The Orange County Jail system is run by the Sheriff's Department, and its Intake Release Center at 550 North Flower Street in Santa Ana processes everyone booked into or released from it. If someone arrested in Anaheim or elsewhere is in county custody, find the booking number in the Sheriff's Inmate Information System, then call Inmate Records at (714) 647-4666 to confirm the bail before paying.
Details here come from the Sheriff's and court's own pages, read November 6, 2026; the firm's Orange County criminal court guide covers the county's courts and prosecutors. For defense of an Anaheim case, see the firm's Anaheim criminal defense lawyer and Anaheim DUI lawyer pages.
How do I find someone in Orange County Jail?
Look the person up in the Sheriff's Inmate Information System, write down the booking number, and confirm the details with Inmate Records before you pay anything.
- Open the Sheriff's Inmate Information System and create an account with an email address and password on its Public Services Portal; the Sheriff requires sign-in to use it.
- Search for the person and write down the booking number. Visits, deposits, mail and bail all use it.
- Note the housing facility if the results show it, since visits are booked with that facility. Do not expect charges: the Sheriff says the system does not show them.
- Call Inmate Records at (714) 647-4666 to verify the full name, booking number and full bail amount, and which payment methods are accepted.
- Allow time: the Sheriff's jail FAQ says bail information is usually available two to three hours after booking.
If the search does not find the person, they may be in a city jail: the court's court appearance page says an arrested person is held at a city or county jail facility and suggests asking the arresting agency.
Which Orange County jail facility is the person in?
The Sheriff lists four jail facilities, and public visits are set up with whichever one houses the person.
| Facility | Address | Phone | Public visiting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intake Release Center (IRC) | 550 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703 | (714) 647-6063 | Friday to Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; appointments at (714) 647-6050 |
| Central Men's and Women's Jails | 550 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703 | (714) 647-4666 | Friday to Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; appointments at (714) 647-4543 |
| Theo Lacy Facility | 501 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868 | (714) 935-6940 | Friday to Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; appointments at (714) 935-6202 |
| James A. Musick Facility | 13420 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618 | (949) 855-2600 | Friday to Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; no appointment currently required; information at (949) 249-5059 |
How do I post bail at the Orange County Jail?
Pay cash bail at the Intake Release Center's jail cashier, open 24 hours, or post a bail bond there at any hour or at the Theo Lacy Facility from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily.
| How you pay | Where and when | Rules on the Sheriff's cashier page |
|---|---|---|
| Cash, money order or traveler's check | IRC Jail Cashiering, 550 North Flower Street, Santa Ana; 24 hours; (714) 647-6085 | Traveler's checks must be signed in front of a cashier, for the exact amount, with satisfactory identification |
| Bank cashier's check | IRC Jail Cashiering, 24 hours | Verified with the issuing bank (bring the bank employee's business card); exact amount; payable to the County of Orange Sheriff's Department, worded as the cashier page shows |
| Personal check | IRC Jail Cashiering, 24 hours | Two forms of identification; California bank with a California address; printed name and address must match the payer's California driver's license or ID card; up to $7,500 per checking account; payable to the court |
| Bail bond | IRC, 24 hours; Theo Lacy Facility, 501 The City Drive South, Orange, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily, (714) 935-6905 | The person bringing the bond is fingerprinted and identified unless a licensed bond agent; the Sheriff cannot recommend a bail agent |
Company or business checks are not accepted, and the Sheriff says bail for certain defendants must be paid in cash or by check only, another reason to call Inmate Records first. Once bail is posted, the person must be discharged from custody on that offense under Penal Code section 1269b(g), and the Sheriff says release takes about four hours on average, from as little as two to as much as six.
How is the bail amount set, and can a judge change it?
Before the first court appearance the amount comes from the arrest warrant or the court's countywide schedule, and at that appearance the judge decides bail and release terms.
