Bail Bonds Service in University Park, TX

Many of the calls we take about University Park come from parents in another state who have just learned their college student is in custody and have no idea what building to call. Here is the short answer: a person arrested by the University Park Police Department is held at the department’s facility at 3800 University Blvd., and the case moves to Dallas County, where magistration and bond posting happen through the Lew Sterrett Justice Center at 111 W. Commerce St. A Way Out Bail Bonds writes felony, misdemeanor, DWI, warrant and traffic bonds for University Park arrests under Dallas County Bail Bond License #285, with bonds underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company. We have spent more than 35 years working the Dallas County bond desk, our phones are answered live at every hour of the night, our agents are bilingual, we take paperwork by phone, fax or email from anywhere in the country, and our payment terms are built for families who were not expecting this call. Reach our Dallas County line at 214-760-9978. See what Dallas County families say about A Way Out Bail Bonds.

About Bail Bonds in University Park, TX

University Park is a small, dense city built around a university, and its arrest profile looks almost nothing like the rest of Dallas County. The 2020 census counted 25,278 residents in about 3.69 square miles, bordered by Dallas on three sides and by Highland Park to the south, the two together forming the Park Cities. Southern Methodist University, founded in 1915, sits at the center of the city along with the Meadows Museum and the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Snider Plaza is the commercial heart, and Preston Road, Hillcrest Avenue and the nearby North Central Expressway carry the traffic.

Because the resident population skews toward families and the daytime population skews toward students, the charges we see cluster tightly: minor in possession, use of a fake identification, public intoxication, DWI on Mockingbird Lane or Hillcrest, disorderly conduct near campus housing after a game or a fraternity event, and occasional theft or criminal mischief. Two other things are typical of Park Cities calls. The co-signer is often a parent who lives hundreds of miles away, and discretion matters a great deal to the family. Both are ordinary requests, and both are easy to accommodate.

What is an indemnitor?

The indemnitor, more commonly called the co-signer, is the person who signs the bail bond agreement alongside the bail bond company and guarantees that the defendant will appear at every court setting. An indemnitor does not have to live in Texas and does not have to be present in person, which is why a parent in another state can still sign for a student in Dallas County. Our How Bail Bonds Work page explains what the role involves from start to finish.

Which Jail Will Someone Arrested in University Park Be Taken To?

Someone arrested by University Park police is first held at the police facility at 3800 University Blvd., University Park, TX 75205, and is then transferred to the Dallas County Jail at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, 111 W. Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75202, where magistration happens and the bond is filed. The University Park police, municipal court and city administration all share the 3800 University Blvd. address, and the city switchboard is 214-363-3000. Dallas County inmate information is 214-761-9025, and the county bond desk runs 24 hours a day.

The path from arrest to release normally runs like this:

• Arrest and intake in University Park. Officers complete the arrest report and hold the person at the department facility on University Boulevard. This stage is short. It is a municipal holding operation, not a long-term jail.
• Transfer downtown. Anyone facing a Class B misdemeanor or higher, and anyone not released on a municipal matter, is transported to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, roughly six miles south. The person will not appear in the Dallas County inmate search until county booking is complete, which is why early searches often come back empty.
• Magistration at Lew Sterrett. A Dallas County magistrate reads the charge, reviews the Public Safety Report required by Texas law, and sets the bond amount and any conditions. Texas requires this within 48 hours of arrest, and Dallas County magistrates work around the clock.
• Bond posting. Once a bond amount exists, our agent files the surety bond with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office at 111 W. Commerce St. This is the step we can prepare for in advance, so that nothing waits on paperwork when the number comes through.
• Release processing. Lew Sterrett verifies the bond and completes release. Timing depends on booking volume, and a weekend night moves more slowly than a weekday morning.

If you are not sure whether your family member is still in University Park or already downtown, call 214-760-9978 and let us check both. That call takes a few minutes and saves families from calling five wrong numbers.

