Central Receiving Facility, Bakersfield: Now Metro Court Holding — Where People Are Booked Instead

If you searched “Central Receiving Facility Bakersfield” because someone you love was just arrested, you may be about to drive to the wrong building. For years, 1415 Truxtun Avenue was where Bakersfield arrests were booked. Plenty of websites still say so, and so did an earlier version of this page.

That is no longer how it works. Booking, release and bail for Bakersfield arrests now happen north of town at Lerdo. Here is what changed, where your person most likely is, and what to do next.

Quick facts: Central Receiving then and now

Old name

Central Receiving Facility (CRF)

Current name

Metro Court Holding Facility, Kern County Sheriff’s Office

Address

1415 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Phone

661-868-6850

What it does now

Court holding only. It houses no one, and it is not a booking site.

Where arrests go

Inmate Reception Center (IRC), Lerdo Jail Complex, 17801 Industrial Farm Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93308, 661-391-3100

We’re available

24 hours a day, every day. Se Habla Español.

What changed, and what it means for your family

The building at 1415 Truxtun Avenue is still there and still run by the Sheriff. Its job is different now. The Sheriff describes it as “a court-holding facility only.” People who are in custody and have a court date that day are brought down from the Lerdo facilities in the morning, held at Metro Court Holding until their hearing, and taken back to Lerdo afterward. The Sheriff’s Detentions Bureau lists it as “currently not housing any incarcerated persons.”

The Sheriff hasn’t published the date this change took effect. What matters for families is simple: don’t go to Truxtun Avenue to find someone who was just arrested or to post their bail. They aren’t booked there and aren’t held there, and the inmate search will show them at Lerdo.

Where someone arrested in Bakersfield goes now

According to the Sheriff, the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) at the Lerdo Jail Complex is “the main hub for booking and releasing new arrests,” and its deputies process approximately 30,000 new arrests a year. Most people arrested in the Bakersfield area by any agency are taken there for booking. That includes Bakersfield police, CHP and Sheriff’s deputies. For the full step-by-step, see Arrested in Bakersfield? Here’s how to get released.

Facility

Inmate Reception Center, Lerdo Jail Complex

Address

17801 Industrial Farm Road, Bakersfield, CA 93308

Phone

661-391-3100

Property release

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It can take 30 minutes to 3 hours, and once it starts you must stay.

There are two exceptions. The Sheriff also runs the Mojave Jail (661-824-7141), which receives people arrested in the Mojave area and holds them until they are released or transferred to Bakersfield. And the Taft Police Department runs its own small jail at 320 Commerce Way (661-763-3101). Bail can be posted there before anyone is moved to Bakersfield, but call first. If someone is transferred out of Taft, they go to the county system at Lerdo, not to Truxtun Avenue. See our Taft jail guide.

How to find someone who was just arrested

1. Search the Sheriff’s official database at kernsheriff.org/inmate-search. Use the person’s full legal name and try spelling variations.
2. Give it time. People usually don’t appear until booking is finished, which commonly takes hours.
3. Call the Inmate Reception Center at 661-391-3100 if the search still comes up empty or doesn’t make sense.
4. Or call us. We can usually confirm someone’s status faster than the public search will.

Our Kern County inmate locator guide walks through the common snags, like misspelled names, arrests by another county and people still in a city jail.

Posting bail now that Central Receiving is closed to bookings

Bail for a new Bakersfield arrest is handled through the Lerdo complex, not downtown. You have two basic choices:

• A bail bond. Cowboy Bail Bonds writes bonds 24 hours a day, every day. Call 661-324-6009. We’ll confirm the booking, the bail amount and any holds, then handle the posting. See our 24-hour bail bonds page.
• Cash bail posted yourself. The Sheriff doesn’t publish bail-posting hours, so call the jail at 661-391-3100 before you go to confirm when and how it is accepted. Cash bail is generally refundable after the case ends, subject to court processes. A bond premium is a non-refundable fee. See Do you get your bail money back?

What a bond costs: 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. Many sureties file as low as 8% for qualifying cases. Ask what filed rate applies to your case. We offer payment plans and easy-to-qualify terms. For how amounts are set, see how the Kern County bail schedule works.

Release timing: The Sheriff says the release process after bail is posted “can take up to 8 hours.” It varies with how busy the jail is, so please don’t plan around a specific time.

Court dates are still downtown

This is the part of the old picture that hasn’t changed. Criminal cases in Bakersfield are heard by the Kern County Superior Court’s Metropolitan Division downtown. The Metropolitan Division is at 1415 Truxtun Avenue, and the Justice Building is at 1215 Truxtun Avenue (court phone 661-610-6000). The release or court paperwork names the building, department, date and time, so check it rather than guessing.

Someone who stays in custody usually sees a judge within 48 hours of arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays, under Penal Code 825. Saturdays count. For them, the downtown trip happens through Metro Court Holding: they are transported from Lerdo that morning and returned afterward. Someone who has been released goes to court on their own. Missing that date can lead to a warrant and a forfeited bond. For the bigger picture, see what happens after an arrest in Kern County and our courthouse locations page.

What Metro Court Holding still does

• Court-day holding. In-custody defendants are held there while they wait for their hearings next door.
• Money deposits. The Sheriff lists Metro Court Holding as one of the places with a kiosk where you can deposit money to someone’s jail account. You can also deposit by phone at 1-866-345-1884 or online through Access Corrections.

It does not house anyone overnight, book new arrests or run a visiting program.

Visiting is at Lerdo

Because no one is housed at Truxtun Avenue, visits happen at the Lerdo facilities. Kern County uses Securus Technologies for inmate phones and video visitation. The Sheriff’s “Public Visiting” page has the current rules. Our Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility guide covers visits, directions and what to bring.

Old Central Receiving vs. today

Frequently asked questions

Is the Central Receiving Facility in Bakersfield still open?

The building at 1415 Truxtun Avenue is still in use, but not as a jail. The Kern County Sheriff says the Central Receiving Facility is now the Metro Court Holding Facility, which no longer houses anyone and operates as a court-holding facility only.

Where are people arrested in Bakersfield booked now?

Most are booked at the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center at the Lerdo Jail Complex, 17801 Industrial Farm Road, Bakersfield, CA 93308. The phone number is 661-391-3100. The Mojave Jail and the Taft Police Department jail handle some arrests in their own areas.

Can I post bail at 1415 Truxtun Avenue?

No. Metro Court Holding is not a booking or bail site. Bail for a new arrest is handled at the Lerdo complex. The Sheriff doesn’t publish bail-posting hours, so call 661-391-3100 before posting cash bail yourself, or call Cowboy Bail Bonds at 661-324-6009 for a bond at any hour.

How do I find out if someone is in custody?

Search the Sheriff’s official database at kernsheriff.org/inmate-search. Someone usually appears only after booking is finished, which commonly takes hours. If the search comes up empty, call the Inmate Reception Center at 661-391-3100.

How long does release take after bail is posted?

It varies. The Kern County Sheriff says the release process can take up to 8 hours after bail is posted. It varies with how busy the jail is.

Can I visit someone at Metro Court Holding?

No. No one is housed there, and people are held there only on their court days. Visits happen at the Lerdo facilities through the Sheriff’s public visiting program, including video visits through Securus.