The Contra Costa County bail schedule is the court-approved list of dollar amounts that jail staff use to set bail immediately after an arrest, before the defendant sees a judge. Default bail is $1,000 for any misdemeanor not specifically listed and $20,000 for any unlisted felony, with listed offenses ranging from a few thousand dollars for minor charges to well over $100,000 for serious violent crimes.1Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Contra Costa County Felony Bail Schedule The county’s superior court judges revise the schedule every year, and it applies uniformly at every booking facility in the county.
Where to Find the Current Schedule
The Superior Court publishes two separate PDFs — one for felonies, one for misdemeanors — on its website under the Criminal division at contracosta.courts.ca.gov. The most recent versions took effect on January 21, 2025.1Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Contra Costa County Felony Bail Schedule Because the court updates the schedule annually, a newer version may be available. Printed copies are also kept at county jail facilities for inspection. To look up bail for a specific charge, pull the correct PDF and search for the Penal Code section shown on the booking paperwork.
How Bail Gets Set at Booking
California Penal Code 1269b requires the superior court judges in each county to adopt and annually revise a uniform bail schedule covering all bailable felony and misdemeanor offenses.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1269b Once someone is booked into jail, the officer in charge looks up the charges on the schedule and sets bail at the listed amount. The arrested person can then post that amount in cash or through a surety bond and get out before ever seeing a judge.
The schedule amount controls as long as no warrant specifies a different amount and the person has not already appeared before a judge on the charge.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1269b
Misdemeanor Amounts
Misdemeanor bail follows a simple structure. The default for any offense classified as a misdemeanor is $5,000 unless a specific code section lists a different amount. For offenses not listed at all, bail drops to $1,000.3Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Contra Costa County Misdemeanor Bail Schedule Bail set for a listed code section applies to unlisted subsections of that code, but bail listed for a specific subsection does not carry over to other subdivisions.
Most misdemeanor charges fall somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000 in practice. Petty theft, simple assault, and many driving violations sit at the lower end. Repeat DUI charges and domestic violence charges tend to reach the higher end.
Felony Amounts
Felony numbers climb quickly. The default for any unlisted felony is $20,000, and listed offenses vary widely depending on the nature of the charge.1Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Contra Costa County Felony Bail Schedule Some representative amounts from the current schedule:
- Second-degree robbery (PC 211): $50,000
- First-degree robbery (PC 211): $100,000
- Residential burglary (PC 460(a)): $50,000
- Non-residential burglary (PC 460(b)): $20,000
- Assault with a deadly weapon (PC 245(a)(1)): $30,000
- Assault with a firearm (PC 245(a)(2)): $50,000
- DUI causing bodily injury (PC 23153): $50,000, plus $20,000 for each prior misdemeanor DUI
- DUI with three or more prior convictions (PC 23550): $100,000
These are base amounts for the primary charge only. Enhancements, priors, and additional counts can push the total considerably higher.
Enhancements That Add to the Base
An enhancement is an add-on to base bail triggered by specific conduct during the offense. The schedule lists these separately, and jail staff add them on top of whatever the primary charge requires. Firearm use is the most common trigger. Under Penal Code 12022.53, personally using a firearm during certain felonies carries an additional consecutive prison term, and the bail schedule attaches corresponding dollar increases.4California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 12022.53
Other frequent triggers include causing great bodily injury, committing the offense while on probation or parole, and possessing large quantities of controlled substances. A base bail of $50,000 can easily double once enhancements stack up. Every enhancement listed in the schedule is calculated during booking, so the number on the booking sheet often looks much larger than the base amount for the offense alone.1Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Contra Costa County Felony Bail Schedule
Bail When There Are Multiple Charges
Bail on more than one charge is not automatically the sum of every count. The schedule generally follows a highest-offense approach: the amount is set based on the most serious single charge rather than stacking every count from the same incident. The schedule specifically states that bail shall not be stacked when Penal Code 654(a) would prohibit multiple punishments for those offenses.3Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Contra Costa County Misdemeanor Bail Schedule If two charges arise from a single act against a single victim, you don’t pay bail on both. The exception is charges involving separate victims or separate occasions, where the schedule may require bail for each incident to be added together. Jail staff work through this arithmetic during booking.
