To find out whether someone is in custody at the Mendocino County Jail, search the Sheriff's online Booking Log by name, which covers bookings from the last 30 days, or call the Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4411. The jail is in Ukiah, at 951 Low Gap Road.
How do I find out if someone is in custody at the Mendocino County Jail?
Search the Sheriff's online Booking Log by name or booking number, call the Sheriff's Office, or register with California's VINE service for custody-status updates.
- Search the Sheriff's Booking Log by name or booking number; it starts at today's date, so widen the date range, and it covers only the last 30 days. Or call the Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4411 with the full legal name, and date of birth if you know it.
- Register with VINE, California's statewide victim and custody notification service, at vinelink.vineapps.com/state/CA or by calling 1-877-411-5588, to receive custody-status updates.
- If staff cannot confirm the person is there, ask whether the arrest happened in Mendocino County at all, and call the arresting agency, such as a city police department or the California Highway Patrol.
- If the person may be serving a state prison sentence rather than sitting in county jail, use the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's own inmate locator instead.
- Write down the exact spelling of the name and any booking number staff give you. You will need it again for bail and for the court date.
For custody in a different California county, see our courthouse and jail guides by county.
Where does Mendocino County hold people after an arrest?
Mendocino County's one jail, run by the Sheriff's Office, is in Ukiah; the same phone number answers general custody questions.
| Facility | Address | Public phone |
|---|---|---|
| Mendocino County Jail | 951 Low Gap Road, Ukiah, CA 95482 | (707) 463-4411 |
How does release work before trial in Mendocino County?
Mendocino's Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol releases many lower-level arrests without money bail; officers may still book the person first under state law.
Mendocino runs its own Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol (PARP) for many non-violent misdemeanors and lower-level felonies, in place since January 1, 2025 and described in the court's current Felony Bail Schedule. The protocol sorts a qualifying arrest into one of two tracks: Cite and Release, where the person promises to appear and goes home from the scene, or Book and Release, where booking happens first and release follows. Mendocino treats both tracks as zero-dollar bail, and the protocol itself warns that its pre-arraignment amounts and categories "are not binding on judicial officers at arraignment," leaving the judge free to decide differently once the case reaches court.
Several groups fall outside the PARP no matter the charge: anyone arrested for a capital crime, anyone charged with an offense on the Penal Code section 1270.1 list (which covers serious and violent felonies other than residential burglary, along with certain domestic violence and stalking charges), and anyone whose arrest carries a sentencing enhancement under Penal Code section 1269b(e). A person already on felony probation, parole, or post-release community supervision has bail set even for a charge that would otherwise qualify for the zero-dollar tracks (Penal Code section 1319.5(b)(1)). Outside the PARP, the ordinary misdemeanor rule still applies: Penal Code section 853.6 tells officers to release most misdemeanor arrests on a written promise to appear rather than hauling the person before a magistrate, though booking first at the scene or station is allowed, and a handful of listed exceptions, such as an open warrant, keep the citation route from applying.
How do I post bail for someone at the Mendocino County Jail?
Bail can be paid in cash, by certified check or money order payable to the court, or through a bail bond; personal checks are not accepted.
Mendocino County Superior Court's 2026 Felony Bail Schedule and its companion Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, both effective August 6, 2026, list the starting bail figure for each offense outside the PARP tracks described above. The Sheriff's Office will take the full amount in cash, a certified check, or a money order made payable to the Court of Jurisdiction, or a bond from a licensed surety agent; a personal check will not be accepted.
None of these figures lock a judge in. Once the case reaches its first court appearance, the judge sets the actual amount (Penal Code section 1269b(b)), and before that appearance the defense side, meaning the arrested person, a lawyer, or a family member or friend acting for them, can already file a request asking for less, or for release on a promise to return instead of cash (Penal Code section 1269c); that same request is unavailable for the charges listed in Penal Code section 1270.1. Our motion for a bail reduction page and how California bail amounts are set page walk through filing that request. In re Humphrey (2021) requires a judge setting money bail to consider the person's ability to pay, and whether nonfinancial conditions, such as supervision or monitoring, could reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the person's return to court. In re Kowalczyk (April 30, 2026) holds that, outside capital cases, a judge may deny bail only for the offenses in article I, section 12(b) and (c) of the California Constitution, and that money bail must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable for that person.
When is the first court date after an arrest in Mendocino County?
A person held in custody must see a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays; the court's calendar plan schedules in-custody arraignments by video each court day.
Penal Code section 825(a)(1) requires that
"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."
This is a limit on how long the jail can hold someone before a judge sees them, not a limit on when the district attorney can file charges, and reaching the deadline does not mean the person walks free. If the 48 hours end while court is not in session, the deadline runs through the end of the next court session on the following court day, and someone arrested on a Wednesday after that day's session must see a judge by Friday, if neither day is a court holiday (Penal Code section 825(a)(2)). The Sheriff's Office says a booked person will be scheduled for court within 72 hours, not counting weekends and holidays, and does not give out the date or time; Penal Code section 825 still sets the legal outer limit.
