The City describes San Clemente as “the southernmost city in Orange County” — incorporated in 1928 and spanning 18.45 square miles. Carry on south down Interstate 5 and you leave Orange County altogether.

That is the one thing worth establishing before anything else on a San Clemente call. An arrest on the far side of the county line is a San Diego County matter: a different sheriff, a different custody system, a different court and a separate countywide bail schedule. Search the wrong county and the record simply will not be there.

Who makes the arrest in San Clemente

San Clemente contracts its law enforcement to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The Sheriff dates the arrangement precisely: “San Clemente elected to become contract partners with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in July 1993 for law enforcement services.” The City confirms it contracts both police and fire services to the county. San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and Mission Viejo are policed the same way; so, further north, are Stanton, Villa Park and Yorba Linda.

• San Clemente Police Services — 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, CA 92673. The City and the Sheriff give the same address, and the station is genuinely in the city. It shares the address with City Hall.
• Station line, listed by the Sheriff: (949) 361-8225
• Non-emergency dispatch: (949) 770-6011 — this is the number the City itself prints on its police page, and it is answered around the clock. Also (714) 647-7000.
• (949) 361-8200 is City Hall, not the police. Same building, different desk.
• Emergencies: 911
• Report requests go to the Sheriff’s Support Services Division, P.O. Box 449, Santa Ana, (714) 834-6454

The Sheriff describes the assignment as five sergeants, four investigators and thirty-five patrol deputies — including two motorcycle traffic deputies and a school resource deputy — plus two office support personnel and four community services officers, providing “police records services at the San Clemente station.”

Records services are not bail services. Neither the City nor the Sheriff publishes any jail, booking, holding or bail function at Calle Negocio, and no counter hours are published for the station either. There is no city jail in San Clemente and nowhere local to hand over a bond. Where someone is held is a county matter, and no fixed sequence or timetable is published — confirm the actual location rather than assuming one.

Where a bond can actually be posted for a San Clemente arrest

Not in San Clemente, and not anywhere in south county. Under Penal Code section 1269b the officer in charge of the jail holding a person is among those authorised to approve and accept bail, and for an Orange County case the Sheriff lists only two places where that happens:

• Intake Release Center — 550 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana. Bonds accepted 24 hours a day. (714) 647-6085.
• Theo Lacy Facility — 501 The City Drive South, Orange. Bonds accepted daily 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (714) 935-6905.
• Bonds are not accepted at the James A. Musick Facility in Irvine. It is the nearest county jail to this end of the county, which is exactly why people drive there for nothing.

The Sheriff lists accepted payment as cash, bank cashier’s cheques, personal cheques presented with two forms of identification, money orders and traveller’s cheques — and cash only for a case in any court outside Orange County. On this page that last rule matters more than most: a San Diego County case is an out-of-county case. Details change, so ring the facility, or ring us on (714) 520-2002 and we will confirm before anyone drives anywhere.

How to find someone after a San Clemente arrest

Establish the county first, then search it. If Orange County Sheriff’s deputies made the arrest, start with the county inmate search; our guide to the Orange County jail system explains what the record does and does not show. If nothing appears, booking may still be in progress — check again rather than assuming an error. If the arrest happened south of the county line, the Orange County search will never show it, no matter how many times you refresh it. That is one reason a San Clemente family may not find someone.

How bail is set

Under Penal Code section 1269b, the superior court judges of each county must adopt and annually revise a uniform countywide bail schedule, and the officer in charge of the jail where a person is held is among those authorised to approve and accept bail. In practice the amount is frequently fixed before anyone appears in front of a judge. Because that authority sits with the facility rather than the court, posting on the schedule does not require waiting for a first appearance. We cannot promise how long any release takes.

Note the word countywide. Orange County and San Diego County maintain entirely separate schedules, so the same conduct can carry a different scheduled amount depending on which side of the boundary it happened.

Which courthouse handles the case

• Harbor Justice Center — 4601 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660
• Phone: (657) 622-5400
• Handles traffic, minor offences and criminal matters

Harbor serves more than twenty south county communities, including Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

Our nearest office to San Clemente

American Freedom Bail Bonds has no office in San Clemente. Our three physical offices are Anaheim, Brea and La Habra, in the north of the county. San Clemente is a service area we cover from them, principally Anaheim.

Because sheriff-policed arrests here are routed north to the county Intake Release Center in Santa Ana — where our agents already work daily — the distance matters far less than it looks. Paperwork can be completed electronically from anywhere.

Charges we are called about most

• DUI — Vehicle Code section 23152 sets 0.08% for most drivers and 0.04% for commercial drivers and those carrying passengers for hire.
• Public intoxication and similar offences.
• Domestic violence — Penal Code section 1270.1 requires a hearing in open court, on two court days’ written notice, before release on own recognisance or at a non-schedule amount for certain of these charges.
• Misdemeanours and felony charges — Penal Code section 17 draws the distinction, with the wobbler rule in section 17(b).
• Drug charges and warrants.
• All bail services and payment plans.

Nearby areas we also serve

• San Juan Capistrano — directly north, same courthouse and same sheriff contract
• Dana Point — up the coast, same courthouse
• Mission Viejo — inland, same courthouse
• Newport Beach — where the courthouse sits

See also Orange County bail bonds and our service areas.

Common questions

How do I know if this is Orange County or San Diego County?

Which agency made the arrest decides it. Orange County Sheriff’s deputies means an Orange County case, heard at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. An agency south of the line means San Diego County, with its own courts, jails and bail schedule. Tell us where it happened as precisely as you can.

Does the bail amount change between counties?

It can. Penal Code section 1269b requires each county’s judges to adopt their own uniform countywide schedule, and Orange and San Diego counties set theirs separately.

Why is there no San Clemente police station holding him?

Because the city contracts policing to the Orange County Sheriff and publishes no municipal jail or holding facility. Custody is a county matter from that point, and no fixed route or timetable is published — so use the inmate search to establish where the person actually is rather than assuming a destination.

You are in north county. Is that a problem?

Less than it looks. There is nowhere in San Clemente to post a bond in any event, and the two places in the county where the Sheriff does accept one are both in the north, where our agents already work daily. The paperwork is electronic.

Official sources

• City of San Clemente — Police Services (OCSD) and City Information (contract, station address, dispatch number, City Hall line)
• Orange County Sheriff’s Department — San Clemente patrol area and location directory (July 1993 contract date, assignment, station line, records services)
• Orange County Sheriff’s Department — cashier and bail information (Intake Release Center and Theo Lacy hours and accepted payment)
• Superior Court of California, County of Orange — Harbor Justice Center location and communities served
• California Penal Code sections 1269b, 1270.1 and 17; Vehicle Code section 23152

Where the City and the Sheriff publish different details we list both, labelled, rather than choosing one for you.

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Please note: American Freedom Bail Bonds is a licensed bail bond agency, not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and we cannot guarantee a bail amount, a release time, eligibility for release, or the outcome of any case. Court and jail information can change — always confirm details directly with the facility or the court. California bail licence 1841014.