Alpine County runs no jail of its own. Someone held in custody after an arrest there is kept at the El Dorado County or Calaveras County jail, under a contract the Sheriff's Office confirms on its own website. To check custody, Alpine's court says to contact the El Dorado County Jail or use its online inmate search.
How do I find out if someone is in custody in Alpine County?
Alpine County has no jail or inmate search of its own, so its court sends custody questions to the El Dorado County Jail and that county's online locator.
- Call the Alpine County Sheriff's Office at (530) 694-2231 and ask whether the person is in custody. The Sheriff's page lists this number for its Markleeville office and links no online inmate search.
- Check with El Dorado County. Alpine's court answers "How do I find out if someone is in custody?" by pointing to the El Dorado County Jail and its online service, so search the El Dorado Sheriff's Current Inmates locator. Alpine's jail services also run under contract with Calaveras County, so the person could be held there instead.
- Call that county's own sheriff's office directly once you know which one is holding the person. Our El Dorado County Jail guide and Calaveras County Jail guide cover each county's custody lookup, bail, visiting, mail and money rules.
- If the person might be in state prison rather than a county jail, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's own CIRIS locator searches that separate system.
Looking for a different county? Our courthouse and jail guides by county cover the rest of California.
Where does Alpine County hold people after an arrest?
Alpine County has no jail: its Sheriff's page says jail services are contracted to El Dorado County and Calaveras County, so a person is held in one of those.
"There are no jail facilities in Alpine County. Jail services are contracted to El Dorado County and Calaveras County."
| Facility | Address | Public phone |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine County Sheriff's Office (headquarters only, not a jail) | 99 Water Street, Markleeville, CA 96120 | (530) 694-2231 |
| El Dorado County or Calaveras County jail (whichever applies, under contract) | Ask the Sheriff's Office above which one | Ask the Sheriff's Office above |
Because the holding happens in another county, the Sheriff's page gives no jail address or visiting rules of its own. The Sheriff's Office headquarters above is the Markleeville building that also houses the County Administration Offices, not a place to visit someone in custody.
How does release work before trial in Alpine County?
Most misdemeanor arrests across California end in a written promise to appear rather than a wait for a judge, and Alpine follows that same statewide rule.
Penal Code section 853.6 sets the default: once someone signs a written promise to appear, the officer releases them right away, and booking is a separate step the officer may still do first.
"When a person is arrested for an offense declared to be a misdemeanor, including a violation of a city or county ordinance, and does not demand to be taken before a magistrate, that person shall, instead of being taken before a magistrate, be released according to the procedures set forth by this chapter, although nothing prevents an officer from first booking an arrestee pursuant to subdivision (g)."
An officer may keep someone in custody instead of citing them only for one of the statute's listed reasons, among them an outstanding warrant, no satisfactory identification, or a specifically stated reason to think the person will not come to court; a felony arrest is not cited out under this rule at all. Because Alpine has no jail, anyone kept in custody is held at the El Dorado County or Calaveras County jail, where release can still come through scheduled bail posted at the jail (Penal Code section 1269b(a)), a request to a judge before arraignment (Penal Code section 1269c), or the judge's order at arraignment.
How do I post bail for someone arrested in Alpine County?
Bail is posted with the jail holding the person, at the figure in Alpine's Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2025, unless a judge sets another.
California law requires every county's superior court judges to adopt and revise a schedule like this one every year.
"It is the duty of the superior court judges in each county to prepare, adopt, and annually revise a uniform countywide schedule of bail for all bailable felony offenses and for all misdemeanor and infraction offenses except Vehicle Code infractions."
See Alpine's own Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2025, for the full document; its notice of adoption says Alpine's court adopted El Dorado County's 2023 bail schedule as its own, which is why the pages that follow carry El Dorado's name. Because the person will likely be held at another county's jail rather than in Alpine itself, ask that jail directly how it accepts payment; Alpine's own court still sets the dollar figure that applies to an Alpine case. Before arraignment, the arrested person, or an attorney, friend, or family member acting for them, can also ask a magistrate for a lower amount or own recognizance release, except for the offenses listed in Penal Code section 1270.1(a).
"Except where the defendant is charged with an offense listed in subdivision (a) of Section 1270.1, the defendant, either personally or through his or her attorney, friend, or family member, also may make application to the magistrate for release on bail lower than that provided in the schedule of bail or on his or her own recognizance."
Two California Supreme Court decisions limit how any bail figure can actually be used. In re Kowalczyk, decided in April 2026, holds that outside capital cases a judge may deny bail outright only for the offenses listed in California Constitution article I, section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c), and that any money amount a judge does set must generally be reasonably attainable for that person.
