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You must pay bail in full to be released from custody. The judge may also allow you to post bail in the form of a bond. If you pay bail using a 3rd party bail bondsman, the amount of the bond payment you make is set by the bail bondsman, not by the courts or the Department of Correction (DOC).

You can find out bail or bond amounts for specific inmates and learn how to pay bail.

You can pay bail online if the inmate is approved for credit card bail. You can also pay in person at some DOC facilities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can use the Inmate Lookup Service to find out bail or bond amounts for specific inmates. 

In order to look up an inmate's information, you will need their:

  • First and last name, or
  • New York State Identification (NYSID), or
  • Book and Case Number

The Inmate Lookup Service does not require the inmate's birth date.

To post bail, you must have personal identification and the inmate's New York State Identification (NYSID) or Book and Case number.

Payment Accepted

You can pay using:

  • United States cash
  • Cashier's check or Teller's check
  • Money order from one of the following:
    • Federal Express
    • U.S. Postal Service
    • Travelers Express Company
    • Western Union
    • A private bank
  • Credit or debit card

Personal checks are not accepted.

Cashier's checks, teller's checks, or money orders must be made payable to the "New York City Department of Correction."

The amount of each money order must not exceed $1,000. If the total bail amount is more than $1,000, you can pay with multiple money orders or a combination of money orders, checks, and cash.

The total amount you pay must exactly match the bail amount. No change will be provided.

Where to Pay Bail

You can pay bail in person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at any of the following DOC facilities:

Brooklyn Detention Complex (BKDC)
275 Atlantic Avenue 
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Manhattan Detention Complex (Also known as The Tombs)
125 White Street
New York, NY 10013

Queens Detention Complex
126-01 82nd Avenue
Kew Gardens, NY 11415

Vernon C. Bain Center (Also known as the Jail Barge or The Boat)
1 Halleck Street
Bronx, NY 10474

Rikers Island 
Central Visit Control Building 
1 East 1st Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

For individuals housed at Horizon Juvenile Center, bail may be paid at Horizon or at any of the above locations. However, Horizon cannot accept payments for individuals housed at other facilities.

Learn more about posting bail.

You can pay bail online if:

  • A judge has set credit card bail as a form of bail payment for that individual
  • The individual doesn't have any surety conditions, such as a surety interview 
  • DOC has logged the individual's bail conditions into their Inmate Lookup Service

Online bail payment is not available on subsequent court dates following arraignment. If you want to pay bail on any court date other than arraignment, you should pay directly at the courthouse's cashier window.

To pay bail online, you first need to look up the individual using their first and last name, or NYSID, or Book and Case Number, using the DOC Inmate Lookup Service. There may be a short waiting period after arraignment before the individual's information is logged into the system.

If bail is eligible to be paid online, clicking on the "Pay Bail" button on the "Inmate Details" page will take you to a new page where you can begin the transaction. If the "Pay Bail" button is grayed out, then the individual isn't eligible for online bail payment at this time, or their information has not yet been entered into the system.

The online payment system accepts credit and debit cards, and can be used to pay bails of any amount. You will be charged a non-refundable 2% fee per transaction.

If you have questions about whether an individual is eligible for bail, contact the individual's attorney.

Look up and pay bail for an inmate.

Learn more about posting bail.

The supervised release program allows defendants who have been arrested for misdemeanors or non-violent felonies to be released without having to pay bail. 

At the arraignment hearing, a defense attorney can ask the judge to assign defendants to this community supervision program while they wait for their case to finish. 

Defendants cannot apply for the program directly. You should consult with your attorney for more information.

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