Central Receiving Facility, Bakersfield: What Happens Before Lerdo

If your loved one was just arrested somewhere in the city of Bakersfield by BPD, CHP, or another local agency, the first place they were taken is the Kern County Central Receiving Facility at 1415 Truxtun Avenue. This isn’t where they’ll stay — most arrestees are transferred to Lerdo Pre-Trial within a few hours — but it’s where every BPD and CHP arrest in Bakersfield is processed.

Understanding what happens at Central Receiving answers the most common question we hear from families: “Why isn’t their name showing up in the inmate search yet?” The answer almost always lies in the few hours an arrestee spends at Central Receiving before transfer.

Quick facts about Central Receiving

Address

1415 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Operated by

Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO)

Function

Booking and intake for Bakersfield-area arrests

Typical length of stay

2 to 12 hours, then transferred

Bail accepted

24/7, after booking is complete

Visiting

Generally not allowed (transient facility)

Distance from our office

About 4 minutes

Who ends up at Central Receiving

Central Receiving is the booking facility for arrests inside the city of Bakersfield. If the arresting agency was Bakersfield Police Department (BPD), the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Bakersfield area, or in many cases the Kern County Sheriff’s Office for arrests within the city, your person likely passed through here.

There are some exceptions:

• Arrests in unincorporated Kern County by KCSO often go straight to Lerdo Pre-Trial, skipping Central Receiving entirely.
• Arrests by KCSO substations (Taft, Mojave, Ridgecrest) typically hold inmates locally before transfer.
• Arrests by other city police departments (Delano, Wasco, Shafter, Arvin, McFarland) may be booked at the city department briefly, then transferred to the closest KCSO facility.

If you’re not sure where your person is, the inmate search databases will tell you once booking is complete. Until then, see the next section — this is the part that frustrates everyone.

What happens during booking (and why it takes hours)

The 2 to 6 hours between arrest and the inmate appearing in the public search isn’t downtime — it’s the booking process. At Central Receiving, deputies are working through a list of required steps before anyone can be released, transferred, or even officially “in” the system:

• Confirming the arrest is valid (warrant verification or probable-cause review)
• Photographing the inmate (the booking photo)
• Taking fingerprints — and in some cases DNA samples
• Running checks for outstanding warrants in other counties
• Entering the charges into the records system
• A medical screening
• Classifying the inmate for housing — which Lerdo facility, security level, special needs
• Inventorying personal property
• Processing for transfer

Each step has to be completed before the inmate appears in the public-facing inmate search and before bail can typically be processed. The system also updates in batches rather than in real time, so even after booking is technically complete there can be a short additional delay before the record is searchable online.

Why your loved one’s name isn’t showing yet

This is the single most common question we get when families call. The two public databases — kerninmatesearch.org and kernsheriff.org — only show inmates whose booking has been completed. While booking is in progress, your person is effectively invisible to public search.

Three things are worth knowing:

• Booking commonly takes 2 to 6 hours, and weekend nights and holidays can take longer.
• The system updates in batches, not in real time. Refreshing constantly won’t make the record appear faster.
• If you have a booking number from the arresting officer or court, you can sometimes find them faster through KCSO directly.

If after about six hours their name still isn’t appearing, two possibilities are most common: a spelling mismatch (officers enter names by hand, sometimes from a verbal answer) or they’re not in Kern’s system at all (a federal arrest, an arrest at a federal facility like Edwards AFB or China Lake, or a transfer elsewhere). Our Kern County Inmate Locator walkthrough covers the troubleshooting in more detail.

Can I post bail at Central Receiving?

Yes — bail can be posted at Central Receiving 24 hours a day, but timing matters. If your loved one is still being booked, bail can’t be posted until that process is complete and the bail amount has been officially set in the system.

In practice, three scenarios:

• If the bail amount follows the standard Kern County bail schedule for the charge, we may be able to post bail before transfer to Lerdo — which can shorten the total time before release.
• If the bail amount needs to be set by a magistrate, or if there are holds (immigration, warrant, parole, PC 1275), you may need to wait until after transfer.
• In most cases, posting bail at Lerdo Pre-Trial after transfer is just as fast and offers more options.

When you call us, we’ll check where your person is in the booking process and tell you the fastest path. There’s rarely a benefit to driving to Central Receiving yourself — we can post bail at either facility and the release timing is similar.

Transfer to Lerdo Pre-Trial

Once booking is complete and the inmate is classified, they’re transferred to the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility, about 15 minutes north of downtown. Transfer typically happens after all booking steps are complete (usually 4 to 12 hours after arrival), in groups (multiple inmates transported together), and at irregular intervals — there’s no published transfer schedule.

After transfer, all visiting and bail-posting logistics happen at Lerdo. If you’ve been waiting at Central Receiving thinking your person is about to be released, it’s worth checking the inmate search again — once they’re at Lerdo, the record will reflect the new facility.

Can I visit someone at Central Receiving?

Generally, no. Central Receiving is a transient facility — inmates are there only long enough to be booked and transferred. There is no visiting program at Central Receiving. Visiting (mostly video visits) happens after transfer to Lerdo Pre-Trial.

If you need to deliver something time-sensitive like a prescription medication, call the facility before driving there to confirm they can accept it on the inmate’s behalf. In most cases, the bondsman can help coordinate this faster.

Directions and drive times

Central Receiving sits in downtown Bakersfield at 1415 Truxtun Avenue, a few blocks from the Kern County Superior Court (Metro). From most of the county, you’ll come in via Highway 99 or Highway 178. Street parking downtown is limited; there are paid lots within a 2-3 block walk.

Cowboy Bail Bonds is just minutes from Central Receiving — one of the closest bail bond offices to the facility. We can be at the lobby quickly when needed.

Frequently asked questions

How long does someone stay at Central Receiving?

Typically 2 to 12 hours. Booking takes the bulk of that, then the inmate is transferred to Lerdo Pre-Trial.

Will the booking photo be public after my loved one is processed?

Mugshots become part of public record once booking is complete. They appear in the public inmate search alongside the charges and bail information.

Can my loved one make calls from Central Receiving?

Calls are limited at Central Receiving — the priority is moving through booking steps. Phone access is more reliable from Lerdo Pre-Trial after transfer.

Can I bring food, clothes, or personal items to Central Receiving?

No. Personal property handed in at the time of booking is inventoried and returned at release. Nothing can be passed to the inmate during booking.

What if my loved one has medical needs or takes prescription medication?

Central Receiving conducts a medical screening at intake. For known conditions or prescriptions, call the facility — they can sometimes accept brought-in medications under specific protocols. The bondsman can also help coordinate.

Should I drive to Central Receiving to wait?

Usually not worth it. Central Receiving doesn’t have a visitor lobby in the traditional sense, and you can’t expedite the booking process by being there. Call us instead — we can give you regular updates.