To find out whether someone is in custody at the Modoc County Jail tonight, call the Modoc County Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416, or stop in at 102 S. Court Street in Alturas. Modoc County does not run its own online inmate search, though the statewide VINE custody tool is also an option.
How do I look up someone at the Modoc County Jail?
Modoc County Superior Court's own Criminal FAQ gives one official method for checking custody: call or visit the Sheriff's Office directly.
- Call the Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416. This is the number Modoc County Superior Court's Criminal Division page gives for checking whether someone is in custody.
- Or go in person to 102 S. Court Street, Alturas, CA, the same address the Sheriff's own page lists for the jail.
- Try VINE as a second option. The Sheriff's Office links the statewide VINE custody tool (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), which covers county jails across California, including Modoc.
- If the person does not show up, they may not be booked yet or may still be held by a different agency before a transfer to the county jail. Call back rather than assuming they were released, and if the arrest happened outside Modoc County, see our courthouse and jail guides by county to find the right one.
Where does Modoc County hold people after an arrest?
Modoc County's jail, part of the Sheriff's Office, shares the Sheriff's street address in Alturas and holds adult men and women, sentenced or not, in 48 beds.
| Facility | Address | Public phone |
|---|---|---|
| Modoc County Jail (Sheriff's Office) | 102 South Court Street, Alturas, CA 96101 | (530) 233-4416 |
The Sheriff's Office lists its hours as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the court's Criminal Division page gives the same number, (530) 233-4416, for custody questions.
How does release work before trial in Modoc County?
California's general rule for a misdemeanor arrest is release on a written promise to appear, and Modoc's own pages describe no separate local pretrial-release program on top of it.
Penal Code section 853.6 sets the default: a signed notice to appear in place of a trip before a judge, for most misdemeanors, though the officer may still book the person at the scene or the station first. A judge is skipped only when none of the statute's listed reasons for keeping the person applies, among them an outstanding warrant or a documented reason to think the person will not come back to court. After a felony arrest, or a misdemeanor arrest that falls under one of those exceptions, the person stays in custody unless the scheduled bail is posted, which jail staff can accept without a judge (Penal Code section 1269b(a)), or a judge lowers bail or grants own recognizance release, either on a request made before arraignment (Penal Code section 1269c, which excludes the charges listed in Penal Code section 1270.1) or at the first court date.
How do I post bail for someone at the Modoc County Jail?
Ask the Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416 for the bail amount and how to pay; jail staff can accept the scheduled bail without a judge.
Modoc County Superior Court's own Forms and Filing page does not list a current felony or misdemeanor bail schedule for the county. The only bail-related document it links is the Judicial Council's statewide bail and penalty schedule for traffic, boating, forestry, fish and game, public utilities, parks and recreation, and business licensing offenses, a 2019 edition meant for those regulatory categories, not for a general arrest.
Call the Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416 or the court's Criminal Division at (530) 233-6516 to ask about the bail amount for a specific charge before bringing any payment, and confirm the accepted payment method at the same time, since Modoc's own pages do not spell one out. Whatever figure either office gives is only a starting point. California law still requires every county's superior court judges to adopt and revise a uniform bail schedule each year (Penal Code section 1269b(c)), and once a judge actually sets bail at an appearance, that figure takes over. Two California Supreme Court decisions limit how any of these figures can be used against someone. In re Humphrey (2021) forbids jailing a person purely because a dollar amount is out of reach; the judge has to weigh the person's actual ability to pay and whether a nonfinancial condition, such as supervision, would reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the person's appearance in court. In re Kowalczyk (April 2026) adds that, in a noncapital case, a judge cannot refuse bail at all outside the narrow list of offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c), and that any money figure a judge does set must generally be reasonably attainable for that person. See how California bail amounts are set for the full rule, and how surety bonds compare with cash bail if a bail agent becomes part of the plan.
When is the first court date after an arrest in Modoc County?
Someone held in custody in Modoc County must reach a judge within 48 hours of arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays.
Penal Code section 825(a)(1) sets that limit:
"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 48-hour clock measures how fast someone must reach a judge; it is not a deadline for filing charges and not a promise that anyone goes free at the end of it. If the 48 hours would run out while court is not in session, Penal Code section 825(a)(2) stretches the deadline through the end of the next court session on the following court day. A Wednesday arrest is the one exception: once that day's session has already closed, and as long as the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the person must still be brought before a judge by the following Friday, unless Friday is also a court holiday.