"bail must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable, in order to effectuate the defendant's constitutional right to pretrial release on bail"
In re Humphrey, from 2021, is the earlier decision requiring a judge to weigh a person's actual ability to pay and consider whether a nonfinancial condition would do the job instead.
"the court should consider whether nonfinancial conditions of release may reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the arrestee's presence at trial."
See how California bail amounts are set for the full statewide rule.
When is the first court date, and which courthouse hears an Alpine County case?
Anyone held in custody must see a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, and Alpine hears every case at its single courthouse in Markleeville.
"the defendant shall in all cases be taken before the magistrate without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays."
That clock, from Penal Code section 825(a)(1), runs only for someone actually held in custody; a person who was cited and released under section 853.6 above is not on it at all. If the 48 hours would run out while court is not in session, the deadline does not just move to the next session, it is extended to cover that whole next session.
"that time shall be extended to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following."
There is one exception: if the arrest happens on a Wednesday after that day's court session has ended, and the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the person must be brought before a judge no later than the following Friday, if that Friday is not a court holiday.
Alpine County Superior Court sits at 14777 CA-89, Markleeville, CA 96120, phone (530) 694-2113, and its own Criminal Division page says defendants charged by the District Attorney are scheduled to appear on calendar Mondays at 1:30 p.m. Felony defendants and their attorneys must personally appear at arraignment unless the court authorizes otherwise; misdemeanor defendants and their attorneys may appear remotely in non-evidentiary matters at the court's discretion. Our Alpine County Courthouse guide covers that same building in more depth, including case lookups, interpreters, and how to reach the public defender and district attorney. For the general rule on what happens at that first hearing, see What Happens at an Arraignment in California.
How do visiting, mail, and money work for someone held after an Alpine County arrest?
Alpine holds no one locally, so visiting, mail and money follow the rules of the El Dorado County or Calaveras County jail holding the person.
Call the Alpine County Sheriff's Office at (530) 694-2231 first to learn which jail holds the person, then use that county's jail guide, linked in the lookup steps above, for its visiting, personal-mail and money rules from that sheriff's own pages.
What should I do right now if someone was just arrested in Alpine County?
Confirm custody and the holding jail with the Alpine Sheriff's Office first, then work out bail, keep every paper, and bring in a lawyer early.
- Call the Alpine County Sheriff's Office at (530) 694-2231 to confirm the person is in custody and find out which county's jail is actually holding them.
- Call that jail directly once you know which county, to ask about the charge, the bail amount, and visiting rules.
- Hold onto any arrest paperwork. A citation or notice to appear names the time and place to appear in court.
- Bring in a criminal defense lawyer right away. A lawyer can press for a reasonable bail figure at arraignment and tell the family what to realistically expect next.
Frequently asked questions
Does Alpine County have its own jail?
No. Alpine's Sheriff's Office contracts jail services to El Dorado County and Calaveras County. Call (530) 694-2231 to find out which one is holding a specific person.
Is there an online inmate search for Alpine County?
Not of its own. Alpine's court points to the El Dorado County Jail and its online service, the El Dorado Sheriff's Current Inmates locator; because Alpine also contracts with Calaveras County, use the lookup steps above if the person is not listed there.
Does the 48-hour rule mean everyone arrested in Alpine sees a judge within two days?
No. Penal Code section 825 applies only to someone actually held in custody. A person cited and released on a written promise to appear under Penal Code section 853.6 is not on that clock at all.
Who can ask the judge for a lower bail amount before arraignment?
Penal Code section 1269c lets the arrested person, or an attorney, friend, or family member acting for them, apply to the magistrate for lower bail or own recognizance release before the arraignment itself, except for the offenses listed in Penal Code section 1270.1(a).
Does Alpine County publish a bail schedule?
Yes. Alpine County Superior Court's Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2025, sets the starting figure; the judge at arraignment can set a different amount.
Will the case stay in Alpine County even though the person is held in another county's jail?
Yes. Alpine's own District Attorney prosecutes offenses that happen within the county, and the case is calendared at the Alpine County Courthouse, even while the person waits at a jail elsewhere.
Can I visit someone held because of an Alpine County arrest?
That depends on which county is actually holding them. Call the Alpine County Sheriff's Office first to find out, then ask that county's jail directly about its own visiting rules.
Talk to a lawyer
A family member calling about someone just arrested in Alpine County can reach the Law Offices of David S. Chesley at any hour. The firm offers a free, confidential consultation, with payment plans available and service in Spanish. Call (800) 755-5174, or request a free consultation online.