written plan with fixed monthly payments — no $0-down gimmicks, no rate that changes after you sign.
Approval turns on the co-signer, not the defendant: steady income, local ties, and a willingness to sign the indemnitor agreement. In most cases that's enough to write the bond without collateral. Out-of-state family members can sign entirely online, any hour, because we run 24-hour service.
Not sure where the defendant is booked yet? Start with our inmate search, the jail directory, or the courthouse directory to confirm the facility and court before you call.
FAQs — Bail Bond Calculator
Straight answers about California's premium formula, bail schedules, and what you pay today.
Sources & Official References
Every figure and rule on this page traces back to a public California source.
- California Insurance Code §1800 — bail premium rates
- Penal Code §1269b — county uniform bail schedules
- Penal Code §1275 — source-of-funds holds
- In re Humphrey (2021) 11 Cal.5th 135
- California Department of Insurance — bail bond consumer guide
- CDI license lookup — verify a bail agent
- Los Angeles County bail schedule
- Riverside County bail schedule
- San Bernardino County bail information
- Orange County bail schedule
This calculator is an estimating tool, not a quote or legal advice. Midnight Bail Bonds is a licensed California bail bond agency, not a law firm. Bail amounts, holds, and release conditions are set by the court and can change without notice.