Modoc's one courthouse, the Robert A. Barclay Justice Center at 205 S East Street, Alturas, CA 96101, handles every criminal matter in the county; the Criminal Division line is (530) 233-6516. Our Modoc County Courthouse guide covers that building, case lookups, and what happens at arraignment in more depth, and our guide to a California arraignment explains that first hearing.
How do visiting, mail, and money work at the Modoc County Jail?
In-person visits run every Wednesday and Saturday after check-in at the Sheriff's office, video phone visits are scheduled by staff, and mail goes to the jail's street address.
The Sheriff's Visitation page lists in-person visits every Wednesday and Saturday, with separate check-in times at the Sheriff's office for women, men and protective custody; a visitor who is late for check-in is turned away. Visitors bring verifiable identification, such as a state driver's license or ID card, and anyone on probation, parole or a court conditional release order needs a signed letter allowing the visit. The jail also has a video phone visitation line: a visitor registers and buys data, and corrections staff approve and schedule the call.
Mail goes to the person's name, c/o Modoc County Jail, 102 South Court Street, Alturas, CA 96101. The Sheriff's Corrections page accepts only the letter itself, money orders for the person's commissary account, and up to three photos no larger than 3 1/2 by 5 inches (no Polaroids); books and magazines must come straight from the publisher, and all mail is checked for contraband. Calls from the jail are collect or paid from an account, and the jail's phones do not connect to cell phones or to numbers with caller ID blocked. Call the Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416 before planning a visit or sending money.
What should I do right now if someone was just arrested in Modoc County?
Confirm whether the person is in custody, decide how to handle bail, hold onto any paperwork received, and bring in a defense lawyer early.
- Call the Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416 to confirm custody, or use the VINE custody tool.
- Ask about the charge and bail amount, and whether a figure has already been set.
- Decide how to handle release. Confirm the accepted payment method directly with the Sheriff's Office or the court, or contact a licensed California bail agent.
- Keep any paperwork the person received; it will name the court date once one is set.
- Talk to a criminal defense lawyer early. A lawyer can press for a reasonable bail figure and explain what the family should expect at arraignment.
Frequently asked questions
What if the Modoc County Jail cannot confirm someone is in custody?
The person may not be booked yet, or may still be held by the arresting agency before a transfer to the Modoc County Jail. Call (530) 233-4416 and give the person's full legal name and approximate arrest time, or try the statewide VINE custody tool.
Does Modoc County publish its own bail schedule?
No, not for a felony or misdemeanor arrest. The court's Forms and Filing page links only the Judicial Council's statewide 2019 bail and penalty schedule for traffic, boating, and similar regulatory offenses. Call the Sheriff's Office at (530) 233-4416 or the court's Criminal Division at (530) 233-6516 to ask about a specific charge.
Does getting a citation in Modoc County mean no booking happened?
Not necessarily. Penal Code section 853.6 lets an officer book someone at the scene or the station and still release them afterward on a signed written promise to appear, so a citation and a booking record can exist for the same arrest.
Who can ask the judge to lower a bail amount in Modoc County, and when?
Penal Code section 1269c lets the arrested person, or an attorney, friend, or family member acting for them, ask a judge for a lower bail amount or own recognizance release before arraignment, except for the charges listed in Penal Code section 1270.1.
Does the Modoc County Jail offer in-person visiting?
Yes. The Sheriff's Visitation page lists in-person visits every Wednesday and Saturday, with check-in at the Sheriff's office beforehand; late arrivals are turned away. A video phone visitation line, which corrections staff approve and schedule after a visitor registers and buys data, is also offered. Anyone on probation, parole, or a court conditional release order needs a signed letter before visiting.
Who handles court-appointed counsel in Modoc County?
Modoc's own Criminal FAQ describes requesting court-appointed counsel from the judge at the first court appearance, where the judge has you fill out a financial declaration to decide eligibility, rather than naming a separate public defender's office to call beforehand.
Talk to a lawyer
A family member calling about someone just arrested in Modoc 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.