Inyo County keeps a single jail, in Independence. To check whether someone is held there, use the Incarcerated People tab of the Sheriff's Citizen RIMS portal or call the jail at (760) 878-0370. The Sheriff's Office jail page describes it as the only correctional facility in the county.
How do I find out if someone is in custody at the Inyo County Jail?
Check the Sheriff's Citizen RIMS Incarcerated People tab or call the jail at (760) 878-0370; the jail does not put calls through to inmates.
- Dial (760) 878-0370 and give the full legal name of the person you think is in custody; a date of birth helps if staff need to confirm they have the right record.
- You cannot speak to the person this way: the jail does not take incoming calls for inmates, so the person in custody has to call out.
- If nobody by that name turns up, widen the question: ask whether the arrest happened in Inyo County in the first place. The Sheriff's page calls this jail the only correctional facility in the county, so someone arrested outside Inyo may be in another county's jail.
- Or check online: the Incarcerated People tab of the Sheriff's Citizen RIMS portal shows current incarcerated persons and recent bookings, the Sheriff says, though it may be delayed or incomplete.
Looking for someone held outside Inyo County? Our courthouse and jail guides by county cover the rest of California.
Where does Inyo County hold people after an arrest?
Inyo County has one jail, in Independence, which the Sheriff's Office describes as the only correctional facility in the county and staffs around the clock.
| Facility | Address | Public phone |
|---|---|---|
| Inyo County Jail | 550 South Clay Street, Independence, CA 93526 | (760) 878-0370 |
The District Attorney's Criminal Division, (760) 873-6657 in Bishop or (760) 878-0282 in Independence, decides what charges, if any, to file.
How does release work before trial in Inyo County?
For most misdemeanors, Penal Code 853.6 calls for release on a signed promise to appear instead of a trip before a judge, though the officer can book the person first.
California's citation statute, Penal Code section 853.6, tells an officer to hand a misdemeanor arrestee a written notice to appear rather than march them in front of a magistrate, unless one of the reasons the law lists applies, among them an open warrant, a need for medical care, or a specifically stated reason to believe the person will not come back; the rule does not cover the crimes listed in Penal Code section 1270.1, such as misdemeanor domestic battery. Booking at the scene or the station can still come first. If the person ends up at the Inyo County Jail anyway, asking the judge for own recognizance release at the first appearance is still an option, as the next section explains.
How do I post bail for someone at the Inyo County Jail?
A dollar figure on the county's bail schedule is a starting line, not a final price, and a judge is free to move it.
The court's Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, which its Forms and Filings page lists as last updated 7/2017, is Standing Order No. SISOAD-17-046, filed July 11, 2017, with the court's own text declaring it "fully effective and implemented at 12:01 a.m. on September 1, 2017." Built under Penal Code section 1269b(c), it fixes a dollar amount for anyone "arrested without a warrant for a bailable misdemeanor or felony offense." The order also adopts the Judicial Council's statewide bail schedules for traffic, boating, fish and game and similar offenses, and sets $5,000 for any other misdemeanor it does not list.
The order's own language leaves the real number to "the sound discretion of the judicial officer before whom the defendant appeared," who may go above or below the printed figure. Getting there sooner is possible: under Penal Code section 1269c, the arrested person or someone acting for them, a lawyer, a friend, a relative, can ask a magistrate for a reduced amount or release on recognizance before that hearing even happens, unless the charge falls under Penal Code section 1270.1's list. Paying the scheduled amount does not require a judge at all; the officer in charge of the jail, a sheriff's or police employee assigned to collect bail, or the court clerk can accept cash or a bond from a certified surety and order the release under Penal Code section 1269b(a), and a cash deposit can instead go straight to the clerk's window under Penal Code section 1295. Two state supreme court rulings sit on top of all of this. In re Humphrey (2021) forbids jailing someone purely over an inability to pay and requires a judge who sets money bail to consider the person's ability to pay and nonfinancial conditions of release. In re Kowalczyk, decided April 30, 2026, confines outright bail denial, outside capital crimes, to the offenses named in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c), and says a dollar amount that is actually imposed must generally be reasonably attainable for that person. The full rule, with more detail, is at how California bail amounts are set.
When is the first court date after an arrest in Inyo County?
A person held in custody must see a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, at one of Inyo's two courthouses, in Independence or Bishop.
Under Penal Code section 825(a)(1), "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." Nothing about that timer involves when a charge gets filed, and getting in front of a judge is not the same thing as getting out. A 48-hour window that would otherwise expire while court is dark instead runs through the end of the next session, held on the following court day (Penal Code section 825(a)(2)). An arrest that happens on a Wednesday, once that day's session has closed, follows its own rule: as long as the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the person must still reach a judge by Friday, unless Friday is a court holiday too.
