For arrests in 2026, the amount the jail can release you on before you see a judge comes from one statewide table, the Florida Supreme Court’s uniform bond schedule in Administrative Order AOSC25-69. Amounts run from $150 for the lowest-level offenses up to $5,000, and the most serious categories are marked “none, first appearance required,” meaning no release until a judge sets bond. The schedule took effect January 1, 2026 and expires December 31, 2026.
Where the 2026 bond schedule comes from
Until a few years ago, each of Florida’s judicial circuits wrote its own bond schedule. The Eleventh Circuit, which covers Miami-Dade, had one; Broward had a different one. A 2023 state law ended that and told the Florida Supreme Court to publish a single schedule for the whole state every year.
The court issued the 2026 version on December 18, 2025. It binds jail staff and pretrial services units: when someone is booked on a charge that appears on the schedule, the jail can accept that amount and release the person without waiting for a hearing. A chief judge in a circuit may add conditions or raise amounts locally, but may only lower them with the Supreme Court’s approval, according to the Florida Bar News.
The schedule does not bind judges. At first appearance, a judge can set bond higher or lower than the schedule, add conditions such as a no-contact order or GPS monitoring, or release a person on their own recognizance.
How much is bail in Florida before first appearance?
The schedule works in tiers by offense degree and type. The lowest tier is $150, the top standard tier is $5,000, and the order carries separate lines for DUI. The exact amount for a given charge has to be read from the schedule itself, because it depends on the degree of the offense and, for some categories, the specific statute.
Three things decide what happens at the jail:
- The charge. Most misdemeanors and many lower-level felonies have a dollar amount. The serious violent and sexual offense categories have no amount at all and require a hearing.
- The person’s status. Several groups are excluded from schedule release no matter what the charge is (see below).
- Local additions. The chief judge can layer conditions on top of the statewide amounts.
If the charge has an amount and the person is not in an excluded group, a bondsman or a family member can post it at the jail and the person is released, usually within hours.
Who cannot be released on the bond schedule?
The order lists categories that must wait for first appearance even when the charge itself has a schedule amount. They include:
- Anyone arrested while on probation, community control or pretrial release in another case
- Anyone with three or more arrests in the preceding six months
- Anyone designated a prison releasee reoffender, habitual offender or similar status
- Anyone arrested for an offense in the “first appearance required” categories
These exclusions catch a lot of people. An open probation case, a pending charge from last month, or a prior felony record can turn a $500 misdemeanor into an overnight stay regardless of the amount on the table.
What this means if you are charged in Miami-Dade
Someone booked at Turner Guilford Knight in Miami-Dade either walks out on the schedule the same night or waits up to 24 hours for bond court. Which one happens depends almost entirely on this order and its exclusions.
For families, the first step is to find the charge on the Miami-Dade Corrections inmate search and compare it to the schedule before calling a bondsman. If the charge shows a bond amount and nothing in the person’s history disqualifies them, posting it quickly is usually the fastest route out. Bondsmen in Miami-Dade generally charge a percentage of the bond as their fee, so a $1,000 schedule bond is a small outlay.
If the inmate search shows “no bond” or the person has an open case, a recent arrest or a probation violation, the schedule will not help. The decision moves to first appearance, which happens within 24 hours including weekends. That hearing is short, often a few minutes by video from the jail, and it is where a lawyer can argue for a lower amount, a signature release or a supervised release program. People who show up to that hearing without a lawyer get whatever the judge sets.
One more point of timing: the 2026 schedule expires December 31, and a new order for 2027 is expected in December. Amounts and exclusions can shift from year to year, so a bond amount a friend paid last year is not a reliable guide. The FAQ on this site covers what happens at first appearance and how the Arthur hearing works for charges that carry no standard bond.
At a glance
- 2026 schedule: Florida Supreme Court AOSC25-69, issued December 18, 2025, effective January 1 through December 31, 2026
- Amounts run from $150 to $5,000 by offense tier, with separate DUI lines; serious offenses require first appearance
- The schedule binds the jail, not the judge; a judge can go above or below it at first appearance
- No schedule release for anyone on probation or pretrial release, with three or more arrests in six months, or with a reoffender designation
- First appearance happens within 24 hours of arrest in Miami-Dade, including weekends
- Next step: check the charge and bond on the Miami-Dade inmate search before calling a bondsman
This article is general information about Florida law and Miami-Dade procedure as of its publication date. It is not legal advice. Laws change, and the facts of a case matter.
