The Van Nuys Jail and Police Department

Address/phone	6240 Sylmar Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91401 (map) (818) 374-9645
Find an inmate	Inmate locator
Visiting hours	Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 12pm and from 1pm to 2:30pm; Weekends and holidays from 8am to 12pm.

The Van Nuys Jail is a temporary holding facility for men and women arrested by the LAPD or California Highway Patrol in the San Fernando Valley. It is located within the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Community Police Station.

Arrestees are only held at the Van Nuys Jail until they

• are released on their own recognizance (known as an “O.R.” release),
• post bail, or
• are taken to court for their arraignment.

Male defendants who cannot bail out will generally be transferred to a larger Los Angeles County jail such as the Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail, the Pitchess Detention Center, or the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail.

Meanwhile, female defendants who do not bail out will be transferred to the Century Regional Detention Facility.

In this article, our Van Nuys criminal defense attorneys¹ will explain the following:

• 1. How do I bail people out from the Van Nuys Jail?
• 2. How do I get inmate information?
• 3. How do I contact someone in the Van Nuys Jail?
• 4. When can I visit?
• 5. What is the procedure for getting an inmate’s property released to me?

If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.

1. How do I bail people out from the Van Nuys Jail?

You may post bail directly at the Van Nuys Police Station (where the jail is located) 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. The Jail is located at

6240 Sylmar Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91401
(818) 374-9645

Free and metered parking is available on all of the streets that surround the police station.

Van Nuys Jail accepts four types of bail:

1. Cash paid in full.
2. Bank-drawn cashier’s check for the full amount. It must be made payable to Los Angeles Police Department’s Bail Account. The checks must also include the inmate’s name and booking number.
3. Western Union or U.S. Postal Service money order for the full amount. It must be made payable to Los Angeles Police Department’s Bail Account. The money order must also include the inmate’s name and booking number.
4. Bail bonds, where you pay a bondsman a 10% non-refundable fee in exchange for them putting up the entire bail amount.

Note that bail money gets returned to you once the case ends as long as the defendant makes all required court appearances; otherwise, you forfeit the bail money.

If you use a bail bondsman and the defendant misses court, the bail bondsman can sue you for the full bail amount minus the 10% you paid them.

2. How do I get inmate information?

In order to obtain information about an inmate at the Van Nuys Jail, you may

1. call the Van Nuys Jail at (818) 374-9645,
2. call the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information line at (213) 473-6100, or
3. access information via the web on the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s inmate information website.

Before a deputy will release information, you must provide the inmate’s correct full legal name or their booking number.

3. How do I contact someone in the Van Nuys Jail?

When a person is booked into the Van Nuys Jail, the staff allows them time during the day to make outgoing calls to you. You cannot call inmates or send mail.

4. When can I visit?

The Van Nuys Jail visiting hours are:

• Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 12pm and from 1pm to 2:30pm;
• Weekends and holidays from 8am to 12pm.

It is a good idea to call the Van Nuys Jail at (818) 374-9645 prior to your visit to make sure your loved one is there and that visiting hours have not changed.

Appointments are not required, and visits are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. All visitors must bring valid picture identification, such as

• a driver’s license or identification card,
• a U.S. Passport,
• an alien registration card, or
• a U.S. military card.

In addition, you are subject to a search of your person and property. Be sure to dress conservatively.

5. What is the procedure for getting an inmate’s property released to me?

If the person in custody at the Van Nuys Jail was arrested on a misdemeanor charge, they can fill out a property release form designating you to claim that property. If they were arrested for a felony, they must receive approval from a detective before they will be permitted to release their property.

To retrieve inmate property, bring a government-issued I.D. to the Van Nuys Jail lobby at any time.

Call us for help…

If you or your loved one is charged with a crime and you are looking to hire an attorney for representation, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. We can provide a consultation in our offices or by phone.

We have local offices in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Long Beach, Orange County, Ventura, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and throughout California.

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