You look up a relative's bail and the number says $0. The pre-arraignment release protocol sorts arrests made without a warrant into four tracks, and only some of those tracks end with your relative walking out.
A bond covers money bail and nothing else, so your first job is to learn which track your relative's charge falls on.
Quick answer: The pre-arraignment release protocol is Los Angeles County's rulebook for arrests made without a warrant. Many lower-level charges carry $0 bail, and police release the person after a citation or booking, or a judge reviews the case first. Serious or violent felonies and domestic battery keep money bail, which is the only bail a bond covers.
What Is the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol?
It is a set of release rules inside the Los Angeles Superior Court's felony and misdemeanor bail schedules. Since October 1, 2023, they tell police and jailers who goes home before arraignment, the first court hearing, and who must see a judge or post bail. Judges are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The $0 listings are what people mean by LA County zero bail.
The schedules cite In re Humphrey, a 2021 California Supreme Court decision holding that freedom cannot hinge on the ability to afford bail alone. Pomona Police and the Pomona City Jail work from the same tracks as any other agency in the county.
Which Four Outcomes Can an Arrest Lead To?
Listed charges land on one of three $0 tracks or carry a dollar amount, except capital crimes and other offenses the schedules bar from release before arraignment. Example charges come from the 2026 schedules, and exceptions can change any row.
| Track | What happens | Example charges |
|---|---|---|
| Cite and Release (CR), $0 | An officer hands over a citation listing a court date. No jail booking. | Petty theft (PC 488); interfering with an officer (PC 148(a)(1)); misdemeanor drug possession (HS 11350) |
| Book and Release (BR), $0 | Jail staff book the person, who leaves on a written promise to appear. | Misdemeanor DUI (VC 23152); battery (PC 243(a)); shoplifting (PC 459.5); sale of controlled substances (HS 11352) |
| Magistrate Review (MR), $0 scheduled | A judge reviews after booking and may release, release with conditions, or hold until arraignment. | DUI causing injury (VC 23153); criminal threats as a misdemeanor (PC 422); felon with a firearm (PC 29800) |
| Money bail | The schedule sets a dollar amount. Post it or stay in custody until arraignment or an open-court hearing. | Domestic battery (PC 243(e)(1)), $20,000; felony deadly-weapon assault (PC 245(a)(1)), $30,000; inflicting corporal injury on a partner, felony version (PC 273.5), $50,000 |
Unlisted felonies default to Book and Release unless they are Penal Code 1270.1 offenses; unlisted misdemeanors default to Cite and Release. A bond on money bail carries a 10% premium (bail bond cost in Pomona). For one charge type in depth, open our felony, misdemeanor, DUI or domestic violence page, or see the Los Angeles County bail schedule guide.
Does Zero Bail Mean My Relative Walks Out?
Yes on Cite and Release and Book and Release, where the person leaves on a written promise to appear, unless an exception below sets bail or sends the arrest to a magistrate. Magistrate Review can end in a hold, one of the judge's three options.
After booking, a magistrate (a judge who rules on early release) weighs risk to public and victim safety and the chance the person returns to court, using the person's record and a risk assessment report. The magistrate has three choices: release on own recognizance (a signed promise to return, no money paid), release under the least restrictive conditions that fit, or a hold until arraignment, which needs clear and convincing evidence that conditions cannot keep the public safe or bring the person back. The court's Pre-Arraignment Support Unit passes any conditions to the jail. If the person accepts, they go home. If the person declines, a judge decides release at arraignment.
The schedule sets no money bail on these charges, so a bond has nothing to secure during the review. If prosecutors file no charges before arraignment, the jail releases the person without conditions.
Which Arrests Skip Zero Bail?
Six situations replace a $0 result with a dollar amount or a judge's review:
- Serious or violent felonies. The schedule offers these charges no $0 track.
- Penal Code 1270.1 offenses. They include domestic battery (243(e)(1)), corporal injury (273.5), felony criminal threats and stalking. Release needs the scheduled dollar amount or an open-court hearing first.
- Sentencing enhancements. An enhancement under Penal Code 1269b(e), such as a gang or firearm allegation, can swap the $0 for a dollar amount.
- Felony probation, parole or PRCS. These arrestees go to a magistrate on a Cite or Book and Release charge too. PRCS means post-release community supervision.
