To find out whether someone is in Tulare County jail custody tonight, start with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office online inmate search, which lists people currently booked into the county's jails. The Sheriff's Office runs three detention facilities: the Bob Wiley Detention Facility, the Adult Pre-Trial Facility and the South County Detention Facility.
Finding out if someone is in Tulare County jail custody
The Sheriff's inmate search is the fastest way to check custody status, since it reflects the jail's own booking records rather than the court's case file.
- Open the Sheriff's inmate search page and search by the person's name.
- If a result appears, open it with View: the record shows the facility holding the person, the booking date, the arresting agency, the bond amount, a court date and the counts by statute and description.
- If no result appears, the person may not be booked yet, may be listed under a different name or spelling, may have already posted bail or been released, or may be held by a city police department or another agency rather than the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Detentions Operations page sends questions about a specific facility to that facility's commander or program manager, so call the facility's public line in the table below with the booking details you have.
Where Tulare County books and holds people
Tulare County's Sheriff's Office runs three jail facilities, two on Road 112 in Visalia and one in Porterville, and each inmate search record names the facility holding the person.
Tulare County detention facilities, with the addresses and public phone numbers on the Sheriff's own Contact Us page.
| Facility | Address | Public phone |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Wiley Detention Facility | 36712 Road 112, Visalia, CA 93291 | (559) 735-1700 |
| Adult Pre-Trial Facility | 36650 Road 112, Visalia, CA 93291 | (559) 735-1750 |
| South County Detention Facility | 1960 W. Scranton Ave., Porterville, CA 93257 | (559) 782-7800 |
For general questions, the Sheriff's Contact Us page lists headquarters at 833 S. Akers St., Visalia, at (559) 802-9400, with office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Every county's courthouse and jail guides are gathered in the firm's California courthouse and jail directory.
How release works in Tulare County
People leave Tulare County's jails on a citation for many misdemeanors, by posting bail, on own recognizance, or after serving a sentence, depending on the charge and case stage.
For many misdemeanors, Penal Code 853.6 provides release on a signed written promise to appear in court, though an officer may book the person first. Before a first court appearance, bail for a warrantless arrest follows the county's own bail schedule, and the jail can accept it in cash or as a surety bond from a certified, admitted surety insurer; once a judge has set bail at an appearance, that judge's amount controls instead. Under Penal Code 1270, a person arrested for or charged with an offense other than a capital crime may be released on their own recognizance, meaning a promise to appear rather than a money payment; a person in custody arraigned on a misdemeanor-only complaint is entitled to that release unless the court finds, under Penal Code 1275, that it would compromise public safety or not reasonably assure appearance, in which case the court sets bail or other conditions instead. Before release on own recognizance, the person signs an agreement under Penal Code 1318 promising to appear at all times and places the court orders and not to leave the state without permission.
How to post bail in Tulare County
For an arrest without a warrant, the Superior Court's countywide schedule fixes the bail amount until a judge sets bail, higher or lower, at a court appearance.
Under Penal Code 1269b, the Superior Court's judges must prepare, adopt and annually revise a uniform countywide bail schedule for bailable felonies and for misdemeanors and infractions other than Vehicle Code infractions; the current Tulare County Superior Court Bail Schedule is dated revised November 6, 2025. Under Penal Code 1275, a judge setting, reducing or denying bail must weigh protection of the public, the seriousness of the charge, the person's criminal record and the likelihood of appearing, with public safety the primary consideration. Penal Code 1270.1 adds a hearing in open court, on two court days' written notice to the prosecutor and the defense, before release below the schedule amount or on own recognizance for the offenses it lists, such as a serious or violent felony (residential burglary excepted). Two California Supreme Court decisions limit that discretion further: In re Humphrey (2021) requires the judge to weigh the person's ability to pay and nonfinancial alternatives before relying on money bail alone, and In re Kowalczyk (2026) holds that bail may be denied outright, in a noncapital case, only for the offenses California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c) lists, and that a money amount must generally be one the person can reasonably attain. The firm's answers on how California bail amounts are set and on cash bail versus a surety bond explain each route in more detail.
The first court date, and which court hears the case
A person held in custody must be taken before a judge within 48 hours of arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays, and the court holds its Pretrial Facility hearings remotely.
