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Long Beach City Jail Bail Bonds — Release Times, Cost, and the Transfer Clock Nobody Tells You About
Here is the short version: the Long Beach City Jail sits inside Long Beach Police Department headquarters at 400 West Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802, and it releases people on bail in roughly 2 to 6 hours once a bond is accepted. The bond costs 10% of the bail amount, a rate set under California law and identical at every licensed agency in the state. The part most families never hear until it is too late: Long Beach is a temporary holding facility. If your loved one is not bailed out reasonably quickly, they get transferred into Los Angeles County Sheriff custody downtown, and the same release that would have taken an afternoon now takes a day or more. To start right now, call 714-671-8920.
Nobody plans to learn how a city jail works at two in the morning. Most people searching for Long Beach City Jail bail bonds have never dealt with the process before, and they are looking for reassurance as much as information. So this guide skips the sales pitch and walks through what actually happens at 400 West Broadway — including the timing decision that matters more than anything else on this page.
Table of Contents
- The Long Beach City Jail: what kind of facility it is
- The transfer clock — why speed matters more here
- Realistic release timeline from Long Beach
- What a Long Beach City Jail bail bond costs
- Who is not bail-eligible
- Finding an inmate at the Long Beach jail
- Which court hears the case
- Step by step: posting a Long Beach bail bond
- Five mistakes Long Beach families make
- Long Beach City Jail bail bonds FAQ
The Long Beach City Jail: What Kind of Facility It Is
Long Beach is the second-largest city in Los Angeles County, and unlike most cities its size in California, it runs a substantial jail of its own. The facility is operated by the Long Beach Police Department out of its downtown headquarters at 400 West Broadway, with separate men’s and women’s housing — roughly 130 beds on the men’s side and about 70 on the women’s. That makes it one of the larger municipal jails in the state.
The distinction between a city jail and a county jail is not trivia. It changes how bail gets posted:
- Los Angeles County jails — Men’s Central Jail, Twin Towers, the Pitchess complex in Castaic — all centralize bail filing at the Inmate Reception Center on Bauchet Street downtown. There is no local window.
- The Long Beach City Jail accepts a bail bond directly at the facility. A licensed agent delivers the bond to 400 West Broadway, electronically or in person, and processing begins there.
That local acceptance is exactly why Long Beach releases can be dramatically faster than county releases — and exactly why losing the window hurts so much. The jail’s non-emergency line is (562) 570-7260 if you need to confirm someone is still in custody there, though staff generally will not quote release times over the phone.
Arrests that land here come from all over the city: DUI stops along Pacific Coast Highway and the 710 corridor, incidents around the downtown bar district and the Convention Center, disputes in the neighborhoods off Anaheim Street, and the steady flow of arrests tied to the port and shoreline areas. Long Beach also absorbs a lot of event-night arrests, which is a polite way of saying Friday and Saturday booking volume is not the same as Tuesday afternoon.
The Transfer Clock — Why Speed Matters More Here
This is the section every competing page leaves out, and it is the reason this guide exists.
The Long Beach City Jail is designed to hold people temporarily. If a defendant is not released — by bail, by citation, or by an arraignment that resolves custody — the Long Beach Police Department transfers them into Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department custody. In practice that means a bus to the Inmate Reception Center at 450 Bauchet Street downtown, then housing at Men’s Central Jail or Twin Towers.
What happens to your timeline when that transfer occurs:
- Before transfer: bond accepted at 400 W Broadway, release typically 2–6 hours, pickup in downtown Long Beach.
- After transfer: bond must be filed at the county’s Inmate Reception Center under county procedures. Realistic release becomes 8–24 hours, and pickup moves to downtown Los Angeles — roughly 25 miles away, at whatever hour the county gets to it.
Same defendant. Same bail amount. Same 10% premium. A completely different night for the family, decided by nothing more than how quickly somebody made a phone call. If you take one thing from this page: the clock, not the paperwork, is the hard part. Paperwork takes twenty minutes and can be signed from a phone.
For the broader picture of how county custody works once a transfer has happened, our Los Angeles County bail bonds guide covers the downtown process in detail.
Realistic Release Timeline From the Long Beach City Jail
Honest expectation-setting beats a marketing promise every time. Here is how a typical Long Beach release actually unfolds.
- Minutes 0–15 — the call. You provide a name and whatever else you have. The agent locates the inmate, confirms the facility, and verifies the bail amount and hold status.
- Minutes 15–45 — the paperwork. The bail application and indemnity agreement are completed. This can be done entirely electronically; nobody has to drive to an office at 3 a.m.
