24/7 Bail Bonds & Inmate Search — California · Texas · Licensed · Insured
Alameda County's Primary Detention Facility
Santa Rita Jail
The third-largest county jail in California and the fifth-largest in the country — and the single destination for nearly every adult booking in Alameda County. Available 24 hours a day.
Table Of Contents
Facility Overview
What Santa Rita Jail actually is, and what happens there.
Hours & Visiting
The countywide visiting policy and the numbers that reach a person.
Reviews
What Alameda County families say after the bond was posted.
Bail Options & Charges We Handle
All 19 California charge pages and all 9 payment structures.
Booking & Custody Process
The real sequence from arrest to release.
How To Post Bail Here
The statutes behind the number, and what we confirm first.
Nearby Courthouses
Where the case is heard once someone is in custody.
Which Cities Route Here
Every Alameda County city and community page.
Related Facilities
The other Alameda County custody facilities.
Facility FAQs
The questions families ask most about this facility.
Santa Rita Jail — Facility Overview
Santa Rita Jail is Alameda County's primary detention facility — the third-largest county jail in California and the fifth-largest in the United States, sometimes referred to as a 'mega jail.' It opened in 1989 with a design capacity of 3,489, larger than many California state prisons, and it has been recognized as one of the most technologically innovative jails in the world.
The facility houses both male and female inmates across housing units for multiple security classifications, from maximum to minimum. Unlike counties that split custody across many smaller facilities by classification type, Alameda concentrates nearly all of its county-level custody here.
That structure has one practical consequence for families: nearly all adult bookings across Alameda County — regardless of whether the arrest was made by an independent city department or by the Sheriff's Office directly — are processed toward this facility. A separate downtown Oakland facility, Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility, is closed, with custody consolidated here.
At A Glance
- Address
- 5325 Broder Boulevard, Dublin, CA 94568
- Custody Line
- (925) 551-6500
- Opened
- 1989
- Design Capacity
- 3,489 — larger than many California state prisons
- Operated By
- Alameda County Sheriff's Office
- Inmate Search
- ACSO online inmate locator, or call us and we run it for you
Hours & Visiting
Custody & Booking Line
(925) 551-6500 — the facility's main line for custody information.
Visiting
The specific visiting schedule is not independently confirmed this pass. Confirm the current policy directly with the Sheriff's Office before making the trip to Dublin.
Inmate Information
Available through the Alameda County Sheriff's Office online inmate locator, or by phone.
Contact
- Custody line: (925) 551-6500
- Inmate information: ACSO online inmate locator
- 5325 Broder Boulevard, Dublin, CA 94568
- Call the custody line before driving to Dublin — housing assignments and release status change by the hour.
- The ACSO inmate locator is the source of record for who is currently in county custody.
- If a search comes back empty in the first hours after a city-police arrest, the transfer into county custody may simply not be complete yet.
What We Have Not Confirmed
- — Santa Rita's current visiting schedule has not been independently confirmed — verify it directly with ACSO before visiting.
- — Whether the East County Hall of Justice — located in the same city as the jail — specifically handles cases from this facility has not been independently confirmed.
- — Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility in downtown Oakland is closed; if older paperwork references it, the person is almost certainly at Santa Rita now.
Official Sources
Everything above traces to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office directly. We do not treat third-party jail directories as a source of record for an address or a policy.
What Families Say
“They confirmed my husband was already at Santa Rita before I drove all the way to Dublin. I would have shown up at the wrong place in Oakland.”
Marisol R. · Alameda County, CA
“Called after midnight and someone picked up who knew the booking process. Straight numbers, no pressure, everything signed from my phone.”
Devon T. · Alameda County, CA
“They wrote down the next court date and explained what happens if it's missed. Nobody else took the time to do that.”
Angela P. · Alameda County, CA
Bail Options & Charges We Handle
California bail premiums are set by the rate filed with the Department of Insurance under Insurance Code §1800 and run 10% of the face amount of the bond. Qualifying cosigners can start as low as 1% down on a written payment plan.
| Bail Amount | 10% Premium | As Low As 1% Down |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $500 | $50 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 | $100 |
| $25,000 | $2,500 | $250 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 | $500 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $250,000 | $25,000 | $2,500 |
California Charge Pages
DUI / DWI Bail Bonds
24-hour bail for drunk-driving arrests under Vehicle Code §23152.
Domestic Violence Bail Bonds
Bail and protective-order guidance for PC §273.5 and §243(e)(1) cases.
Drug Possession & Drug Charge Bail Bonds
Bail for possession, sales, trafficking, and prescription-related cases.
Theft Bail Bonds
Bail for petty theft, grand theft, shoplifting, and receipt of stolen property.
Burglary Bail Bonds
Bail for first-degree, second-degree, and auto burglary under PC §459.
Robbery Bail Bonds
Bail for armed and unarmed robbery charges under PC §211.
Warrant Bail Bonds
Clear bench warrants and arrest warrants fast without unnecessary jail time.
Elder Abuse Bail Bonds
Bail for financial, physical, or neglect-based elder abuse charges.
Manslaughter Bail Bonds
Bail for voluntary, involuntary, and vehicular manslaughter under PC §192.
Murder Charge Bail Bonds
Bail for first-degree and second-degree murder charges under PC §187.
Misdemeanor Bail Bonds
Bail for misdemeanors with quick release and flexible payment plans.
Felony Bail Bonds
Bail for felony charges and serious criminal allegations.
Traffic & Vehicle Code Bail Bonds
Bail for reckless driving, hit-and-run, and suspended-license arrests.
Assault & Battery Bail Bonds
Bail for simple battery, assault, and aggravated assault cases.
