Bail is the money a defendant must pay to get out of jail. A bond is posted on a defendant's behalf, usually by a bail bond company, to secure his or her release.
Avoid being held in jail by paying at court locations
If your arrest warrant has the option to pay bail or bond, you can avoid the process of being arrested and held in jail by paying your amount due at any of the three District Court Administration windows Monday-Friday between the business hours of 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (closed on holidays) at the following locations:
The person with the active arrest warrant does not need to appear in person to pay their bail or bond. Anyone can pay the amount due on behalf of that person.
Once you pay your bail or bond amount, your warrant will be deactivated and you will get a new court date.
Bail & bond payment options
The court locations can't accept electronic payment — only cash and bond issued by bonding agents are accepted.
At the Law Enforcement Center, there are kiosks in the lobby available 24/7 to accept cash bail or bond.
Some warrants require arrest
Some warrants require law enforcement to arrest and hold that person until they can be seen in court. This is called a “body only" warrant and means no bail amount is set until you are taken into custody.
If you turn yourself in on a body only warrant, you can generally expect to be held in custody until the court can review your case. This must happen within certain time limits established by law.
Find out bail amount
The Dakota County Warrant Search page lists the bail amount online. This information is on the rap sheet, where it shows Bail Amount. If the amount is listed as “Body Only," no bail amount is set, and you must be taken into custody.
Using bonding agents
Instead of cash bail, a person may choose to go through a bonding agent. If you would like to utilize a bonding agent, you may search for bonding agents online. The bonding agent will help you through their process.