Bail Questions • Jail Records and Holds • Arizona
What Happens When Someone Is Arrested at a City Jail and Transferred to County Jail?
When city police arrest someone in the Valley, the person is booked at that city's holding facility first.
Quick answer
When city police arrest someone in the Valley, the person is booked at that city's holding facility first. Misdemeanor arrestees often see a judge and are released from there, while felony arrestees and anyone with a hold are moved to the 4th Avenue Jail, usually within hours, and get a new county booking number.
Why city police book at a city facility first
Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe and most other Valley cities run their own short-term holding facilities for arrests by their police departments. An officer takes the person there for the first booking: identification, fingerprints, photo, property. For a misdemeanor the city facility is often the whole story. The person sees a judge, release conditions are set, and they are released from the city facility or cited out, frequently within hours.
Felony arrests work differently. The city facility is a waypoint, not a destination. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office runs the county jails, and felony cases go to the county system for the initial appearance and any pretrial custody. The same is true for a misdemeanor arrestee who has a hold, such as a warrant from another court. Our jails hub lists each facility and what it does.
Who gets transferred to 4th Avenue and when
Felony arrestees and anyone with a hold are transported from the city facility to the 4th Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix, usually within hours of the city booking. There the person is booked again by the Sheriff's Office and waits for the initial appearance, which under Rule 4.1 happens within 24 hours of arrest at the Initial Appearance Court inside the same complex.
The judge sets release conditions under A.R.S. 13-3967 at that hearing. If the person is released on own recognizance or after a bond posts, they leave from 4th Avenue. If not, they are moved to a housing unit at the Durango complex: Lower Buckeye, Estrella for women, Towers or Watkins. Overnight and weekend transfers run slower because booking volume is highest then, so a Friday night city arrest may not show on the county record until Saturday morning.
The booking number changes and the record moves
The city facility assigns its own booking number. When the person reaches 4th Avenue, the Sheriff's Office assigns a new county booking number, and the record you need is now the MCSO inmate record, not the city's. It appears a few hours after county booking and shows the charges; the bond amount is added after the initial appearance. Search by full legal name and date of birth rather than by the city number, which will not match.
During the gap between city booking and county booking, the person can seem to vanish from every system. That is normal. The city record closes, the county record has not opened yet, and the transport van is somewhere in between. The MCSO inmate search catches up within hours; if it has not, the jail information line at (602) 876-0322 can confirm whether the person has arrived.
Where the bond gets posted
Location decides where the bond goes. A misdemeanor city bond is posted at the city facility or the city court that set it, and city facilities release quickly, often within an hour or two. A county bond is posted at the 4th Avenue Jail Bond and Fine Room, 201 S 4th Avenue, Phoenix, open 24 hours, and releases from 4th Avenue usually take two to eight hours.
A bond sent to the wrong facility does not release anyone, so a licensed agent confirms where the person actually is before posting. The premium is the same either way, typically 10% under rates filed with DIFI, and the cosigner signs electronically from anywhere. If the person was still at the city facility when the family called but has since moved, the agent follows the transfer and posts at the county. See how bail bonds work for the sequence.
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Related Questions
How long does a transfer from a city jail to the 4th Avenue Jail take?
Usually a few hours, though overnight and weekend arrests can take longer because booking volume is highest then. The initial appearance must still happen within 24 hours of the arrest. The county record appears a few hours after the person is booked at 4th Avenue.
Can you bail someone out of a city jail in Phoenix?
Yes, on a misdemeanor city case. The bond is posted at the city facility or the city court that set it, and city facilities release faster than the county, often within an hour or two. Felony arrestees are moved to the county, and the bond is posted there instead.
Why can't I find the person on the MCSO inmate search?
Either they are still at the city facility and have not been booked into the county yet, or the county record has not posted; it lags a few hours behind booking. Search by full legal name and date of birth, and call the jail information line if nothing appears after several hours.
Does bail get set at the city jail or the county jail?
For a felony or a case with a hold, at the Initial Appearance Court in the 4th Avenue Jail complex within 24 hours of arrest. For a misdemeanor city case, a judge often sets conditions at the city facility, and the person may be released from there without ever reaching the county.
What if the bond was posted at the wrong facility?
It does not release anyone, which is why a licensed agent confirms the person's location and the court before posting. If the person was transferred after the family called, the agent follows the move. Call One Stop Bail Bonds any hour and an agent will walk you through it.