Jail Transfers — City Jail to County Custody

Most arrests in Orange County and Los Angeles County begin at a city police facility and, if the person is not released quickly, continue at a county facility. The handover is called a transfer, and it is the single most common reason a family loses track of someone mid-search.

The route, in both counties

Why a city jail transfers someone at all

City facilities are built for short stays. Anaheim’s, Costa Mesa’s and most others are Type I facilities: under California Code of Regulations, Title 15, § 1006 a Type I facility holds people for not more than 96 hours, excluding holidays, after booking. Costa Mesa describes its own typical stay as 24 to 48 hours.

So a transfer is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is what happens when a case is not resolved inside the city facility’s window.

What a transfer does to your search

• Nobody is searchable in transit. A person in a transport van has left one roster and not yet joined another.
• The county systems lag. Los Angeles publishes no record for the first two hours after a booking; Orange County publishes no figure and does not show charges at all.
• The booking number may change. Ask for the county booking number once the transfer completes.

See Orange County inmate search and Los Angeles County inmate search.

What a transfer does to a bond

This is the practical question. A bond is posted against a specific bail amount on a specific case, at whichever facility holds the person. If a transfer happens mid-process:

• The bail amount does not change simply because the person moved.
• The paperwork follows the person. A competent agency tracks the move rather than restarting.
• The release point changes. In Los Angeles County releases happen at the Inmate Reception Center regardless of which housing facility the person was in.
• The wait usually gets longer, because a county intake centre processes far more releases than a city jail.

Can a transfer be avoided?

Sometimes, and it is the strongest argument for moving quickly. If the bond is posted and the release authorised inside the city jail’s window, the person walks out there rather than being driven to county intake and joining a much longer queue. That is a difference of hours, not minutes.

Questions we get asked most

Why did someone disappear from the inmate search?

Most often because they are being transferred between facilities. A person in transit has left one roster and not yet appeared on another.

How long can a city jail hold someone before transfer?

Most are Type I facilities, which under Title 15 section 1006 hold people for not more than 96 hours excluding holidays after booking. Actual stays are usually far shorter.

Does a transfer change the bail amount?

No. The bail comes from the charge, not from the building. What changes is where the release is processed and how long it takes.

Where will someone be released from in Los Angeles County?

Through the Inmate Reception Center at 450 Bauchet Street, regardless of which housing facility they were held in.

Related resources

The booking process · How long release takes · Find an inmate · Orange County jails · Los Angeles County jails · Arraignment · All bail services