Call the Mariposa County Adult Detention Facility at (209) 966-3616 to ask whether someone is in custody, or check the Sheriff's Office Daily Booking Report, which lists people booked in the last 24 hours. The jail sits at 5379 Highway 49 N in Mariposa and is run by the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office.
How do I find out if someone is in custody at the Mariposa County Jail?
Mariposa publishes a rolling booking list and links the statewide VINE service, so a phone call is not the only option when you need to check right away.
- Call the jail directly at (209) 966-3616 and give the person's full legal name.
- Check the Sheriff's Office Daily Booking Report, a public document the department posts under Government Code section 7923.610 that covers arrests and bookings from the preceding 24 hours only.
- Register with California VINE by phone at 877-411-5588 or through VineLink, the statewide service that tracks custody status and can notify you of a change, though a newly arrested person may not show as booked right away.
- If the California Highway Patrol or another agency made the arrest, ask whether the person has been transferred into county custody yet before assuming nothing has happened.
- Write down the exact name spelling and any booking number staff give you; you will want it again for bail or for finding the court date.
For another county, see our courthouse and jail guides by county.
Where does Mariposa County hold people after an arrest?
The Sheriff's Office runs the Mariposa County Adult Detention Facility at 5379 Highway 49 N in Mariposa, which it describes as a Type II facility.
| Facility | Address | Public phone |
|---|---|---|
| Mariposa County Adult Detention Facility | 5379 Highway 49 N, Mariposa, CA 95338 (mail: P.O. Box 727, Mariposa, CA 95338) | (209) 966-3616 |
Facility staff will not recommend or refer bail bond agents and will not release information about a person's movements, including court dates. The jail accepts no personal items for a person in custody, not even clothing, except prescription medication in its original container.
How does release work before trial in Mariposa County?
State law sets the release rules: a misdemeanor arrest generally ends in release on a written promise to appear, though an officer may book the person first.
Penal Code section 853.6 pushes most misdemeanor arrests toward a written promise to appear instead of a trip before a judge, though the arresting officer can still book the person into the jail first; a short list of offenses in Penal Code section 1270.1, including some domestic violence and stalking charges, falls outside that rule entirely. Anyone held in custody and arraigned on a misdemeanor has a presumptive right to own-recognizance release under Penal Code section 1270(a), and the court can only take that away by stating on the record that release would risk public safety or that the person would not come back.
How do I post bail for someone at the Mariposa County Jail?
Mariposa Superior Court adopts a new combined felony and misdemeanor schedule every year, and a judge can always set a different amount once the case reaches court.
The current Uniform Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedules, dated and signed January 5, 2026, state that they took effect January 1, 2026. For a misdemeanor, the court uses its own listed amount first, then the Judicial Council's statewide Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, which it adopts by reference, and only then its $10,000 default, plus $5,000 for each additional prior. Felony amounts are itemized, for example $200,000 for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated (Penal Code section 191.5) and $1,000,000 for murder without special circumstances. None of that is final. Jail staff, a sheriff's or police employee assigned to collect bail, or the superior court clerk can accept the scheduled figure and sign a release order without waiting for a judge (Penal Code section 1269b(a)); anyone, not only the person arrested, can instead deposit cash bail directly with the court clerk (Penal Code section 1295).
Before the first court date, the arrested person, a lawyer, or a friend or family member can ask a judge to go below the schedule, or for release on recognizance, under Penal Code section 1269c, as long as the charge is not one of the offenses carved out by Penal Code section 1270.1. What the judge can actually do with that request is shaped by two California Supreme Court decisions. In re Humphrey (2021) forbids keeping someone in jail for no reason beyond an inability to pay: before setting money bail, the judge has to look at what the person can pay and weigh whether something short of cash, like supervision, could reasonably protect public and victim safety or reasonably assure the person's return to court. In re Kowalczyk, decided April 30, 2026, narrows outright bail denial, outside capital cases, to the offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c), and holds that money bail "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable," though it need not be easily affordable. See how California bail amounts are set for the full statewide rule.
When is the first court date after an arrest in Mariposa County?
A person held in custody must be brought before a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, at the Mariposa County Superior Court's Main Courthouse.
The court's Criminal Division page says all court matters are held there, at 5088 Bullion Street, Mariposa, CA 95338, (209) 966-2005, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
"Except as provided in paragraph (2), 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."
Penal Code section 825(a)(1) applies only to someone held in custody, and its 48 hours run from the arrest; a person cited and released under section 853.6 is never on that clock. It is a deadline for reaching a judge, not for filing a charge and not a promise of release, and when the 48 hours would run out while court is closed, section 825(a)(2) pushes the deadline through the end of the next session, held on the following court day. A Wednesday arrest changes that math: once that day's session has closed, and provided the Wednesday itself is not a court holiday, the person must still be brought before a judge by the following Friday, unless Friday is a court holiday too. The judge tells the defendant the charge and the right to counsel at that same appearance (Penal Code section 858(a)). Appearing by video from this courthouse is limited and organized by division, open only to people already on the calendar and their lawyers; our Mariposa County Courthouse guide covers remote appearance, case lookup and interpreters for this same court in full, along with what happens generally at arraignment.
