The Washburn County Jail accepts bond for inmates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Cash is the preferred method of payment but we also accept credit cards.
Normal Business Hours: To post bond during normal business hours please go to the Washburn County Clerk of Courts Office. Their office is located on the second floor of the Washburn County Courthouse. They will accept the bond and notify the jail to release the inmate.
After Business Hours: To post bond after normal business hours please come to the sheriff’s office main lobby. A deputy will come down, accept the bond and have you fill out all necessary paperwork. If you intend to pay with a credit card you must have a valid photo ID with you. We do not accept checks.
Posting Out of County: If you are unable to come to our office to post bond you may be able to post bond at another sheriff’s office or police station. Most of the counties in Wisconsin will accept bond for other counties. If you plan on posting bond in another county please call us first so we can give the other county notification you are coming. This will help to speed the process up. When posting out of county you will have to abide by the other county’s payment requirements. It is ultimately up to the other agency whether they will accept bond for our inmate or not.
Note: In some situations we are required to hold the inmate until they are sober or have a responsible adult that agrees to care for them and pick them up from jail.
Bond Question and Answers
Q: What are commitments?
A: A commitment is an unpaid citation that has become a form of a warrant. Either you pay the fine or serve a said amount of days. You do not go to court on this matter.
Q: What is a Bail Bond?
A: A bond is a guarantee set by the judge that you will appear in court. There are 2 types of bail bonds.
- Cash Bond-Pay a set cash amount to be released from jail. The inmate needs to abide by the conditions the judge puts on the bond or face arrest for bail jumping.
- Signature Bond-Inmate signs a bond stating that they will return for the next court date and abide by the conditions the judge puts on the bond or face arrest for bail jumping.
If the inmate does not return for their court date a warrant will be issued, an additional charge for bail jumping may be added and the bond may also be forfeited.
Q: If I paid a bond for someone, when and how do I get my money?
A: If you are entitled to get your money back, the Clerk of Courts will reimburse you after the case is completed and/or ordered by the court. It will be mailed to the name and address on the receipt given when the bond was posted.
Q: What is a probation hold?
A: It is a hold placed by the Department of Corrections for some type of rules violation by the offender. There is no fine or a bond that can be paid to release the inmate. We have no information as to how long the inmate will be held. Once we are notified by the Department of Corrections to release the hold, we release the inmate shortly after as long as there are no other bail bonds not met, or holds from other Law Enforcement agencies.
Q: What is an out of County Hold/Detainer?
A: Another county or state has a warrant for the inmate. If there is a bond amount you can pay it. If it is not paid, the other jurisdiction will come and transport them to their facility.
Q: What time do inmates go to court?
A: If arrested on a new charge an inmate will go to court when the judge or court commissioner has time to fit it in the courts schedule. It is never a set time of day.
Q: Do you accept credit cards for payment?
A: The Clerk of Court may not but the Jail goes through a service called PayTrust Solutions, Inc. They accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. The cardholder must be present at the jail facility and is required to present a valid State or Military ID to the processing officer in order to utilize this service. There is a fee that will be charged on top of the amount that you will be paying. The fee depends on the amount.
Q: When will an inmate be transported to another jurisdiction?
A: Due to security reasons we cannot disclose that information.
Q: What time of day do inmates get released, if they have served their time?
A: They are usually released between 6-8 am, but there are exceptions.