Surety Bonds
A surety bond is a three-party agreement that legally binds together a principal (person in need of the bond), an obligee (the courts) and the surety (bail bondsman). Brazos County has a bail bond board that provides a list of approved bail bondsmen. Any bail bondsman not on the list is not eligible to post bail for inmates in the Brazos County Detention Center. Bail bondsmen are independent business persons and are authorized to set their fees at any amount as long as they do not exceed 100% of the bail amount. Use of a surety bond allows the surety (bail bondsman) to put up the bond amount to the obligee for the principal rather than requiring the principal to put up the full bond amount as would be done with a cash bond.
Cash Bonds
A cash bond can be posted using either exact cash in the amount of the bond or via credit/debit card through Gov Pay. Gov pay does charge a fee which is a percentage of the total bond amount they have identified on their website. The bond amount paid is refundable less a processing fee charged by the courts once the principal (person in need of the bond) reaches resolution of their case. Cash bonds are refunded through the district clerk’s office. In order to post a cash bond, the person paying the bond must provide a valid state issued identification and present the exact bond amount via cash or credit/debit card in one single transaction. The intake/release staff will issue a receipt which you will present to the court clerk for a refund after disposition has been reached on the case(s).
Personal Bonds
In certain cases, the courts will allow inmates to be released on bond without the need to pay. This is called a Personal Recognizance bond (PR bond). PR bonds are issued by the authority of a Judge with jurisdiction over the case at the Judge/Courts discretion.