How do I ask about visiting, mail and money at the Mariposa County Jail?
Visiting is a one-hour weekly block set by housing, personal mail goes to a Texas processing address, and money goes in by kiosk, online or phone.
Visiting is limited to a one-hour block per week that depends on the person's housing and classification, is first come, first served, and does not allow contact visits; every visitor needs a valid photo ID, no more than two visitors come at once, people convicted of a felony are not permitted to visit, and every visit except a legal visit may be monitored and recorded. Mail changed on June 1, 2024: ordinary personal letters and photos now go to an out-of-state processing address, Mariposa County Detention Center, P.O. Box 591, Longview, TX 75606, limited to 5 pages and 1 photo per mailing and destroyed, not returned, once processed, while legal mail still goes to the jail's own P.O. Box 727 in Mariposa. Family and friends can add money through a lobby kiosk, online at mycarepack.com, or by calling (866) 345-1884, subject to a weekly deposit cutoff for commissary orders. Cash someone was carrying at arrest, if it was not taken as evidence, goes into that same account rather than being held as personal property; for any other belongings, ask the jail at (209) 966-3616 how they are returned at release.
What should I do right now if someone was just arrested in Mariposa County?
Confirm custody first, then work out bail, keep every document from the arrest, and bring in a lawyer while there is still time before the arraignment.
- Confirm custody by calling the Adult Detention Facility at (209) 966-3616, and get the exact booking details while staff are on the line.
- Ask what the scheduled bail figure actually is before deciding how to raise it; that number drives whether cash, a bond, or a request to the judge makes the most sense.
- Choose a bail method: cash, a bond through any licensed company you select, or a request to the judge for a lower figure or release on recognizance before arraignment.
- Hold on to every document connected to the arrest, since it will help confirm the exact charge and the scheduled court date later.
- Bring in a lawyer right away, so both the bail question and the arraignment date get attention from the start; see our criminal defense lawyer page for more on how that works.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an online inmate search for the Mariposa County Jail?
Not a live roster. The Sheriff's Office publishes a Daily Booking Report covering the last 24 hours, and California VINE (877-411-5588 or VineLink) tracks custody status beyond that window; for anything outside those two tools, call the jail at (209) 966-3616.
How much is bail in Mariposa County?
The current Uniform Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedules, in effect since January 1, 2026, set starting amounts: a misdemeanor listed neither by the county nor in the statewide Judicial Council schedule defaults to $10,000; listed felony amounts include $1,000,000 for murder and $5,000,000 for the largest drug quantities, and special-circumstance murder has no bail. A judge can set a different figure at arraignment, and under In re Kowalczyk (2026) money bail must generally be reasonably attainable for that person.
Can I ask for a lower bail amount before the Mariposa County arraignment?
Yes, under Penal Code section 1269c, through yourself, a lawyer, or a family member or friend, unless the charge falls on the Penal Code section 1270.1 list, which includes serious and violent felonies other than residential burglary and some domestic violence charges, among others.
What happens if someone is arrested for a misdemeanor in Mariposa County?
Penal Code section 853.6 is built around a citation, a signed promise to appear, rather than a trip before a judge, though the officer may still book the person at the jail first. An outstanding warrant, a need for medical care, or a documented reason to doubt the person will return are among the listed reasons an officer can decide otherwise.
Can I send money to someone at the Mariposa County Jail?
Yes, through the lobby kiosk, online at mycarepack.com, or by phone at (866) 345-1884. Commissary orders depend on a weekly deposit cutoff, and cash the person had at arrest, if not taken as evidence, is placed into their account automatically rather than held as personal property.
Where do I send mail to someone at the Mariposa County Jail?
Ordinary letters and photos go to an out-of-state processing center, Mariposa County Detention Center, P.O. Box 591, Longview, TX 75606, limited to 5 pages and 1 photo, and destroyed, not returned, once processed. Legal mail is different and goes to the jail's own address, P.O. Box 727, Mariposa, CA 95338.
Can I get an interpreter for a Mariposa County criminal case?
Yes. The right comes from the California Constitution (article I, section 14), not from Mariposa itself, and Evidence Code section 752(b)(1) keeps the cost off the defendant in a criminal case. Mariposa Superior Court's Language Access materials explain what the interpreter does once one is arranged; tell the judge, the clerk, or your attorney as soon as you know you will need one.
Does Mariposa County offer video visitation?
Yes, through a vendor called NCIC, billed by the minute and funded through the same account used for phone calls and messages. In-person visits still follow the schedule on the jail's Visiting page.
Talk to a lawyer
If a family member is being held at the Mariposa County jail, talk to a lawyer before the arraignment. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free, confidential consultation, available 24 hours a day, with payment plans and service in Spanish. Call (800) 755-5174 or request a free consultation online.