If your relative calls from the Pomona City Jail late at night, your first question is simple: do we need a bail bond? For many charges you do not, because the Los Angeles Superior Court’s pre-arraignment release protocol sets bail at $0 before the first court date.
Some $0 charges still go to a magistrate before anyone goes home, and a few charges fall outside the protocol.
What Is the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol?
The Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol (PARP) is a set of release rules the Superior Court of Los Angeles County wrote into its bail schedule. It took effect on October 1, 2023, and it is what people mean by Los Angeles County zero bail. The 2026 felony and misdemeanor schedules, effective January 1, 2026, carry it as Part I.
It covers people arrested without a warrant, up to the first court appearance, called the arraignment. The schedule cites In re Humphrey (2021), where the California Supreme Court held that release cannot turn only on whether a person can afford bail.
What Do Cite and Release, Book and Release and Magistrate Review Mean?
Every listed charge carries one designation in the schedule’s “Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol” column. All three tracks carry $0 bail (Part I.A, page 5 of both schedules).
| Track | What happens | Booked? | Bond needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cite and Release (CR) | Released at arrest on a promise to appear | No | Not needed |
| Book and Release (BR) | Booked, then released on own recognizance | Yes | Not needed |
| Magistrate Review (MR) | Booked; a magistrate decides release | Yes | Nothing to post |
Own recognizance means release on a promise to return to court, with no money paid. On its PARP dashboard, the court says CR and BR bookings skip magistrate review unless law enforcement asks for one. A CR or BR charge can still land in Magistrate Review if one of the exceptions below applies. To find a charge’s column, see our guide to the Los Angeles County bail schedule.
What Happens During Magistrate Review?
Police book the person, and a magistrate weighs the known facts about the offense and the person, plus a risk assessment report (Part I.B item 3, pages 6-7). The magistrate then picks one outcome:
- Release on own recognizance with no conditions.
- Release on $0 bail with the least restrictive non-financial conditions.
- Custody until arraignment, if clear and convincing evidence shows that no non-financial condition can protect the public and the victim or bring the person back to court.
A person who accepts the conditions goes home. One who refuses waits for arraignment, with nothing for a bondsman to post in the meantime. Under PC 825, arraignment must come within 48 hours of the arrest, with Sundays and holidays excluded. If the prosecutor files no charges by then, the person goes home without conditions.
What Pushes a Charge Into Magistrate Review or Money Bail?
The court lists the triggers in Part I (pages 5-8):
- PC 1270.1 charges, including serious and violent felonies, felony criminal threats, stalking and domestic battery or corporal injury (PC 243(e)(1), 273.5). These need money bail or a hearing in open court.
- Sentencing enhancements under PC 1269b(e), such as a weapon allegation, which add a money amount.
- Felony probation, parole or PRCS (post-release community supervision) at the time of the offense. Police then refer a CR or BR charge to a magistrate (item 6.a). See probation violation bonds.
- Three or more failures to appear leading to warrants in three years, on offenses listed in PC 1319.5(b)(2). Police refer these to a magistrate too.
- More than one charge. The strictest designation controls, and one money-bail charge sets money bail for the booking (item 6.b).
Police can also ask the court within two hours of booking to raise money bail or move a CR or BR charge up to Magistrate Review (item 9, page 9).
Where Do Common Charges Land on the 2026 Schedule?
We read each row below from the 2026 felony and misdemeanor schedules, and each result holds only if none of the exceptions above applies.