- Repeat missed court dates. An arrestee with three or more failures to appear that produced warrants within three years goes to a magistrate on certain offenses (Penal Code 1319.5).
- Several charges at once. The strictest track controls, and a dollar amount on any one charge outranks the $0 tracks.
Officers can ask within two hours of booking to move a Cite or Book and Release arrest to Magistrate Review.
How Long Can Someone Be Held Before Arraignment?
Penal Code 825 requires a first appearance within 48 hours of the arrest. The clock starts at arrest and skips Sundays and holidays, so a weekend or holiday can add a day or more.
The pre-arraignment result does not bind the judge, who can set bail higher or lower or order release with or without conditions (Penal Code 1269b). For money bail set at arraignment or later, the felony schedule suggests $25,000, $50,000 and $75,000 for Cite, Book and Magistrate Review charges, and the misdemeanor schedule suggests $1,000 to $5,000, $15,000 and $30,000.
What About Warrants, Probation Violations and San Bernardino County?
Warrants. The protocol covers arrests without a warrant. A judge writes the bail amount onto a warrant (Penal Code 815a). That figure stands regardless of the county's zero-bail categories. See how a warrant walk-through bond works.
Probation violations. Under Penal Code 1203.25, a court releases a probationer arrested for a violation on their own recognizance by default, and any bail it sets on the violation is cash only. The statute says a bail bond is not bail. Money bail on a new charge can still take a bond. See probation violation bonds.
San Bernardino County. Each county's superior court adopts its own schedule (Penal Code 1269b), so the Los Angeles tracks do not decide a booking at West Valley Detention Center, 9500 Etiwanda Ave., Rancho Cucamonga. Tell us which jail holds your relative and we read that county's rules.
Do I Need a Bail Bond, and What Should I Do First?
You need a bond only when the schedule, a warrant or a judge sets money bail. Take these steps:
- Get your relative's full name, birth date and charge code. The Pomona City Jail line is (909) 620-2131.
- Look up the code in the court's felony or misdemeanor schedule (the table shows examples only), or call (888) 998-9511. We check it and tell you if it is $0.
- On a Cite or Book and Release charge, you owe nothing, unless felony probation, parole, PRCS or repeated missed court dates apply. Your relative signs a promise to appear and must attend each court date.
- On a Magistrate Review charge, ask the jail when the magistrate will decide. No bond is possible until then.
- On a money-bail charge, we start work when you call. The jail controls acceptance and release, and in our experience the wait after posting runs 2-6 hours.
We take these calls from across Pomona, including Yorba, Reservoir and West Holt. For posting step by step, read how bail works in Pomona.
Common Questions About the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol
What does pre-arraignment mean in court?
Pre-arraignment is the stretch between an arrest and the first hearing, the arraignment, where the court reads the charge and asks for a plea (Penal Code 988). Release rules that apply during that stretch, like the Los Angeles protocol, are pre-arraignment rules. At arraignment, the judge can set different terms.
Which charges still require money bail in LA County?
Serious and violent felonies, Penal Code 1270.1 offenses such as domestic battery and corporal injury, and charges with a Penal Code 1269b(e) enhancement carry dollar amounts. Warrants carry the bail a judge wrote on them. Send us the code section and we will read the current schedule with you.
Can my family ask the court for lower bail before arraignment?
Yes, unless the charge is on the Penal Code 1270.1 list. Penal Code 1269c lets a lawyer, friend or family member ask a magistrate for lower bail or release on own recognizance. The 2026 schedule lists (213) 633-6350, the court's Pre-Arraignment Support Unit, for these calls and sets a two-hour limit from booking.
Can a case get dismissed at an arraignment?
Yes. A judge may dismiss a case on the prosecutor's request or the court's own motion (Penal Code 1385). On a Magistrate Review arrest, the jail releases the person without conditions if prosecutors file no charges before arraignment. Otherwise arraignment opens the case with a plea.
How much does a bond cost when money bail does apply?
A bond premium runs 10% of the bail amount, paid once while the bond lasts (Penal Code 1276.1). On $20,000 bail, that is $2,000. A filed 8% rate goes only to eligible union members, veterans, active military personnel and clients of a private attorney. Qualifying clients pay a low down payment. See our cost guide.
or call (888) 998-9511