Class C Charges and the University Park Municipal Court

Fine-only Class C matters, including traffic citations, city ordinance violations and many first-offense alcohol charges involving minors, are heard by the University Park Municipal Court at 3800 University Blvd., University Park, TX 75205, phone 214-987-5331. The court publishes its docket online, accepts citation payments and plea forms through its website, and offers the usual Texas options for traffic cases, including deferred disposition and driving safety course dismissal. An ignored citation becomes an alias warrant, and that warrant is what turns a routine stop months later into an arrest. If you are a student leaving for a semester break with an open citation, call the court before you go.

Bail Bond Services We Offer in University Park

We handle every charge level that moves from University Park into the Dallas County system, and we handle the family logistics that come with a Park Cities case.

Felony Bail Bonds in University Park

Felony cases from a University Park arrest are heard in the Dallas County criminal district courts at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Blvd. Felony bonds are set individually by the magistrate, often carry conditions, and frequently require a co-signer and sometimes collateral. Our agents handle drug, theft, assault and weapons cases, and we explain the conditions before anyone signs. See our Types of Bail Bonds page for how each bond type works.

Misdemeanor Bail Bonds in University Park

Class A and Class B misdemeanors make up the large majority of University Park arrests: public intoxication paired with another charge, possession cases, theft below the felony threshold, simple assault and criminal trespass. These bonds are usually posted the same day the bond amount is set, and for a student that can be the difference between missing one class and missing an exam week.

DWI and DUI Bail Bonds in University Park

DWI is among the most common charges we handle for University Park, and the arrests concentrate on Mockingbird Lane, Hillcrest Avenue, Lovers Lane and the approaches to the North Central Expressway. A first-offense DWI is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas, and a magistrate may add conditions such as an ignition interlock device. Texas also has a separate DUI offense for drivers under 21, which is charged differently from DWI, and our DWI and DUI bail bonds page explains what follows either one.

Warrant Bail Bonds in University Park

Warrant arrests in the Park Cities usually surface during an ordinary traffic stop, and the warrant is often from another city entirely. We post bonds on outstanding Dallas County warrants and on out-of-county warrants that appear at booking, and where the court allows it we can arrange a walk-through so the person surrenders and bonds out in a single visit rather than being taken into custody without warning.

Traffic and Class C Bonds in University Park

For University Park Municipal Court traffic warrants and other fine-only matters, we explain what that court accepts and, where a surety bond is permitted, we post it. Our traffic ticket bail bonds page has the details.

How the Bail Process Works in University Park

From your first call to a release from Lew Sterrett, the process has six steps.

• Call 214-760-9978. Give us the full name and date of birth, where the arrest happened and the charge if you know it. We answer live, including at three in the morning.
• We locate the person. We check with University Park and with Dallas County so you know whether the transfer downtown has already happened. Nothing else can be planned until that is clear.
• We confirm the bond amount and conditions. After magistration there is a figure and a set of conditions. We go through both in plain language, including anything that restricts driving, contact or alcohol.
• Paperwork and the co-signer. The co-signer signs the agreement and provides identification. This can be done entirely by phone, fax or email, which is how most out-of-state parents handle it, and a mobile agent can meet a local relative instead.
• We post the bond. Our agent files the surety bond with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office at 111 W. Commerce St. Because we work that bond desk daily, the filing itself is routine.
• Release and court dates. Lew Sterrett verifies the bond and processes release. We give the defendant and the co-signer every court setting in writing and remind them before each one, since a missed setting is the one event that puts a bond at risk.

Texas law sets the frame for all of this. Senate Bill 6, the Damon Allen Act, effective December 2021, requires a magistrate to consider a Public Safety Report before setting bail and prohibits personal bonds for a defined list of violent charges. Proposition 3, approved by Texas voters on November 4, 2025, permits a judge to deny bail in certain violent and sexual felony cases when the state meets a clear and convincing evidence standard. Neither provision affects the everyday student and misdemeanor cases that make up most University Park arrests, where bail is set normally and a surety bond is available. The Texas Justice Court Training Center bail page sets out the current rules.

