Listed below are the accepted procedures for bonding an arrested person out of the Seminole County Jail.
A Criminal Bond is a financial guarantee that the arrested person will appear in court on a specified date. A bond is not a FINE. A person posting a bond must appear before a judge to answer criminal charges. Failure to appear at the appointed time will result in forfeiture of the bond amount and may result in a Bench Warrant ordered by the Judge.
A fee of $20.00 is charged for every bond that is written by the jail. This fee may be paid in cash. This fee can also be paid with a money order, or cashiers check made payable to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Non-refundable.
Cash Bond
Unless otherwise directed, inmates in the jail may post bond with an equivalent amount of cash. If the surety (person posting the money for the bond) does not want the money to be used towards the inmates court ordered fine; they must indicate this fact, in writing, on the criminal bond. If this is indicated, the money will be returned to the surety at the completion of the criminal trial or plea. Cash Bonds may be posted with the exact amount of cash, money order, or cashier’s check.
Professional Bondsman
Inmates eligible for bond may enter into a contractual agreement with a professional bondsman. Professional Bondsmen are in business of posting bonds for criminal charges. A non-refundable fee will be charged. There is a list of acceptable bondsmen located in the booking lobby. The Sheriff’s Office will not recommend one bondsman over another. Please do not ask. The bondsman you choose and the arrangement made, are between you and the bondsman.
Property Bond
Inmates may be released on a property bond provided that the surety owns property which exceeds the value of the bond.
The following stipulations apply:
- The property must be approved by the Sheriff in which the property is located.
- The surety (property owner) must provide a warranty deed, current real estate tax receipt, or current year amortization schedule (mortgage loan statement from bank) to substantiate ownership.
- All owners of record must sign the affidavit on the bond.
- All property bonds must be approved by the Sheriff or designee.