Failure To Appear (FTA) Bail Bonds
Bail for FTA warrants and missed court dates.
Probation Violation Bail Bonds
Bail for technical and substantive probation violations.
Weapons Charge Bail Bonds
Bail for illegal firearm, concealed carry, and weapons allegations.
Federal Charge Bail Bonds
Bail for federal court charges and pretrial release.
Immigration Bonds
Bonds for ICE detainers and immigration court proceedings.
Payment & Financing Options
1% Bail Bonds
Start the bail process for a fraction of the standard premium.
2% Bail Bonds
Low down-payment option for qualified cosigners and collateral.
24-Hour Bail Bonds
Bonds posted any time, day or night, including weekends and holidays.
Affordable Bail Bonds
Payment plans designed to fit most budgets and credit profiles.
Cosigner Bail Bonds
Use a qualified cosigner to strengthen the application and lower upfront cost.
No-Collateral Bail Bonds
Signature-release options when qualifying employment and residence criteria are met.
No Money Down Bail Bonds
Deferred-down arrangements that let release move forward immediately.
Online Bail Bonds
Complete paperwork, payment, and signatures digitally from any location.
1275 Hold Bail Bonds
Specialized bonds for PC 1275 holds requiring a source-of-funds hearing.
Booking & Custody Process
Alameda County concentrates custody in a way most counties don't — Santa Rita is effectively the single destination, so the sequence below ends here regardless of where in the county the arrest happened.
Arrest and initial holding
Thirteen of Alameda County's fourteen cities run their own police departments, so most arrests start with a city department's own holding and processing. Only Dublin is policed by the Sheriff's Office directly.
Transfer to county custody
Anyone not cited and released is transferred into the Sheriff's Office jail system — which in Alameda County means Santa Rita Jail. This transfer is why an early county custody search can come back empty.
Booking and classification
At Santa Rita, staff take fingerprints, photographs, and property, run warrants checks, and assign a housing classification from maximum to minimum security.
Bail is set
Bail is usually set from the countywide bail schedule adopted under Penal Code §1269b, before anyone sees a judge. That schedule figure is what the bond is written against.
Court transport
Arraignment happens while the person is in custody, with transport between the jail and the assigned courthouse. A judge can raise, lower, or attach conditions to bail at that hearing.
Release
Once a bond is posted and accepted, release processing runs from the same facility. We confirm the expected release window so nobody waits in the wrong place.
How To Post Bail At Santa Rita Jail
Because Santa Rita is effectively the county's single custody destination, the question is rarely which facility — it's the exact housing status and the current bail amount. We confirm both before anything is signed.
Bail Is Set At Booking
Under Penal Code §1269b, the county bail schedule fixes an amount at booking, before anyone sees a judge. That is the figure the bond is written against.
Penal Code §1269bThe Court Can Change It
Penal Code §1270.1 requires a hearing before release on certain serious charges, and a judge can raise, lower, or attach conditions at arraignment.
Penal Code §1270.1The Premium Is Regulated
Insurance Code §1800 governs bail premiums in California — 10% of the bond, with as low as 1% down for qualifying cosigners on a written plan.
Insurance Code §1800Before Anything Is Signed
Give us a full legal name and date of birth and we confirm the exact facility and the current bail amount before posting. In Alameda County that usually means confirming the transfer into Santa Rita Jail is complete, since nearly every city arrests through its own department first. The Sheriff's Office does not recommend or direct families to any bail agent — that choice is yours.
Nearby Courthouses
One courthouse sits in the same city as the jail itself. Whether it specifically handles every case booked here is a separate question — and one the court does not answer publicly.
East County Hall of Justice
5151 Gleason Drive, Dublin, CA 94568
Physically located in Dublin — the same city as Santa Rita Jail — and listed by Alameda County Superior Court as its East County location. Whether this specific courthouse handles cases from this jail specifically has not been independently confirmed; the courthouse named on the notice to appear governs.
East County Hall of Justice guideWhich Cities Route Here
Every one of Alameda County's 14 cities and 5 unincorporated communities routes its county-custody bookings here. Each city page below covers its own police department, courthouse status, and booking timeline.
Santa Rita Jail sits inside the city of Dublin — alongside Dublin Police Services and the East County Hall of Justice, the tightest police-court-jail cluster in the county.Bail Bonds Dublin Dublin is the county's only ACSO contract city, policed by Dublin Police Services — minutes from this facility.Dublin Police ServicesSanta Rita Jail Bail FAQs
Is Santa Rita Jail the main jail for all of Alameda County?
Yes. Alameda County concentrates nearly all county-level adult custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, no matter which city the arrest happened in. Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility in downtown Oakland is closed.
How do I know if my family member is at Santa Rita or somewhere else?
Run the ACSO online inmate locator, or call us with a full legal name and date of birth and we run it for you. In the first hours after a city-police arrest, an empty search usually just means the transfer into county custody isn't complete yet.
How large is Santa Rita Jail compared to other county jails?
It's the third-largest county jail in California and the fifth-largest in the United States, with a design capacity of 3,489 — larger than many California state prisons.
What do I need to post bail here?
A full legal name and date of birth. We confirm the exact housing status and current bail amount directly, then the premium is 10% of the bond under California Insurance Code §1800 — with as low as 1% down for qualifying cosigners on a written payment plan.
Which courthouse will the case be heard at?
The East County Hall of Justice sits in Dublin, the same city as the jail, and is the strongest candidate — but the court does not publish a per-facility assignment. The courthouse printed on the notice to appear is the authority, and we read it with you when the bond is posted.
Talk To A Licensed Agent Right Now
We answer around the clock, we confirm which facility is actually holding your person before anyone drives, and we put the next court date in writing.