Need bail help after an arrest in St. Cloud, Minnesota? GPS Bail Bonds offers 24/7 assistance with custody questions, court-set bail and available surety bond options. St. Cloud spans Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties, so confirming the correct jail and court is an important first step.
Share the person's name and whatever you know — the arresting agency, where they were booked or which county, if you know it. If you don't, that's fine; GPS can help work out which county's records to check.
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GPS Bail Bonds is available 24/7 to help Minnesota families understand their bail bond options.
Help for central Minnesota's largest city, where one police department serves a city that crosses three county lines.
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St. Cloud Bail Assistance
St. Cloud Police serve the whole city, but the city reaches into Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties. GPS helps families work out which county's jail and court to check first.
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Available 24/7
Call (763) 288-2581 or send the form any time. GPS answers around the clock; the police information desk, City Hall, county offices and courts keep their own hours.
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Police, Jail & Court Guidance
The arresting agency, the jail holding someone and the court hearing the case can be three different offices. We explain how Stearns, Benton and Sherburne resources fit together.
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Clear Premium & Paperwork Guidance
We go through court-set bail, filed surety rates, minimum collection before posting, receipts and every signed agreement and obligation before you commit.
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Eligible Surety Bond Assistance
If the court authorizes a bond and underwriting is met, GPS can discuss surety options and qualifying payment terms. Each case is reviewed on its own; nothing is pre-approved.
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Minnesota Statewide Coverage
Stearns, Benton, Sherburne or anywhere else in Minnesota — GPS can help with the jail and court involved. GPS has no office in St. Cloud.
St. Cloud Police or another authorized agency, such as a county sheriff or the State Patrol, may respond. The result can be a citation, a summons or a custodial arrest, and the county depends on the case.
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Step 2 of 6
Confirm Custody and Booking
Don't assume Stearns County custody. Depending on where the incident happened and how the case is filed, the person may be in the Stearns, Benton or Sherburne County jail — or released.
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Step 3 of 6
Verify Court-Set Bail and Conditions
The district court handling the case sets money bail and release conditions, or may release someone without monetary bail. Confirm the terms through official sources.
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Step 4 of 6
Contact GPS About Bond Options
Call (763) 288-2581. With custody and the court's terms known, GPS can explain whether an authorized surety bond may be available. Approval is not promised.
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Step 5 of 6
Complete Premium, Paperwork & Underwriting
Identification, signed paperwork, the approved premium with a receipt and, where required, a cosigner, collateral and underwriting review.
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Step 6 of 6
Post the Bond and Follow Court Orders
Bond acceptance and release processing vary by facility. After release, every court appearance and release condition must be followed.
Statewide GPS guides for families researching bail options after a St. Cloud arrest, whichever of the city's three counties handles the case. They are not a ranking of local offenses.
Not every charge is eligible for bail, and no amounts are guaranteed — the court decides in each case.
05 · Costs
What Bail Bonds Cost in St. Cloud
St. Cloud has no separate city bail premium schedule. The district court handling the case — Stearns, Benton or Sherburne County — determines monetary bail and release conditions, while Minnesota's filed-rate and statutory rules govern commercial surety premiums statewide.
Court-Set Bail vs. Bond Premium
The court sets the bail amount. Paying it directly in cash is one option. A surety bond instead costs a premium — a fee paid to the bail bond agency that is not returned at the end of the case. Minnesota Criminal Procedure Rule 6 ↗ (opens an external site)
Filed Surety Rates & Minimum Upfront Payment
Under Minn. Stat. §60M.02, premiums follow rates filed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Bonds of $10,000 or less require at least 50% of the premium collected before posting; bonds greater than $10,000 require at least 30% collected before posting. Any unpaid premium balance requires the applicable approved, signed promissory note and the statutory repayment terms. The statutory minimum premium remains $100. Minnesota §60M.02 — Bail Bond Premiums ↗ (opens an external site)
Promissory Note & Repayment
Any unpaid premium balance is put in writing, with a payment schedule and any allowed interest. The signer is responsible for that balance regardless of how the case ends. The same §60M.02 rules above govern premium payment.
Use the court-set bond amount from the jail or court.
Estimates are for informational purposes only and are not a binding quote or financing offer. Actual premiums are based on the applicable approved surety rate. Payment arrangements depend on eligibility, underwriting, and Minnesota law. Call GPS Bail Bonds for a case-specific quote.
General information under Minnesota Statutes §§60M.02 and 60M.03 — not a quote or legal advice.
06 · Jails & custody
St. Cloud Jails & Custody Information
St. Cloud Police handle municipal law enforcement, but the city has no jail of its own. St. Cloud spans Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties, so a St. Cloud arrest doesn't by itself tell you where someone is held or which court will hear the case — the incident location, booking, warrant and filing county decide that.
Information desk (weekday office hours): 320-345-4444
City administration (not a jail or court)
St. Cloud City Hall1201 7th Street SouthSt. Cloud, MN 56301320-255-7200
The city's municipal police department. Its information desk keeps weekday business hours and is not a 24/7 office. Which county jail and court handle a case is established separately. In an emergency, call 911.
The primary local resource for Stearns County cases. Operated by the Stearns County Sheriff's Office on Courthouse Square. The county's current-inmate roster lists adults presently recorded in custody.
Handles criminal and traffic matters filed in Stearns County, including applicable St. Cloud cases. The two Courthouse Square addresses are service locations of one district court, not two courts — confirm the assigned hearing location with the court. Judges determine bail or release conditions; GPS does not set bail amounts or hearing schedules.
If filed in Benton County · Seventh Judicial District
Neither the police department nor City Hall holds detainees. First confirm the county the case is in, then check that county's official source — Stearns County's current-inmate roster, or Benton or Sherburne County's jail information — or call the jail.