Affordable Bail Bonds in University Park: Payment Options

A surety bond exists so that a family does not have to produce the entire bail amount in cash. You pay a bond fee, we post the bond, and we arrange that fee around what the household can manage.

• Flexible payment plans. Many bonds can be arranged in installments rather than a single payment.
• Low down payment options. A qualified co-signer can often begin the release with a smaller initial amount.
• No credit check. Approval depends on the charge, the defendant’s history and the co-signer, not a credit score.
• Out-of-state co-signers welcome. A parent in another state can sign and pay remotely, which is how many Park Cities bonds are handled.
• Collateral alternatives. Most misdemeanor bonds require no collateral. When it is needed, we say exactly what qualifies and how it comes back at the end of the case.
• Several ways to pay. Major credit cards, American Express, Western Union, personal checks and cash in some situations, with payment able to be arranged at the jail.
• Written terms. Every fee and condition appears in the agreement before signing, with nothing added later.

See our bail payment options page for more. If cost is what has kept you from calling, call anyway. The conversation is free.

Why University Park Residents Choose A Way Out Bail Bonds

What We Offer	What It Means for You
Dallas County Bail Bond License #285 (and Tarrant County License #218)	We are approved by the Dallas County Bail Bond Board and listed among the county’s licensed bail bond companies.
Bonds underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company	Each bond is backed by an admitted surety, which Dallas County requires before accepting it.
We know the University Park route	Arrests start at 3800 University Blvd. and the bond is filed at Lew Sterrett. We check both and do not lose time in between.
Daily presence at the Dallas County bond desk	More than 35 years of filing bonds at 111 W. Commerce St. means the paperwork step is routine for us.
24/7 live answer	Park Cities arrests happen late on weekend nights. So do our releases.
Out-of-state co-signers handled by phone, fax or email	A parent in another state can sign for a student without flying to Dallas.
Bilingual agents (Se habla espanol)	Spanish-speaking families get the full explanation in their own language.
Discretion as standard practice	We handle Park Cities cases quietly. Nothing about your family goes outside the bond process.
Flexible payment plans and no credit check	Release is not held up by a credit score or a single large payment.
Locally trusted across Dallas County	4.1 Google rating, 30+ reviews

Local Knowledge: University Park Courts, Districts and Rules

University Park is small enough that most arrests happen in a handful of identifiable places. The SMU campus and the blocks of student housing around Hillcrest Avenue and Daniel Avenue produce alcohol-related charges, especially on home football weekends and during rush and finals periods. Snider Plaza and the Lovers Lane corridor generate DWI and traffic cases, as do Mockingbird Lane and the ramps toward the North Central Expressway. The residential blocks north of University Boulevard generate mostly property and disturbance calls.

Court venue is decided entirely by charge level:

• Class C, fine-only: University Park Municipal Court, 3800 University Blvd., University Park, TX 75205, 214-987-5331.
• Class A and B misdemeanors: Dallas County criminal courts at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas, TX 75207.
• Felonies: Dallas County criminal district courts, also at the Frank Crowley Courts Building.

One point surprises nearly every family in the Park Cities. SMU has its own police department with commissioned Texas peace officers, and an arrest made on campus by SMU police is still a Dallas County case that goes through the same county process. A student may also face a university conduct proceeding on a separate track, with its own timeline and its own rules, and that proceeding is not affected by posting bond. The two are entirely separate, and confusing them costs families time. We handle the bond and tell you plainly where our part ends.