- Minutes 30–60 — the bond is posted. Once the paperwork is signed, the bond is delivered to the jail, electronically or in person.
- Hours 2–6 — processing and release. The jail verifies the bond, completes the release checklist, returns property, and walks the defendant out.
Two things reliably slow that down. The first is LiveScan: fingerprints submitted at booking have to clear before anyone is released, and that return is outside everyone’s control — the jail’s, the agent’s, and yours. The second is volume. A Saturday night with a full booking queue and a shift change in the middle simply moves slower than a Wednesday morning.
What does not speed anything up: calling the jail repeatedly, showing up at the lobby, or paying more than the filed rate. Nobody at the release window has a fast lane to sell.
What a Long Beach City Jail Bail Bond Costs
The premium is 10% of the bail amount set by the court. That percentage is regulated by the California Department of Insurance and filed by each surety company, which means it is the same at every licensed bail bonds company in Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, and across the state. There is no shopping around for a better rate; there is only shopping around for a company that answers the phone and explains things clearly.
Some working numbers:
- $5,000 bail → $500 premium
- $20,000 bail → $2,000 premium
- $50,000 bail → $5,000 premium
- $100,000 bail → $10,000 premium
The premium is earned once the bond is posted and is not refundable — that is true statewide, not a company policy. What is flexible is how you pay it: payment plans are legal, common, and worth asking about directly. Collateral may come into play on larger bonds depending on the amount and the circumstances. Our breakdown of how bail costs work in California goes deeper on premiums, collateral, and co-signer obligations.
One warning, stated plainly: if a company quotes you 5% or “half down, we’ll work it out,” ask for their California Department of Insurance license number before you send money. Trust is the real currency in this industry, and the shortcuts are almost never shortcuts.
Who Is Not Bail-Eligible
A bail bond only works when there is a bail amount to post and nothing blocking release. These situations cannot be bonded out by any agency at any price:
- Probation or parole holds — the hold has to be resolved by the court or the supervising agency first.
- Immigration detainers — posting bail does not produce a release.
- No-bail bookings — certain charges are held without bail until a judge rules.
- Domestic violence arrests within a cooling-off period — California imposes a mandatory hold in many of these cases, and release conditions and protective orders are set before anyone walks out. These situations are emotional and complicated, and they deserve a calm explanation rather than a rushed sale.
A licensed agent can check hold status in a few minutes. Do that before you pay anyone anything.
Finding an Inmate at the Long Beach City Jail
The most common problem at 2 a.m. is not money — it is not knowing where the person is. Someone arrested in Long Beach could be at the city jail on West Broadway, or already moved to county custody, or, if the arrest happened just across a city line, in a neighboring agency’s holding facility entirely.
To locate someone quickly, gather what you can:
- Full legal name and date of birth
- Booking number, if anyone has it
- Approximate time and location of the arrest
- Which agency made the arrest, if you know
You do not need all of it. A name and a general location is enough for a licensed agent to start searching, and an agent can check both city and county systems in one call — which is faster than you refreshing three different public lookup pages. If the arrest may have happened outside Long Beach, our Long Beach bail bonds page lists the surrounding facilities we work with routinely.
Which Court Hears the Case
Most Long Beach arrests are arraigned at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Avenue, Long Beach, part of the Los Angeles Superior Court system. Arraignment generally occurs within 24 to 48 hours of booking, not counting weekends and holidays.
This matters for a practical reason. If the defendant is bailed out before arraignment, they show up to the Deukmejian Courthouse on their own — dressed, rested, with a family member beside them and, if there was time, an attorney. If they are not bailed out, they arrive from custody in county clothing after a night or two of very little sleep. Both are the same legal proceeding. They are not the same experience, and everyone in the room notices the difference.
Court appearance is also the co-signer’s core obligation. The bond guarantees appearance; missing court can trigger a bench warrant and bond forfeiture, which is a far more expensive problem than the premium ever was.
Step by Step: Posting a Long Beach Bail Bond
- Call a licensed agent — do not wait for the arraignment. Waiting is what pushes the case past the transfer window. Big Boy Bail Bonds answers 24/7 at 714-671-8920.
- Confirm location, bail amount, and holds. This takes minutes and prevents paying on a bond that cannot produce a release.
- Identify the co-signer. A co-signer guarantees the defendant’s court appearance. Steady employment and California residency are typical, though not absolute requirements — ask rather than assume you are disqualified.
- Complete the paperwork electronically. Application, indemnity agreement, and payment arrangements can all be handled from a phone, from anywhere.