Stearns County Jail central control (24/7): 320-259-3760
An arrest and a jail booking are different events. Booking — at the Stearns, Benton or Sherburne County jail, depending on the case — involves identification, photographs and records processing, so a recent arrest may not appear on a roster right away.
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Official Inmate Search
Stearns County's inmate and warrant search page links the current-inmate roster, which shows adults presently recorded in custody. It is not an arrest log, a warrant system or a court record, and it may not update the moment someone is booked or released. GPS is independent of it and cannot change it. Benton and Sherburne counties publish their own custody information, and each county's search works differently. Jail, court and warrant records are separate systems.
The district court handling the case — Stearns, Benton or Sherburne County — may release someone without monetary bail, on conditions, with money bail, or a combination. Conditions still apply after a bond is posted.
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Cash Bail vs. Surety Bond
Cash bail paid directly as the court authorizes is different from a surety premium paid to a bail bond agency, which is not returned. Each county jail has its own procedure — confirm the amount, conditions and payment rules with the facility actually holding the person.
A warrant, probation matter or legal hold from another case or county can keep someone in custody even after bail is posted on the St. Cloud matter. See our Warrant and Probation Violation guides.
Court dates
Court Appearance Information
A St. Cloud case can be filed in Stearns County (Seventh Judicial District, St. Cloud), Benton County (Seventh Judicial District, Foley) or Sherburne County (Tenth Judicial District, Elk River). Confirm the filing county, the court and the hearing location. Minnesota Court Records Online shows some case details and hearings, but not every hearing appears publicly, dates can change, and it is not a live jail roster. Release paperwork lists the next court date — every appearance and every court order must be followed.
Don't wait to have everything. Share what you know and we'll help fill in the rest.
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Defendant's Full Legal Name
As it would appear on an ID, including any middle name.
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Date of Birth or Approximate Age
Helps tell apart people with similar names in jail reports.
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City or County of Arrest
St. Cloud spans Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties. The arrest location, responding agency, case number or other information may help us identify which county's records to check.
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Booking Number, If Available
Shown in jail records. Not required to start.
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Jail, Charge, Court or Bail Info, If Known
Anything you've been told — even partial details help.
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Your Contact Info & Relationship
So we can reach you and know how you're connected to the defendant.
Charge types families often ask about. This is not a local frequency ranking, and there is no St. Cloud-specific bail schedule — bail is set by the court.
DWI
Minn. Stat. §169A.20; degrees §§169A.24–.27
Degree depends on prior incidents and aggravating factors. Higher degrees can carry conditional-release requirements such as alcohol monitoring.
St. Cloud is the largest city in central Minnesota and the hub of the St. Cloud metro area, a regional center for jobs, health care, shopping and education.
The city is the Stearns County seat — the county's administration, Sheriff's Office, jail and district court all sit on Courthouse Square, at separate addresses.
St. Cloud's city limits cross into three counties. The city notes that a property within St. Cloud is in Stearns, Benton or Sherburne County, and that same split matters for jails and courts.
The Mississippi River runs through the city, and downtown St. Cloud grew up along St. Germain Street near the river's west bank.
Lake George, a park and gathering place near downtown, and St. Cloud State University, south of downtown along the river, are among the city's best-known places.
The St. Cloud Police Department handles municipal law enforcement. County jail records and district court jurisdiction are separate, and they follow the county where the case arises — not just the city name. The city sits beside Waite Park, Sartell, St. Joseph and St. Augusta.
10 · FAQ
St. Cloud Bail Bonds FAQs
Yes. Call (763) 288-2581 or use the form any time, including nights, weekends and holidays. GPS works by phone and online and has no office in St. Cloud.
All three. St. Cloud is the Stearns County seat, but parts of the city lie in Benton and Sherburne counties. Which county is involved depends on where the incident happened and where the case is filed.
The St. Cloud Police Department, 101 11th Avenue North, handles municipal law enforcement. Non-emergency police calls: 320-251-1200. Another agency, such as a county sheriff or the State Patrol, may also make an arrest in the city.
No. The police department is not a custody facility. People held for court are booked into a county jail — usually Stearns County Jail, but a Benton or Sherburne County case can mean a different jail.
Stearns County Jail at 807 Courthouse Square in St. Cloud, Benton County Jail in Foley, or Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, depending on the case. Some people are cited and released instead of booked.
Use the county's official current-inmate roster, which lists adults presently recorded in custody, or call jail central control at 320-259-3760 (answered 24/7). A recent booking may take time to appear.
Use the Sherburne County jail page or call 763-765-3800 for bail and release information. The jail is in Elk River. Each county's search tools work differently.
The district court of the county where the case is filed: Stearns County (criminal and traffic services at 815 Courthouse Square), Benton County in Foley, or Sherburne County in Elk River.
Because part of St. Cloud lies in Benton County, whose court is in Foley (Seventh District), and part lies in Sherburne County, whose court is in Elk River (Tenth District). The filing county decides the court.
No. Neither City Hall nor the police department handles criminal bail. Direct cash bail goes through the county facility holding the person; a surety bond goes through a licensed agent.
Cash bail is the full amount paid directly as the court authorizes. A surety bond costs a premium paid to a bail bond agency, which is not returned, and may involve a cosigner or collateral.
Under §60M.02 the minimum premium is $100. Bonds of $10,000 or less need at least 50% collected before posting (balance within four months); larger bonds need at least 30% (within twelve), with a signed promissory note.
Whatever you know: full name, date of birth or approximate age, where in St. Cloud it happened, the arresting agency, and any booking, charge, court or bail details. Missing details are fine.