| Charge | Code | 2026 designation | Schedule page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felony drug possession and sales | HS 11350, 11351, 11352, 11378, 11379 | BR, $0 | Felony 25-26 |
| Controlled substance possession (felony) | HS 11377 | MR, $0 | Felony 26 |
| Grand theft over $950 | PC 487(a) | BR, $0 | Felony 20 |
| Grand theft from a person | PC 487(c) | MR, $0 | Felony 20 |
| Assault with a deadly weapon | PC 245(a)(1) | $30,000 (serious felony) | Felony 14 |
| Assault likely to cause great bodily injury | PC 245(a)(4) | MR, $0 | Felony 14 |
| Corporal injury to a partner | PC 273.5 | $50,000 (PC 1270.1) | Felony 15 |
| Domestic battery, no traumatic injury | PC 243(e)(1) | $20,000 | Misdemeanor 14 |
| Misdemeanor DUI | VC 23152 | BR, $0 (MR with two or more priors in 10 years) | Misdemeanor 31 |
| DUI causing injury | VC 23153 | MR, $0 | Misdemeanor 31 |
| Petty theft | PC 488 | CR, $0 | Misdemeanor 18 |
A felony the schedule does not list defaults to Book and Release at $0 (item 8, page 8). An unlisted misdemeanor or wobbler, a charge the prosecutor can file either way, defaults to Cite and Release at $0 (misdemeanor item 7.b, page 8). The arraignment judge can still change any of these results. Our felony bail bonds and misdemeanor bail bonds pages cover more charges.
Does Zero Bail Apply to Warrant Arrests?
No. The protocol covers arrests without a warrant (Part I.B, page 6). A judge who signs an arrest warrant fixes bail on it under PC 815a, and the warrant states the amount.
That judge may use the protocol amounts or the schedule’s guideline figures (Part II.B and II.C): for felonies, $25,000 for CR, $50,000 for BR and $75,000 for MR (page 29); for misdemeanors, $1,000 to $5,000 for CR, $15,000 for BR and $30,000 for MR (page 36).
A charge that means $0 after a fresh arrest can carry real money bail on a warrant. With a warrant walk-through bond, we write the bond first and the person turns in with it ready.
What Can Your Family Do in the First Two Hours?
Call the court. You or the person’s attorney can ask a magistrate for own recognizance release, or for bail below the scheduled amount, by calling the Pre-Arraignment Support Unit at (213) 633-6350 within two hours of booking (PC 1269c; item 9, page 9). Court staff answer that line 24 hours a day.
Two limits apply: you can use it only after a warrantless arrest, and the magistrate cannot lower PC 1270.1 bail before arraignment. Have the person’s full name and date of birth ready.
If Pomona police made the arrest, you can call the Pomona City Jail, 490 W. Mission Blvd., at (909) 620-2131. Our Pomona inmate search guide lists other ways to find a booking.
Do You Need a Bail Bond?
- Cite and Release or Book and Release: no bond. Do not pay anyone to post bail on a $0 charge.
- Magistrate Review: nothing to post yet. If the arraignment judge sets money bail, you can post a bond from that point.
- Money bail, as with a PC 1270.1 charge or a warrant: you can post the full amount through a bond for a premium, instead of paying the court in cash.
At arraignment the judge can keep, raise, lower or remove bail, whatever the pre-arraignment result was. If the case is at Pomona Courthouse South, 400 Civic Center Plaza, the judge there makes that call.
Common Questions About Zero Bail in Los Angeles County
Pre-arraignment is the stretch between arrest and the first court appearance. At arraignment, the defendant hears the charges and their rights, and the judge asks about a plea. PC 825 sets the limit at 48 hours from arrest, leaving out Sundays and holidays. The protocol governs release in that window.
After arraignment, the prosecutor and the defense share evidence and file motions, and a felony case gets a preliminary hearing, according to the California Courts self-help guide. The arraignment judge also reviews bail and custody and can change any pre-arraignment result, including a $0 release.
West Valley Detention Center, at 9500 Etiwanda Ave in Rancho Cucamonga, is a San Bernardino County jail. For that booking, San Bernardino Superior Court’s own felony and misdemeanor bail schedule, effective January 1, 2026, applies in place of the Los Angeles protocol. See our West Valley page.
The standard premium is 10% of the bail. On the $30,000 scheduled for assault with a deadly weapon, that comes to $3,000. A filed 8% rate may apply to veterans, service members, union members and clients with a private attorney. Our cost guide covers payment plans and low down payment options.
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