American Freedom Bail Bonds - FAQs

A bail bond is a financial guarantee that allows a defendant to be released from jail while the case is pending. Instead of paying the full bail amount, you pay a licensed bail bond company — like American Freedom Bail Bonds — a premium, which is a percentage of the bail figure, and we post the bond with the jail or court. Our standard rate is 10%. The bail amount itself is not set by us: it comes from the countywide schedule adopted under Penal Code § 1269b, which each county’s superior court judges adopt and revise annually.

Yes. Bail is unexpected, so we offer flexible payment plans, low down payments and 0% interest options. No-collateral bonds are available depending on qualification and circumstances. All payment arrangements and no-collateral bonds are subject to approval. The application can be completed by phone. See payment plans and payment options.

It depends on the facility, the charge and how busy the jail is at that moment — and those three things vary far too much for an honest average.

City jails, the Orange County Intake Release Center and the Los Angeles County system each run different processes, and a transfer between them restarts intake. Los Angeles County also operates Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols, in effect since 1 October 2023, under which many misdemeanours and lower-level felonies are handled by citation or a magistrate’s review rather than a bail amount at all.

We will not quote you a release time before we know the booking status — anyone who does is guessing. What we can do, usually within a few minutes of your call, is confirm exactly which facility holds the person and what the scheduled bail is.

You do NOT need much. Usually:

• Defendant’s full name

• Date of birth

• Where they were arrested

• Bail amount (if known)

We can find the rest using inmate search tools.

Yes — domestic violence is among the most common charge families we are called about. The two we see most often are:

• PC 273.5 — corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition; includes strangulation and suffocation. A wobbler.
• PC 243(e)(1) — domestic battery. No visible injury is required. That is the whole difference between the two.

Release is often not straightforward in these cases, and that is statutory rather than discretionary: Penal Code § 1270.1 requires a hearing in open court, with two court days’ written notice to the prosecutor, before release on own recognisance or at an amount other than the scheduled one — for felony PC 273.5, PC 422 and any PC 273.6 violation. An Emergency Protective Order may also be in place.

Full detail: domestic violence bail bonds and what happens after a DV arrest.

We provide 24-hour bail bond services across Orange County and Los Angeles County. Our three physical offices are Anaheim, Brea and La Habra; everywhere else is a service area. See the full list of cities we serve.

Yes. The entire bail bond process can be done:

• By phone

• Online

• Through email or text

You don’t have to leave your home.

No. We charge the premium rate we have on file with the California Department of Insurance and nothing beyond it.

A practical tip that applies to any agency, including us: if someone quotes you a firm price before they know the bail amount and the charge, they are guessing. Ask for the filed rate and the full payment terms in writing before you sign anything.

We work with you immediately to help get them back on track. If needed, we coordinate with the court to avoid extra complications. Communication is key—we help guide you through the entire process.