Union County DUI Bail Information
Understanding bail amounts, the release process, and what happens after a DUI arrest in Union County.
County Jail Information
Union County Detention Center
Inmate Search
Use the online inmate locator to check booking status, bail amount, and release information.
What to Expect
Booking Process
2-8 hours for processing, fingerprinting, and photographing
Arraignment
Within 24-48 hours, bail set by judge
Release Options
Cash bond, bail bond, or personal recognizance (rare for DUI)
How Bail Bonds Work
Option 1: Cash Bond (Pay Full Amount)
How it works: Pay the full bail amount to the court
Pros: Get full amount back after case concludes (minus court fees)
Cons: Requires full amount upfront 0
Option 2: Bail Bondsman (Most Common)
How it works: Pay 10-15% fee to bondsman, they post full bail
Cost: Typically 10% of bail amount (non-refundable)
0Pros: Only need 10% upfront instead of full amount
Cons: Fee is non-refundable, may require collateral, co-signer assumes liability
Co-Signer Liability Warning
Important for Co-Signers:
- You are 100% liable if defendant does not appear in court
- You must pay the full bail amount if defendant skips
- Bondsman can seize collateral (house, car, etc.)
- You cannot cancel the bond - only the court can
- Liability continues until case is fully resolved
Release Timeline
Arrest & Booking (2-8 hours)
Fingerprinting, photographing, background check, medical screening
Arraignment (Within 24-48 hours)
First court appearance, judge sets bail amount, charges are read
Bail Posted (1-4 hours)
Family contacts bondsman, paperwork signed, fee paid
Release (2-6 hours)
Processing, release paperwork, return of personal property, court date assigned
Total Time Estimate
From arrest to release: 12-48 hours depending on booking workload, time of arrest (weekends take longer), and how quickly bail is posted.
After Release: Critical Deadlines
1. Request MVD Hearing - 30 Days
You have only 30 days from arrest to request your administrative license hearing. This is separate from your criminal case.
2. Retrieve Your Vehicle
Impound fees accrue daily. Get your car as soon as possible to avoid hundreds in storage fees.
Calculate Impound Costs3. Contact a Bail Bondsman
Need fast release in Union County? Contact a verified 24/7 Bail Bondsman to start the release process immediately.
Find a Bondsman4. Appear at ALL Court Dates
Missing court will result in bond forfeiture, arrest warrant, and additional charges. Your co-signer will be liable for the full bail amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Union County Detention Center does double duty, housing pretrial defendants alongside state inmates serving sentences under 90 days who work the facility's kitchen. During meal service, morning headcounts, and shift transitions, generally around 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., release processing stops completely. Getting a bond posted right in that window can add hours to an otherwise straightforward release.
Bond hearings happen exactly twice a day, run by part-time Bond Court Judge Frank Hart. There's no way to post bail before one of those two sessions convenes, so an arrest late at night or in the early morning means sitting in custody until the next scheduled hearing, full stop. A first-offense DUI without a crash or aggravating circumstances typically gets a personal recognizance bond, no cash required; anything more serious usually means a bond in the $2,100 to $5,100 range, decided at the judge's discretion.
Reaching the defendant to coordinate any of this is its own hurdle. The jail runs all phone calls and video visits through a proprietary system called CIDNET, and in-person visits are limited to weekends. Families need to set up a funded account at the CIDNET portal and wait for it to clear before they can even talk to someone inside to sort out bond logistics.
Because most of the region's bail bond agencies are actually based in Gaffney or Spartanburg, an hour's drive away, the smart approach is finding one that handles everything digitally. Reputable regional bondsmen let an indemnitor sign the surety contract and complete the financial paperwork entirely on a phone or computer, then dispatch a local agent straight to the Jonesville Highway jail to post the bond once the signature comes through. That single workaround erases most of the geographic penalty of dealing with an out-of-county bondsman.
Once a bond is actually posted, physical release still takes one to four hours depending on facility activity and staffing at that moment.