The Superior Court's own Criminal Division page names two locations where a criminal case may be heard, 168 North Edwards Street in Independence and 301 West Line Street in Bishop, sharing a single phone number, (760) 872-3038. Bishop's own page says it handles "All Cases," so the case could land at either one. Office hours match at both sites, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:00, with the doors closed over the lunch hour, and the shared phone line only picks up from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays and court closures. For the fuller picture on case lookup, remote hearings, and interpreters, see our Inyo County Courthouse guide and our guide to what happens at an arraignment. Anyone who shows up without a lawyer still gets told about the right to one, and the court appoints counsel for someone who wants a lawyer but cannot pay for one (Penal Code section 987).
How do I ask about visiting, mail and money at the Inyo County Jail?
Visiting is on weekends, by a same-day call or by waiting for the next opening; mail goes to a local post office drawer and money goes through commissary.
According to the jail's own page, visits happen Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed for lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and every visitor must sign in before 2:00 p.m. You can call for an appointment after 8:00 a.m. on the day you plan to visit, or arrive without one and wait for the next available period. Each person in custody gets one 30-minute visit a day, with at most two visitors at a time and no contact visits, and visitors may be asked for a valid picture ID. Since posted hours can change, (760) 878-0370 is worth a call before you make the drive.
Letters for someone in custody should go to PO Drawer 456, Independence, CA 93526. Items for an inmate are bought through commissary only; the jail accepts money orders, not cash, personal checks, or debit or credit cards. A mailed photo cannot exceed three by five inches and has to be plain, no Polaroids, and anything the jail flags as contraband gets sent back rather than delivered; packages are turned away entirely.
Items the Sheriff's Office holds as evidence or recovered property come back only by appointment, no exceptions, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with photo ID; a firearm also needs Department of Justice paperwork. The property deputies work out of Bishop, 301 West Line Street, Suite F, (760) 873-7887, and Lone Pine, 726 North Main Street, (760) 876-5606.
What should I do right now if someone was just arrested in Inyo County?
The order of operations matters: confirm where the person is, sort out money for bail, and get a lawyer on the case before the court date arrives.
- Phone (760) 878-0370 and get the basic booking facts straight from the jail.
- Ask whether bail has been set, and how much, since that decides the next step.
- Pick a path for the money: pay outright, work with a licensed bail bond agent, or have someone ask the court for a reduction or outright release on recognizance.
- Hang onto every scrap of paperwork from the arrest; it usually names the charge and hints at the court date to come.
- Call a lawyer right away, before the first hearing, so someone is watching the arraignment date and the bail question. The firm's criminal defense lawyer page has more.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an online inmate search for the Inyo County Jail?
Yes. The Incarcerated People tab of the Sheriff's Citizen RIMS portal, linked from its jail page, shows current incarcerated persons and recent bookings at the jail, the Sheriff says. The list may be delayed or incomplete, so call (760) 878-0370 for updated information.
How much is bail in Inyo County?
The county's bail schedule, Standing Order No. SISOAD-17-046, assigns a starting dollar figure by offense, adopts the statewide schedules for traffic and similar offenses, and sets $5,000 for any other misdemeanor it does not list. A judge can move that number at the first appearance, and under In re Kowalczyk (2026) any money bail actually imposed must generally be reasonably attainable for that person.
Can I ask for a lower bail amount before the Inyo County arraignment?
Yes, and you do not need to wait for arraignment to try. Penal Code section 1269c lets the arrested person, a lawyer, a friend, or a family member put that request to a judge early, unless the charge is one of those carved out by Penal Code section 1270.1, among them serious and violent felonies (other than residential burglary) and certain protective-order violations involving threats or injury.
What happens if someone is arrested for a misdemeanor in Inyo County?
The default under Penal Code section 853.6 is release on a written promise to appear instead of being taken before a judge, although the officer can still book the person first. An open warrant, a need for medical care, and a documented doubt the person will return to court are among the listed reasons that change that default, and it does not cover misdemeanor domestic battery or the other crimes listed in Penal Code section 1270.1.
Can I send money to someone at the Inyo County Jail?
Only by money order through the jail's commissary system. The jail's own page rules out cash, personal checks, and card payments for an inmate's account.
Which courthouse handles an Inyo County arraignment, Independence or Bishop?
It could be either. The Superior Court runs criminal matters out of both buildings, and Bishop's own page states it covers "All Cases" rather than a narrower set. The citation or notice to appear should say which one applies, or the clerk's office can confirm it.
Can I get an interpreter for an Inyo County criminal case?
Yes, as a matter of constitutional right. California Constitution, article I, section 14, guarantees one to anyone facing a criminal charge who does not understand English, and Evidence Code section 752(b)(1) puts the cost on the court rather than the defendant. The Superior Court's general number, (760) 872-3038, is the place to raise it.
What if the person was arrested somewhere else in Inyo County, such as Bishop or Lone Pine?
Call the same number, (760) 878-0370. The Sheriff's Office describes the Inyo County Jail as the only correctional facility in the county, so it is the place to ask wherever in Inyo the arrest happened.
Talk to a lawyer
The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free, confidential consultation, available 24 hours a day, including for a family member calling about someone just arrested in Inyo County. Call (800) 755-5174, request a free consultation online, with payment plans available and service in Spanish, or visit our criminal defense lawyer page to learn more.