Under Penal Code 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." If those 48 hours run out while court is not sitting, subdivision (a)(2) stretches the clock "to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following," meaning it reaches through the end of the following court day's session, and the same subdivision's Wednesday rule means a person arrested on a Wednesday, after that day's session has ended, must still reach a magistrate by the following Friday, unless either day is a court holiday. The clock belongs only to someone actually held in custody, not a person cited and released, and it is never a deadline for filing a charge. The Superior Court's own Pretrial Facility location page, for the same Visalia address as the Adult Pre-Trial Facility, says the building is closed to the public with all hearings held remotely, names the South County Justice Center in Porterville (Department 16), and lists last-day arraignments and in-custody hearings as its services, with phone service Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the court's criminal division page describes arraignment itself as the hearing where the defendant is told the charges and constitutional rights and enters a plea. Which courthouse ultimately handles a case that moves past arraignment can still differ by city and charge; see the firm's Tulare County Courthouse guide for the county's other courthouses and how to find a specific case.
Right after booking, Penal Code 851.5 gives an arrested person the right, immediately upon booking and, except where physically impossible, no later than three hours after arrest, to make at least three completed phone calls, free within the local calling area, to an attorney, a bail bondsman or a relative; Penal Code 825(b) separately lets any California attorney visit a person in custody at the request of the prisoner or a relative, and makes it a misdemeanor for an officer in charge to willfully refuse the visit.
Visiting, mail and money at Tulare County's jails
Tulare County's three jails share one video visitation system, and a kiosk or online account handles deposits to an inmate's account.
The Sheriff's video visitation page states that internet video visits are available at all three facilities, with on-site video visits available only at the South County Detention Facility, scheduled and registered through the link on that page. As posted on that page, internet video visit hours run 7:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week, Pacific time, at $7.50 per 30-minute visit, with scheduling windows of 7:45 to 11:05 a.m., 1:00 to 4:10 p.m. and 8:00 to 9:20 p.m.; South County's on-site video visits run 7:45 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., seven days a week. Confirm the current schedule and price on the Sheriff's own page before booking, since hours and fees can change. The same page says the lobby kiosk now requires an Access Corrections account to make a deposit or payment, and the Sheriff's Sending Money page lists deposits through Access Corrections online, by app, at the kiosk or by phone, with a service fee on each transaction. Letters do not go to the jails: the Sheriff's Sending Letters and Packages page says its facilities switched to Pigeonly for mail screening, gives a P.O. Box in Las Vegas, Nevada, for letters with the person's name and ID number, and warns that mail sent to the facilities will be returned. Packages go to 36714 Road 112, Visalia, CA 93291, with the person's first and last name and ID number.
What to do now
Check the Sheriff's inmate search first, note which facility holds the person, and call the Sheriff's Office with the booking details you have if the person does not appear in the search. Talk to a lawyer before the first court date: 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. For a DUI arrest, which brings a DMV licensing action separate from the court case, see the firm's Visalia DUI page; for other charges, see its Tulare criminal defense page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the inmate search show the charges against someone?
It shows the booking counts. Each person's record on the Sheriff's inmate search lists the counts by statute and description, with the facility, bond amount and court date; the court informs the defendant of the charges actually filed at arraignment.
Can a lawyer visit someone in Tulare County custody right away?
Yes. Penal Code 825 lets any attorney entitled to practice in California courts visit a person in custody at the request of the prisoner or a relative, and makes it a misdemeanor for an officer in charge to willfully refuse or neglect to allow the visit.
What if the 48-hour deadline falls while court is closed?
The 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, apply only to a person held in custody. If they end while the court is not in session, Penal Code 825(a)(2) extends them through the end of the next court session on the following court day, and a person arrested on a Wednesday after that day's session has ended must be taken before a judge by Friday, unless either day is a court holiday.
Can bail be posted with a bail bond instead of cash?
Yes. Penal Code 1269b lets jail and court staff accept bail in cash or as a surety bond executed by a certified, admitted surety insurer, and Penal Code 1295 lets a person deposit the bail amount with the court clerk instead.
How do video visits work at the Tulare County jails?
The Sheriff's video visitation page lists internet video visits at all three facilities and on-site video visits at the South County Detention Facility only, at $7.50 per 30-minute internet visit within posted scheduling windows; check the Sheriff's current page before booking, since hours and fees can change.
What if the arrest was for DUI?
A DUI arrest can also start a separate DMV action against the driver's license. To get a DMV hearing before a suspension takes effect, the request must be made within 10 days of receiving the notice of suspension, under Vehicle Code 13558(b); the firm's DMV hearing defense page explains that process.