The court's 2026 Uniform Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2026, fixes the amount on which a person arrested without a warrant may be released before seeing a judge (Penal Code section 1269b(b) and (c)). A misdemeanor defendant arraigned in custody is entitled to release on own recognizance unless the judge finds on the record that it would compromise public safety or not reasonably assure appearance (section 1270(a)), and public safety is the primary consideration in any bail decision (section 1275(a)(1)). For serious or violent felonies other than residential burglary, and certain listed offenses, release on anything other than the scheduled amount, including own recognizance, requires a hearing in open court first (section 1270.1(a)), except that subdivision (e) lets a judge raise bail above the schedule without a hearing on a sworn peace officer's declaration of facts. When money bail is necessary, the California Supreme Court held in In re Kowalczyk (April 30, 2026) that it must be reasonable, which as a general matter means reasonably attainable for the defendant. See the firm's guide to how bail amounts are set.
When will the person see a judge, and where?
A person held in custody must be taken before a judge without unnecessary delay, and in any event within 48 hours after arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays (Penal Code section 825(a)(1)).
If the 48 hours end while court is not in session, the deadline runs through the next court session (section 825(a)(2)). The court lists select misdemeanor arraignments, misdemeanor probation violations and felony complaint arraignments from the Central, Harbor and North Justice Centers for Department CJ1, a courtroom inside the Men's Central Jail complex. A released defendant appears where the paperwork says: the court's North Justice Center page, 1275 North Berkeley Avenue, Fullerton, (657) 622-5600, lists Anaheim among the cities it serves; the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, (657) 622-6878, hears various felony hearings for all cities; and the West Justice Center in Westminster, (657) 622-5900, serves cities such as Huntington Beach and Garden Grove. To learn when someone in custody goes to court, the Sheriff's FAQ says to call the court. For later steps, see the firm's guide to what happens after an Orange County arrest.
How do visits, money, mail and phone calls work?
Each person in custody can have four public visits a week, one a day from Friday through Monday, and three of the four facilities take visits by appointment only.
Book by phone with the booking number at least 24 hours ahead (IRC and Central Jail lines 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, Theo Lacy daily), and bring valid government-issued photo ID; up to two adults and two minors may visit together. For a jail account, the IRC cashier (24 hours) and Theo Lacy cashier (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, (714) 935-6905) take cash and money orders, money orders can also be mailed, and government checks must be mailed; funds become available about 30 minutes after a deposit, and an account can hold no more than $500. Mail goes to the facility with the person's name and booking number: 550 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703 for the IRC and Central Jails; 501 City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868 for Theo Lacy; 13420 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618 for Musick. Phone calls and video visits run through an outside vendor, ViaPath Technologies, and all are subject to monitoring and recording; an attorney's number must be vetted and approved for private attorney-client calls.
Where is the firm's Anaheim office?
This page is the firm's Anaheim location page, and its Anaheim office is listed below.
Law Offices of David S. Chesley, Inc.
160 North Riverview Dr, Suite 200Anaheim, CA 92808
(714) 576-2861
Call to confirm the appointment address before visiting.
This location page is reachable from the firm's home page and its directory of California office locations.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find out what the person is charged with?
Not in the Sheriff's system, which does not show charges. Once a case is filed, the court's online case and calendar information shows it, and the court's appearance page also points to the District Attorney's office and the arresting agency.
Can I drop off clothes, books or other items?
Not as packages: the Sheriff says packages or mail cannot be dropped off at any facility, and books or magazines must come from the publisher or an approved online retailer. Clothes can be swapped with a clothing exchange form the person agrees to, and glasses without metal frames, or contact lenses, can be brought to the Central Men's Jail Attorney Bonds Area.
Can a lawyer visit right after an arrest?
Yes. Penal Code section 825(b) lets any attorney entitled to practice in California courts visit the person at the request of that person or any relative.
What happens to the bail if the person misses court?
The court must declare it forfeited if the person fails to appear without sufficient excuse, but the forfeiture is vacated and the bond exonerated if the person appears in court within 180 days of the forfeiture, or of the mailing of the notice when one is required (Penal Code section 1305(a) and (c)(1)).
Can I visit if I was recently released from custody myself?
The Sheriff bars visitors released within the preceding 60 days, except that a parent, sibling or spouse may be allowed with Watch Commander approval. Separately, Penal Code section 4571 makes it a felony for a person previously convicted of a felony who served time in state prison to come onto jail grounds without the consent of the officer in charge; the Sheriff offers a Parolee/Felon Request to Visit form in the jail lobby.
What if the bail is for a case in another county?
The Sheriff's cashier page says bail for all courts outside Orange County must be paid in cash.