The court's calendar plan lists in-custody arraignments by video every court day and separate felony and misdemeanor calendars for Ten Mile Branch cases in Fort Bragg; the Criminal Clerk's Office is in Room 107 of the Mendocino County Courthouse, 100 North State Street, Ukiah, (707) 463-4661. Our Mendocino County Courthouse guide covers that process, case lookup, and interpreters in more depth, along with what happens at arraignment generally.
How do I ask about visiting, mail and money at the Mendocino County Jail?
Video visitation runs through a provider every day of the week; money goes through a named online vendor or a lobby kiosk, and the jail accepts no incoming property.
The Sheriff's Office offers remote video visits through a partnership with IC Solutions; visits can be scheduled through Gettingout.com seven days a week from a tablet or smartphone, and the provider runs its own 24/7 helpline, 1-866-516-0115, for scheduling and technical problems (jail staff can help with in-person visiting only, not the video system). Money for an inmate's account can be sent online through mycarepack.com, or deposited at a kiosk in the jail lobby that is open 24 hours a day, though a kiosk deposit can take up to 72 hours to process; money intended for Wednesday commissary must be deposited by 11 a.m. the Tuesday before. Money can be released to someone outside the jail only on weekdays, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., if that person shows identification and the bill it will help pay. The jail does not accept incoming property for an inmate at all, apart from narrow exceptions such as court clothing arranged through the inmate's attorney. Personal letters, pictures and drawings go to PO Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131, not the jail. Address them as the mail notice linked from the Sheriff's Corrections page shows: the jail's full name and state, the inmate's name and identifier, and your name and physical address. They are delivered on tablets; attorney-client mail still goes to the jail.
What should I do right now if someone was just arrested in Mendocino County?
Confirm custody, check whether a release category applies, arrange bail if needed, and contact a lawyer before the Mendocino arraignment.
- Start with the Booking Log or a call to the Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4411, or sign up with VINE, so you know for certain where the person is being held.
- Find out which PARP category applies, if any. A Cite and Release or Book and Release designation means no cash is needed before arraignment; anything else means the schedule amount is the starting figure.
- Line up the money side, whether that means cash, a certified check or money order, a bail bond agent, or a request to the court for a reduced amount.
- Keep every scrap of paperwork from the arrest. It documents the charge and, later on, the court date.
- Get a lawyer involved before the arraignment, not after. Our Ukiah DUI lawyer page covers a DUI arrest specifically, and our criminal defense lawyer page covers the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an online inmate search for the Mendocino County Jail?
Yes. The Sheriff's website links a Booking Log you can search by name or booking number; it starts at today's date and covers only the last 30 days of bookings. You can also call the Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4411 or register with VINE at 1-877-411-5588.
How much is bail in Mendocino County?
Mendocino County Superior Court's 2026 Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedules, effective August 6, 2026, set a starting amount by offense. A judge can set a different amount once the case reaches court, and when money bail is needed it must generally be an amount the person can reasonably attain (In re Kowalczyk, 2026).
Can I ask for a lower bail amount before the Mendocino arraignment?
Yes, before arraignment ever happens. Penal Code section 1269c lets the defense side go straight to a judge, asking for either a reduced dollar figure or release on a promise to appear instead of cash. The one carve-out is the list of charges in Penal Code section 1270.1, which includes serious and violent felonies other than residential burglary, domestic battery, and stalking; those require a court hearing instead.
Does Mendocino's Work Release program keep someone out of jail right after an arrest?
No. Work Release and Home Detention are Sheriff's Office programs for people who have already been sentenced, and an application for Work Release must be completed before the person is incarcerated. A related program, Work Furlough, is run by the Probation Department, (707) 463-4271, not the Sheriff's Office.
Which court handles Mendocino criminal arraignments?
The Mendocino County Courthouse, 100 North State Street, Ukiah (Criminal Clerk's Office, Room 107), and the Ten Mile Branch, 700 South Franklin Street, Fort Bragg, which has its own felony and misdemeanor calendars; both use (707) 463-4661.
Can I get an interpreter for a Mendocino criminal case?
Yes. The California Constitution guarantees an interpreter to anyone facing a criminal charge who does not understand English, for the entire case (article I, section 14). The interpreter's pay is a cost the court absorbs, not the defendant, so it costs you nothing (Evidence Code section 752(b)(1)). To get one scheduled for a Mendocino hearing, file local form MMC-110 and give the court ten days' notice if you can manage it.
When do I need to get money to someone for commissary?
Deposit it online at mycarepack.com or at the jail's lobby kiosk by 11 a.m. the Tuesday before. Wednesday is the jail's commissary day, and a kiosk deposit can take up to 72 hours to process.
What if the arrest happened somewhere else in Mendocino County, such as Fort Bragg or Willits?
Call the Mendocino County Jail at (707) 463-4411 to ask whether the person has been booked there. If the jail has no record yet, contact the agency that made the arrest, such as the city police department or the California Highway Patrol.
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 Mendocino 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.