Can You Bail Someone Out of Jail on the Weekend?

Arrests spike on weekends, and the timing feels designed to make things worse: the courthouse is closed, the bank is closed, and everyone you’d normally ask for help is off until Monday. A lot of families assume nothing can happen until then. Usually that isn’t true.

This page explains how weekend bail actually works in Kern County: what can be done on a Saturday or Sunday, which cases have to wait for court, how California’s 48-hour arraignment rule really counts the weekend, what holidays change, and what we do on weekends.

Quick facts: weekend bail in Kern County

Can you post bail on a weekend?

Yes, for any charge with a scheduled bail amount, once booking is complete

Need to see a judge first?

Not for scheduled bail; yes for certain serious, violent and domestic-violence charges

Arraignment deadline

48 hours after arrest, excluding Sundays and court holidays (PC 825) — Saturdays count

Where people are booked

Inmate Reception Center, Lerdo Justice Facility, 17801 Industrial Farm Rd — 661-391-3100

Release after bail

The Sheriff’s Office says up to 8 hours

We’re available

24 hours a day, weekends and holidays — Se Habla Español

Can you bail someone out on the weekend in California?

Yes. The jail doesn’t close on weekends, and neither does the authority to release people on bail. Under Penal Code § 1269b, the officer in charge of a jail can accept bail in the amount set by the county’s bail schedule (or by a warrant) and order the person released, with a court date to appear. No judge has to sign off and no courtroom has to be open.

So for most arrests, whether you’re asking if you can post bail on a weekend or if someone can get bailed out (or bonded out) on the weekend, the answer is the same as on a Tuesday. Once booking is done and the scheduled bail is known, you can post the full amount as cash bail, or a licensed agent can post a bond. Bail agents are open on weekends for exactly this reason — it’s when many arrests happen. If it’s the middle of the night as well, our page on bailing someone out of jail at night covers the overnight details.

Which cases have to wait for a judge

Kern’s bail schedule sorts every charge into one of four categories: Cite and Release, Book and Release, Magistrate Review, and Arraignment Review Only. The first two mean release without money. The last two are where weekends bite:

• Magistrate Review covers a list of serious and violent felonies (robbery, kidnapping, arson, first-degree burglary, criminal threats, crimes involving a gun or great bodily injury, and others), plus charges such as domestic battery under PC 273.5, violating a protective order, and some others. A magistrate decides release terms instead of the jail simply accepting scheduled bail.
• Arraignment Review Only covers charges the law says require a hearing in open court before release. Those people are held until arraignment.

That’s why one family gets someone home on Saturday afternoon while another, arrested the same night, waits for Monday or Tuesday. For more on how amounts are set, see how the Kern County bail schedule works.

Weekend arrests and the 48-hour rule (PC 825)

California’s Penal Code § 825 requires that someone in custody be brought before a judge without unnecessary delay and within 48 hours after arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays. Two details are easy to get wrong:

• Saturdays count. Only Sundays and court holidays are left out of the 48 hours. It isn’t “two business days.”
• If the 48 hours run out while court is closed, the deadline stretches to the next court session on the next court day.

Here’s how that plays out:

These are outer limits, not appointments. Cases can be heard sooner, and the details of a particular calendar are up to the court. But the takeaway holds: if someone arrested Friday night can’t be bailed out on the schedule, plan for them to stay through the weekend and see a judge Monday or Tuesday. If they can be bailed out, there’s no reason to wait for any of that.

Holds that can block weekend release

Even with bail posted on the new charge, some things keep a person in custody:

• Probation or parole holds and warrants from another county, which carry their own conditions.
• A request to raise bail (PC 1269c). Under Kern’s protocol, once an officer’s declaration asking for higher bail reaches the booking officer, the person isn’t released until a magistrate reviews it.
• A source-of-funds hold (PC 1275.1). If an officer believes bail money came from a crime, release stops until a judge rules. A loan is an allowed source, and if a magistrate doesn’t act on the declaration within 24 hours, release on posted bail is required.

We check for holds before you pay anything.

Holidays

Holidays work like Sundays under PC 825: they don’t count toward the 48 hours. A three-day weekend can push an arraignment to Wednesday. The jail itself still runs on holidays, and scheduled bail can still be posted.