Response Time to University Park

Our office at 633 W. Division St., Suite A, Arlington, TX 76011 is about 25 miles from University Park, roughly 30 to 35 minutes by I-30 in ordinary traffic, but that drive rarely determines timing. Bonds for University Park arrests are filed at the Dallas County bond desk at 111 W. Commerce St., about six miles south of the city, and our agents are there daily. Paperwork moves by phone, fax or email, so an out-of-state co-signer adds no delay. If you would rather meet in person, a mobile agent can come to University Park or meet you downtown. Drive times are approximate and vary with traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions About University Park Bail Bonds

Where are SMU students taken after an arrest?

Students arrested in University Park, including on the SMU campus, are held first at the University Park police facility at 3800 University Blvd. and then transferred to the Dallas County Jail at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, 111 W. Commerce St. in downtown Dallas. Magistration and bond posting happen at the county level. If you cannot find the person in the county inmate search, the transfer may not be complete yet. Call us and we will check both.

Can parents post bail from out of state?

Yes, and it is common here. A co-signer does not have to live in Texas or appear in person. We send the bond agreement for signature and take identification and payment by phone, fax or email, so a parent in another state can complete everything without traveling. Many University Park bonds are arranged this way overnight.

How long does Lew Sterrett take to release someone after a bond is posted?

Release usually follows within a few hours of the jail verifying the bond, though busy weekend nights run longer. The Dallas County bond desk operates 24 hours a day, so there is no cutoff time to work around. The longer part of the wait is usually before the bond, in transport from University Park, county booking and magistration, which is why calling as early as possible is the one thing that reliably helps.

Is an arrest by SMU police handled differently?

No. SMU police officers are commissioned Texas peace officers, and a criminal charge they file goes into the Dallas County system like any other. The bond process is identical. What is different is that a student may also face a separate university conduct process, which runs on its own schedule and is not resolved by posting bond.

What is the co-signer responsible for?

The co-signer, or indemnitor, guarantees that the defendant appears at every court setting. If the defendant stops appearing and cannot be located, the co-signer is responsible for the full bond amount and any recovery costs. This is rare when court dates are tracked, and we send reminders to both the defendant and the co-signer before every setting for exactly that reason.

Is the bail bond fee refundable at the end of the case?

No. The fee paid to a bail bond company is the charge for posting the bond and is not returned, whatever the outcome of the case. Cash bail paid directly to Dallas County is different: the county refunds it at the end of the case less any fees the court assesses, but that route requires putting up the entire bail amount rather than a fee.

Will this stay private?

We treat every Park Cities case as confidential and share nothing outside the bond process. What we cannot control is the public record: Dallas County arrest and court records are public, and jail records may appear in county searches. We can explain what is and is not visible, and a defense attorney can advise on expunction or nondisclosure once the case is resolved.

Do you have Spanish-speaking agents?

Yes. Se habla espanol. Our bilingual agents explain the charge, the bond agreement, the court settings and the co-signer’s obligations in Spanish, and paperwork can be reviewed in Spanish before signing.

Areas We Also Serve Near University Park

A Way Out Bail Bonds covers every city in Dallas County and Tarrant County. Around the Park Cities we also handle bail bonds in Highland Park directly to the south, bail bonds in Dallas on all three remaining sides, bail bonds in Addison up the tollway, bail bonds in Richardson north on US-75, and bail bonds in Farmers Branch to the northwest. Our full list is on the cities we serve page.

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Call for University Park Bail Bonds Now

Need a bail bondsman for a University Park or SMU arrest? A Way Out Bail Bonds is licensed in Dallas County, answering live at every hour, and able to take a co-signer’s paperwork from anywhere in the country. Call 214-760-9978 now, or 817-261-2828 for a Tarrant County matter, or request service online.

A Way Out Bail Bonds, 633 W. Division St., Suite A, Arlington, TX 76011. Dallas County Bail Bond License #285. Tarrant County Bail Bond License #218. Agent for United States Fire Insurance Company. Owner: Jeanie M. Wade.

Reviewed by Jeanie M. Wade, Licensed Bail Bond Agent. Last reviewed September 2026.