How to Put Money on an Inmate's Account at Chatham County: Methods, Fees, Limits, and What Happens at Release

Chatham County accepts online deposits through JailATM. You can pay with a credit card, debit card, or bank account. This works well if you're handling things from home or out of town.

Prefer to deposit in person? Chatham County has public kiosks in the Video Visitation Center and the main lobby.

Budget for fees. Each kiosk or ATM transaction costs $2.50, so making several small deposits adds up quickly.

Bond payments by card have a different fee structure. Paying just the bond fee costs $2.50. But if you pay the bond and bonding fee together, the facility charges 10% of the total.

The daily deposit limit is $300 per visitor, per inmate. If multiple family members are pitching in, note that the cap applies to each visitor separately.

• ✓ Deposits for bonds (supporting documents required)
• ✓ Deposits for fines (supporting documents required)
• ✓ Deposits for child support payments (supporting documents required)
• ✓ Deposits for work release program payments (supporting documents required)

You'll find deposit kiosks in two spots: the Video Visitation Center and the main lobby. Both are open 24 hours, so you're not stuck waiting for business hours.

Need to deposit after hours or on a weekend? The ATM machines in the Video Visitation building are always available. You can also use JailATM online anytime.

When someone is released, any remaining balance gets loaded onto a debit card. The funds leave with the person, not the facility.

Tips

• ✓ Combine deposits when you can. Since the ATM/kiosk fee is $2.50 per transaction, fewer deposits usually means fewer fees.
• ✓ If you are using the online option (JailATM), have your payment method ready. You can use a credit card, debit card, or bank account.
• ✓ Before you send a large amount, pause and confirm the total cost you will pay in fees for the method you picked (especially if you are splitting deposits across multiple days because of limits).