When Bail Can Be Denied Outright
Not every arrested person has a right to bail. The California Constitution allows a court to deny bail entirely in three situations:5Justia Law. California Constitution Article I Section 12
- Capital crimes, when the facts are evident or the presumption of guilt is great.
- Violent or sexual assault felonies, when the evidence is strong and the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that release would create a substantial likelihood of great bodily harm to others.
- Felonies involving threats of great bodily harm, when the evidence is strong and the court finds the person would likely carry out the threat if released.
The bail schedule does not apply in these categories. The decision rests with the judge after a hearing.
What a Judge Can Do at the First Court Appearance
The scheduled amount only controls until the first court appearance. After that, the judge takes over. Under Penal Code 1269c, a magistrate or judge can set bail at any amount deemed sufficient to ensure the defendant returns to court and to protect victims, or release the defendant on their own recognizance with no money bail.6California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1269c
Penal Code 1275 adds a restriction: before a court reduces bail below the scheduled amount for a serious or violent felony, the judge must find “unusual circumstances” and state those facts on the record. Simply showing up for all prior court dates or not committing new offenses doesn’t qualify.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1275
Ability to Pay Under Humphrey
The California Supreme Court’s 2021 decision in In re Humphrey changed how judges set bail statewide. The court held that a judge cannot set bail at an amount that effectively keeps someone locked up just because they can’t afford to pay. Before imposing money bail, the court must make an individualized determination that considers the person’s actual financial resources. If the person can’t afford the amount, the judge must consider whether less restrictive conditions, such as electronic monitoring or check-ins, would adequately protect public safety and ensure court appearances. Pretrial detention itself requires clear and convincing evidence that no condition short of detention would serve the government’s interests.8Supreme Court of California. In re Kenneth Humphrey on Habeas Corpus The scheduled amount is a starting point, not the final answer.
Own-Recognizance Release
Penal Code 1270 gives judges authority to release a defendant on their own recognizance, with no money bail required, for any non-capital offense. For misdemeanors, the defendant is entitled to OR release unless the court specifically finds on the record that release would compromise public safety or that the person is unlikely to appear.9California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1270 Many people facing misdemeanor charges assume they must post the full scheduled bail. An attorney can request OR release at arraignment, and judges grant it routinely for lower-level charges.
Paying: Cash or Bail Bond
There are two ways to post bail. Pay the full amount in cash directly to the court or jail, or hire a bail bond company. Most people use a bond because the upfront cost is lower. A bail bondsman charges a premium, typically around 10% of the total bail, and posts a surety bond for the full amount.10California Department of Insurance. Bail Bonds
The critical difference is refunds. Cash bail is refundable. If the defendant makes every court appearance and the case concludes, the full amount is returned, minus any court-ordered fees or fines. The bail bond premium is not refundable. That 10% is the bondsman’s fee for taking on the risk, and you don’t get it back regardless of outcome. On a $50,000 bail, that’s $5,000 gone. For lower amounts, cash is often the smarter play if you can cover it.
Source-of-Funds Holds
If the prosecution has reason to believe the money being used for bail came from criminal activity, a hold can be placed under Penal Code 1275.1. This is common in drug and fraud cases where the alleged conduct itself involves large sums. When a 1275.1 hold is in place, bail cannot be posted until the defendant gets a hearing and shows that the funds were lawfully obtained. The burden is on the defendant to prove the money is clean, not on the prosecution to prove it isn’t. If the court doesn’t act on the hold within 24 hours of placing it, the hold must be released.
Forfeiture and Getting Cash Bail Back
If a defendant fails to appear without a valid excuse, the court declares the bail forfeited. For amounts over $400, the clerk must mail notice of forfeiture to the surety or depositor within 30 days.11California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1305 If the clerk misses that deadline, the bail obligation is released entirely.
After forfeiture, there is a 180-day window to fix things. If the defendant voluntarily appears, is surrendered by the bail agent, or is arrested within that period, the court must vacate the forfeiture and exonerate the bond.11California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1305 The 180 days can be tolled by a temporary disability such as serious illness, involuntary military detention, or incapacitation that prevents court appearance. If the defendant is permanently unable to appear, such as by death, the forfeiture is vacated as well, provided the absence wasn’t arranged by the bail agent.
When a case ends normally and the defendant made every required appearance, cash bail is exonerated and refunded. The process typically takes several weeks after the case concludes. Keep the original bail receipt; you’ll need it to claim the refund.