Harris County Bail Bond Schedule: Bail Amounts by Charge

How Bail Amounts Work in Harris County

Harris County no longer uses a fixed misdemeanor bail schedule. Most misdemeanor arrests get a personal bond with nothing down, while felony bail starts from a guideline amount a judge sets case by case.

Misdemeanor bail: usually a personal bond, nothing down

This is the part most websites get wrong. Harris County scrapped its old secured misdemeanor bail schedule after the O’Donnell federal lawsuit, and under the resulting consent decree and Amended Local Rule 9, most people arrested only on a misdemeanor are released quickly on a General Order Bond, an unsecured personal bond. The amount is set at no more than one hundred dollars, and that figure is only owed if the person fails to appear, so in practice it is a release with nothing down. More than two-thirds of Harris County misdemeanor cases in 2024 had bonds of one hundred dollars or less.

There are exceptions. A handful of carve-out categories, including family-violence assault, repeat DWI, violating a protective order or bond condition, and picking up a new charge while already on bond or probation, do not get automatic release and instead go before a magistrate for an individual bail decision. If your loved one falls into one of those, the amount is set case by case.

The Harris County felony bail guideline schedule

Felony bail is not fixed by a binding schedule. The Harris County district courts keep a guideline schedule that magistrates use as a starting point and routinely move up or down on the facts. These are the commonly cited guideline figures, not promises, and they are undated, so treat them as a rough reference only.

A judge can also deny bail outright on the most serious cases. Texas voters approved Proposition 3 in November 2025, which lets a court refuse bail for certain violent or sexual felonies when the state shows by clear and convincing evidence that the person is a flight or safety risk.

What people actually pay, and what it costs you

Real amounts run higher than the guideline because judges weigh the specific case. Independent analyses of Texas bail data put the overall average bond in Harris County at roughly fifteen thousand dollars, though figures vary widely by charge, source, and time period. As a rough sense of typical ranges, state-jail felonies often land in the low thousands, mid-level felonies in the tens of thousands, and first-degree cases well into six figures. What you actually pay is different from the bail itself: a bondsman charges a percentage of the bail, usually about ten percent, as a one-time fee. Our bail bond cost guide has a calculator that turns any bail amount into that fee.

How the judge decides (and how to change it)

Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure article 17.15, a magistrate sets bail high enough to reasonably assure the person returns to court, but not as an instrument of oppression, weighing the offense and any violence, the person’s ability to pay, the safety of the victim and community, and the criminal history. That is why the guideline is only a starting point. Our guide to how bail is set breaks the factors down. If the amount is too high, a defense attorney can ask for a lower bail, and if a judge grants a personal bond there is no premium at all. These figures are general information, not legal advice, and they change, so confirm the current amount for your case.

Houston Jail & Court Directory

Bail is set at the court handling the case and posted at the jail holding your loved one. Use the directory below for a Houston-area jail or court’s address, phone, or directions.

Houston Jail & Bail Guides

New to this? These plain-English guides walk through finding a loved one, how Harris County sets bail, and how to get someone released.

Common Bail Bond Questions

Quick answers to what Houston families ask us most, from cost and timing to holds and personal bonds.

Harris County Bail Amounts: FAQ

Families ask us the same things about what bail costs in Harris County. These are the questions that come up most about bond amounts and the schedule.