- The bond is posted at 400 West Broadway. Long Beach accepts it locally, which is the whole speed advantage.
- Plan the pickup. Confirm the release location with your agent before driving anywhere. Downtown Long Beach parking at 4 a.m. is manageable, but do not guess.
- Calendar the court date immediately. The Deukmejian Courthouse date is the one obligation that keeps everything else intact.
Five Mistakes Long Beach Families Make
- Waiting until morning “so nobody gets woken up.” The jail runs 24 hours and so do we. A six-hour wait for daylight is often the exact six hours that triggers a county transfer.
- Driving to the jail lobby first. Sitting at 400 West Broadway does not accelerate the release checklist. One phone call does more than three hours in a lobby chair.
- Shopping for a cheaper rate. The 10% premium is state-regulated. Time spent calling around for a discount that legally does not exist is time on the transfer clock.
- Assuming Long Beach works like the county. It does not. Different facility, different filing point, different timeline — and much of the general Los Angeles bail advice online quietly assumes downtown procedures.
- Not writing down the booking number when it is offered. If the defendant or an officer gives it to you, save it. It shortens every subsequent conversation.
If you are earlier in this process and still figuring out what to do first, our guide to the first five things to do after an arrest is a useful companion, and how bail works in California covers the fundamentals in plain language.
Long Beach City Jail Bail Bonds FAQ
Where is the Long Beach City Jail located?
Inside Long Beach Police Department headquarters at 400 West Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802, in the downtown civic center. It is a city jail operated by the Long Beach Police Department, not a Los Angeles County Sheriff facility, with separate men’s and women’s housing. Because it is a city facility, a bail bond can be posted directly at the jail rather than filed at the county’s Inmate Reception Center downtown.
How long does release take after bail is posted?
Typically 2 to 6 hours from the moment the bond is accepted. A licensed agent can usually have paperwork signed and a bond posted within 30 to 60 minutes of the first call. LiveScan fingerprint results must clear before release, and busy weekend booking volume can extend the wait.
How much does a Long Beach City Jail bail bond cost?
10% of the bail amount set by the court — $2,000 on a $20,000 bail. The rate is regulated by the California Department of Insurance and is identical at every licensed agency in the state. Payment plans are available; the rate itself is not negotiable.
What happens if I do not bail someone out quickly?
Long Beach is a temporary holding facility. Inmates not released locally are transferred to Los Angeles County Sheriff custody at the Inmate Reception Center and then Men’s Central Jail or Twin Towers. After transfer, release typically takes 8 to 24 hours instead of 2 to 6, and pickup moves to downtown Los Angeles.
Can I bail someone out in the middle of the night?
Yes. The jail processes bail around the clock, and most bail calls happen at night because most arrests happen at night. Paperwork can be completed electronically, so a co-signer anywhere in the country can sign without driving to Long Beach.
What information do I need to start?
Full legal name, date of birth, booking number, and facility move fastest — but a name and a rough arrest location is enough to begin. A licensed agent can locate the inmate, confirm the bail amount, and check for holds before you spend anything.
Is everyone at the Long Beach jail eligible for bail?
No. Probation and parole holds, immigration detainers, no-bail bookings, and certain domestic violence arrests within a mandatory cooling-off period cannot be bonded out by any company at any price. Hold status can be checked in minutes.
Which court handles Long Beach arrests?
Most are arraigned at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Avenue, Long Beach, within 24 to 48 hours of booking excluding weekends and holidays.
Do you offer online bail bonds for Long Beach?
Yes. The entire application, indemnity agreement, and payment process can be handled remotely by phone and secure electronic signature. Online bail bonds are especially useful when the co-signer is out of state or cannot leave work, children, or a job site in the middle of the night.
Start the Long Beach Release Now — Before the Transfer Window Closes
Licensed California bail agents since 2005. Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, and all of Los Angeles County. We answer nights, weekends, and holidays — because that is when the calls come.
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About Big Boy Bail Bonds, Inc.
Big Boy Bail Bonds, Inc. is a licensed California bail bonds agency that has been posting bonds across the state since 2005. We work Los Angeles County city jails and Sheriff facilities, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Clara County, and Alameda County, and we answer the phone 24 hours a day — including the Long Beach City Jail at 400 West Broadway. Most people who call us have never done this before. Our job is to make a bad night shorter and a confusing process clear. Call 714-671-8920 any hour.
This article is general information about the bail process in California and is not legal advice. Bail amounts, holds, and release procedures are set by the courts and the custodial agency and can change without notice.