A Wichita Municipal Court bond is the bond set on a city charge, meaning a violation of a Wichita ordinance and not a state felony. The case is heard at City Hall, 455 N Main, but the person is held at the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility, 141 W Elm. Kansas law requires the bond in a city case to be set within 18 hours of custody. Once it is posted, the person is released and given a date to appear at Municipal Court.
Case Bail Bonds posts city and county bonds from 705 N Broadway, three blocks from the jail. Call (316) 900-1667.
On this page
- City charge or county charge: how to tell
- How does a Wichita Municipal Court bond work?
- Four ways to post a bond in a city case
- What happens with a Wichita city warrant?
- Frequently asked questions
- Call Case Bail Bonds
City charge or county charge: how to tell
Wichita has two criminal courts within a block of each other, and people mix them up every day.
| Wichita Municipal Court | 18th Judicial District Court | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | City Hall, 455 N Main | Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N Main |
| Cases | City ordinance violations: traffic, DUI, misdemeanor theft, battery, domestic battery and similar | All felonies, plus state misdemeanors and traffic filed by the District Attorney |
| Prosecutor | City of Wichita | Sedgwick County District Attorney |
| Bond rules | K.S.A. 12-4213 and 12-4301 | K.S.A. 22-2802 |
| Jail | 141 W Elm | 141 W Elm |
The jail is the same either way. The Sheriff states that the detention facility books inmates for all Sedgwick County municipalities. That includes Wichita and the smaller cities with their own municipal courts, such as Derby, Haysville, Park City and Bel Aire.
One arrest can produce both kinds of charges. A person stopped on South Seneca might have a new city DUI and an old District Court warrant. Each one has its own bond line on the jail record, and the Sheriff adds the lines together for the total.
How does a Wichita Municipal Court bond work?
The Kansas Code of Procedure for Municipal Courts sets the timeline.
- 18 hours. Under K.S.A. 12-4213, bond must be set within 18 hours of the person being placed in custody.
- 48 hours. A person arrested without a warrant who has been held 48 hours without a first appearance before a municipal judge must be released on personal recognizance.
- 6 hours. Police may hold someone in protective custody for up to 6 hours if they are a danger to themselves or others and no responsible person can take them. After that they must be given the chance to post bond.
- 72 hours. Under K.S.A. 12-4301, a bond on a charge that would be a person offense under state law bars contact with the alleged victim for at least 72 hours, unless the judge finds otherwise.
Domestic violence cases have one more step. The Sheriff’s bond page says those inmates serve a court ordered cooling off period before bonding, and that the period and the bond amount vary by municipality. Our page on domestic violence bail bonds in Wichita covers it.
Four ways to post a bond in a city case
K.S.A. 12-4301 lists the methods a municipal court can accept.
- Cash. The full amount. The judge may also accept negotiable securities or a personal check. Cash posted at the jail is receipted in the name of the person who pays.
- Surety. A responsible Kansas resident signs the bond as surety, subject to the judge’s approval. This is the bail bond most people mean. A licensed bondsman signs, and you pay a premium of at least 10% of the bond under K.S.A. 22-2809b, with half of that minimum due before posting.
- Guaranteed arrest bond certificate. A certificate from a surety company or an auto club, used mostly in traffic cases.
- Driver’s license deposit. For a city traffic ordinance arrest only, a valid Kansas license can be left with the officer or the court clerk. The receipt works as a temporary license until the hearing date.
The court’s own rules also allow release on a signed promise to appear in many city cases. The Municipal Court Rules are posted on the City of Wichita Municipal Court page. For the county version, see our guide to the OR bond in Sedgwick County.
| City bond | Minimum bondsman premium | Minimum due before posting |
|---|---|---|
| $250 | $25 | $12.50 |
| $500 | $50 | $25 |
| $1,000 | $100 | $50 |
| $2,500 | $250 | $125 |
City bonds are usually smaller than felony bonds, so many families pay cash. If you do, keep the receipt. The court clerk’s office on the 2nd floor of City Hall handles cash bond refunds after the case closes.
What happens with a Wichita city warrant?
Miss a date at Municipal Court and the judge can issue a bench warrant. A city warrant does not expire on its own. It comes up at the next traffic stop, whether that is on Kellogg or in a parking lot in Delano.
You have three ways to deal with a city warrant:
- Check it first. The city posts warrant information online. We also run warrant checks. See our Wichita warrant search page.
- Go to the court. City Hall is open on weekdays. Ask the Municipal Court about its docket for people who missed a date. Bring photo ID and leave time to wait.
- Arrange a walk through bond. A bondsman meets you, you are booked and released on the bond, and you leave with a new court date. A planned surrender is usually much shorter than an unplanned arrest.
Warrants from Derby, Haysville, Park City and other towns are cleared with that town’s own municipal court, not at Wichita City Hall.
One point about missed court. The state failure to appear crime in K.S.A. 21-5915 does not cover cases pending in a city municipal court. A missed city date still brings a warrant, a forfeited bond and often a suspended license, so it is never free. Our article on failure to appear in Kansas has more.
Frequently asked questions
Can you go to jail over a city ticket in Wichita?
Yes. Many city ordinance violations are misdemeanors that carry jail time, and an unpaid ticket that turns into a missed court date can become a warrant.
Can a bail bondsman post a bond for a Municipal Court case?
Yes. We post city bonds at the Sedgwick County Jail the same way we post District Court bonds.
Do I get my cash bond back from the city?
If every court date is kept, a cash bond is returned after the case ends. Courts can apply it to fines and costs first. Ask the clerk’s office for the refund form.
Where do I go for court?
Wichita Municipal Court is inside City Hall at 455 N Main, at Central and Main. The Sedgwick County Courthouse is the next building north at 525 N Main. Check your paperwork so you walk into the right one.
Is a first DUI a city case or a county case?
It can be either. A DUI written under the Wichita ordinance goes to Municipal Court. A felony DUI always goes to District Court. See DUI bail bonds in Wichita.
Call Case Bail Bonds
We are a family owned Wichita company run by Tyson and Rachel Case. Call (316) 900-1667, 24 hours a day, or come by 705 N Broadway, Wichita, KS 67214.
Sources
- K.S.A. 12-4213, persons under arrest in municipal cases, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes
- K.S.A. 12-4301, appearance bonds in municipal court
- K.S.A. 22-2809b, compensated sureties
- K.S.A. 21-5915, failure to appear
- Sedgwick County Sheriff, how to post bond for an inmate
This article is general information checked against the sources above in October 2026. It is not legal advice.
