American Freedom Bail Bonds has been posting bail across Orange County since October 1997. We run three licensed offices — in Anaheim, Brea and La Habra — and a real person answers the phone 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

If someone you care about has just been arrested, you do not need to read this whole page. Call the office nearest you. In a few minutes we can usually tell you where they are being held, what the bail amount is, and what it will take to get them released.

Call the office nearest you

These are our three physical offices. All three serve the whole county, so if you are not sure which to call, any of them will help you.

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. California bail licence number 1841014.

What happens after an arrest in Orange County

Most people calling us have never dealt with the jail system before. The sequence is usually the same, and knowing it makes the wait far less frightening.

1. Arrest and transport. A city police department makes the arrest. Some cities hold people briefly in their own facility; others transport straight to county custody.
2. Booking. Fingerprints, photograph, property inventory and a records check. Booking commonly takes several hours, and no one can be bailed out until it is finished.
3. Bail is set. Most charges have a bail amount attached under the county bail schedule. Some do not, and some arrests carry a hold that prevents release regardless of money. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in.
4. The bond is posted. Once we have the paperwork signed and the bond posted at the correct facility, the jail begins the release process.
5. Release. Release timing is controlled by the jail, not by us. It can take anywhere from a couple of hours to considerably longer depending on how busy the facility is.
6. First court date. The arraignment happens at whichever justice center covers the city where the arrest occurred.

Orange County courthouses

Which courthouse handles a case depends on where the arrest took place. These are the Superior Court of California, County of Orange justice centers that hear criminal and traffic matters.

The Lamoreaux Justice Center at 341 The City Drive South in Orange handles juvenile and family matters rather than adult criminal cases.

Every justice center is a full security facility. You will pass through a weapons screening device and your belongings will be x-rayed. Knives, scissors, mace and pepper spray are not permitted, so leave them in your vehicle. Criminal and traffic divisions are generally open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Our three offices all sit inside the North Justice Center area — Anaheim, Brea and La Habra are three of the eight cities it serves. That is the corner of the county we know best.

Where people are held in Orange County

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department operates the county jail system. Which facility someone is in depends on where they were arrested and how far along the process is.

• Central Men’s and Women’s Jail / Intake Release Center — 550 N Flower St, Santa Ana. This is the county’s main booking and release point, and where most Orange County arrests are processed.
• Theo Lacy Facility — 501 The City Drive South, Orange.
• James A. Musick Facility — 13420 Alton Parkway, Irvine.

Several cities also operate their own short-term holding facilities before transferring people to county custody. If you are not certain where someone is, call us — locating a person in custody is one of the first things we do, and there is no charge for it.

What a bail bond costs

A bail bond premium is a percentage of the full bail amount, and the rate is governed by a schedule filed with the California Department of Insurance. Rather than quote a number here that may not fit your situation, we will give you the exact figure on the phone once we know the bail amount and the charge.

We offer payment plans and financing where the circumstances allow. If affordability is the thing standing in your way, say so on the call — it is a normal conversation for us and there are usually more options than people expect. You can review our payment options before you call.

The cities we serve

Our three offices are in Anaheim, Brea and La Habra. Those are the only locations where American Freedom Bail Bonds has a physical office.

We serve clients well beyond those three cities. Because bail is posted at the jail rather than at our office, we can help families throughout Orange County and into the neighbouring Los Angeles County communities near our La Habra office. Where we do not have an office, we say so plainly and tell you which of our three offices is handling your case.

See our service areas for the communities we cover, or our office locations for addresses and directions.

Why families call us

• Serving Southern California since 1997. Nearly three decades of working with these specific courts and jails.
• Three real offices. Anaheim, Brea and La Habra — not a call centre routing you somewhere else.
• Available 24/7. Arrests do not keep business hours, and neither do we.
• Licensed in California. Bail licence number 1841014.
• Straight answers. If a bond will not solve your problem, we will tell you that instead of taking your money.

You can read what our clients have said on our testimonials page, or learn more about our company.

What to do right now

1. Write down what you know — full name and date of birth of the person arrested, roughly when and where it happened, and which agency arrested them.
2. Call us. We will locate them and confirm the bail amount.
3. Have one person co-sign. Usually a family member with stable local ties. We will explain exactly what co-signing means before anyone commits.
4. Ask every question you have. There is no such thing as a stupid question at two in the morning, and we would much rather answer it now.

More answers are on our frequently asked questions page and in our California bail bond resources. If you would rather write to us first, use our contact page.

Anaheim, Brea and La Habra bail bonds

For details on each of our offices, including local police departments and directions:

• Bail bonds in Anaheim — 1055 N Harbor Blvd, (714) 520-2002
• Bail bonds in Brea — 1211 W Imperial Hwy #202, (657) 286-5038
• Bail bonds in La Habra — 510 E La Habra Blvd, (562) 690-8303

The charges we handle

Charge-specific guidance is under bail bond services — domestic violence, DUI, felony, misdemeanor, drug charges and warrants. Cost options are on payment plans.