Watch for the court holidays people forget. California’s judicial holiday calendar includes Lincoln’s Birthday, Cesar Chavez Day, Native American Day in late September, and the day after Thanksgiving, alongside the usual federal holidays. If a court date on release paperwork seems odd, a holiday is often why. For the season-by-season picture, see bail bonds during the holidays.

How a weekend bail-out works, step by step

1. Find out where they are. Use the Sheriff’s official search at kernsheriff.org/inmate-search, or our Kern County inmate locator guide. New bookings can take a few hours to appear. Taft PD arrests may still be at the Taft city jail, which accepts bail on site.
2. Call us with the basics. Full name, date of birth, arresting agency, and where they’re held.
3. We confirm the charge category, the bail amount and any holds. That tells you whether release can happen this weekend.
4. You sign and arrange payment. We offer payment plans and easy-to-qualify terms; call to ask about payment options.
5. We post the bond at the jail.
6. The jail processes the release. The Sheriff’s Office says this can take up to 8 hours. Weekend volume can stretch it.

For what happens between arrest and release, see the Kern County jail release timeline and what happens after an arrest in Kern County. If you’re in west Kern, our Taft arrest-to-release guide covers the local steps.

Can you bail someone out on the weekend in Bakersfield?

Yes. Bakersfield follows the same California rules, applied by Kern County. A weekend arrest anywhere in Bakersfield, whether by Bakersfield Police, the CHP or the Sheriff, is booked at the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center at the Lerdo Jail Complex (17801 Industrial Farm Road, 661-391-3100). If the charge has a scheduled bail amount, a bond can be posted there on Saturday or Sunday once booking is finished. If the charge needs a magistrate or an arraignment, the person usually waits for the downtown courthouse to open on Monday or Tuesday. Our office is at 1710 Blanche Street in Bakersfield, and we answer the phone all weekend.

What we do on weekends

Our Bakersfield agents are on call 24 hours a day, every day, including weekends and holidays. On a weekend call, we confirm booking status, the charge, the bail and any holds, explain whether a bond is even needed, and post the bond once you decide. Our 24-hour emergency bail bonds page has our around-the-clock service in one place.

On cost: the premium is most commonly 10% of the bail amount. It isn’t fixed by statute; each surety files its rates with the California Department of Insurance and its agents charge the filed rate, and many file as low as 8% for qualifying cases. Ask what filed rate applies to your case. The premium is the fee for the bond and isn’t refunded. Cash bail posted directly with the court is refunded after the case ends, subject to the court’s process.

After release, the paperwork lists the next court date. Making it matters — a missed date can lead to a warrant and a forfeited bond.

Frequently asked questions

Can you bail someone out of jail on the weekend?

Yes. The jail doesn’t need a judge to accept scheduled bail (Penal Code 1269b), so if the charge has a set amount on the county bail schedule, bail can be posted on Saturday or Sunday once booking is complete. If you plan to post cash bail yourself, call the jail first to confirm how and where to pay.

Can you bail someone out on the weekend in Bakersfield?

Yes. Bakersfield arrests are booked at the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center at the Lerdo Jail Complex, and if the charge has a scheduled bail amount, a bond can be posted on Saturday or Sunday once booking is finished. Charges that need a judge usually wait for court on Monday or Tuesday.

Are bail bonds open on weekends?

Many are. Cowboy Bail Bonds is open 24 hours a day, every day, including weekends and holidays.

If someone is arrested Friday night, when will they see a judge?

If they aren’t released on bail first, usually Monday or Tuesday. Penal Code 825 allows 48 hours excluding Sundays and holidays, and Saturdays count. When the deadline lands after court closes, it moves to the next court session.

Why can’t my loved one be bailed out until Monday?

Usually because the charge is in a category that needs a judge, such as certain serious, violent or domestic-violence charges, or because of a hold like probation, parole or another county’s warrant.

How long does weekend release take after bail is posted?

It varies. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office says the release process can take up to 8 hours after bail is posted, and busy weekends can add time.

Do you always need a bail bond on the weekend?

No. Many people are cited and released or released on their own recognizance with no bail. If bail is set, you can post the full amount yourself as cash bail or use a bail bond.