How to Pay the Kern County Sheriff's Office: Accepted Payment Methods, Coin Limits, and Common Mistakes
Paying the Kern County Sheriff's Office Civil Section is straightforward—as long as you follow a few rules around checks, cash, and coins that often catch people off guard.
All fees at the Kern County Sheriff's Office Civil Section must be prepaid - unless you have a valid court-issued fee waiver to present when you request service. Build your plan around this: have payment ready before you arrive, and bring your fee waiver if you have one.
Warning: Do not mail cash (currency) to the Kern County Sheriff Civil Section.
Money orders are accepted, but they have to be made out correctly. Make the money order payable to KERN COUNTY SHERIFF (KCSO), and fill it out completely so it isn’t held up or rejected for missing information.
Cashier’s checks are also accepted as long as they’re written the right way. The cashier’s check must be payable to KERN COUNTY SHERIFF (KCSO).
Personal checks are allowed, but the Civil Section is strict. Your check must be payable to KERN COUNTY SHERIFF (KCSO), pre-printed with your name and address, and dated with the current date. A few things that will get your check rejected: the maker of the check must be a party to the action - third-party checks aren't accepted. Out-of-state personal checks won't work either, even if everything else looks correct.
Returned-check fee: If a check is returned, there is a $35.00 fee.
Credit cards are accepted at the Civil Section. If you plan to pay by card, call ahead to confirm processing details - how the payment is taken, what information you'll need - so you're not stuck switching methods at the counter.
Do not mail cash: The Civil Section says not to mail cash (currency).
Paying with coins? Kern County limits coin payments to one roll per transaction. Here's what that means: pennies (50 = $0.50), nickels (40 = $2.00), dimes (50 = $5.00), quarters (40 = $10.00), half-dollars (20 = $10.00), and dollar coins (20 = $20.00). Bring more than that, and you'll be asked to use another payment method.
Pay with cash? The Civil Section mails receipts to the address on file. Double-check that your address is correct before you leave - especially if you need that receipt for your records.
If you’re using a court-issued fee waiver, bring it with you and be ready to present it at the time of service. Without a valid fee waiver in hand, Kern County requires fees to be prepaid.
Refund limit: No refund is issued for an amount of $10.00 or less.
Common Mistakes
- ✓ Mailing cash (currency) instead of using an accepted method
- ✓ Making a money order payable to the wrong name or leaving it incomplete (it must be payable to KERN COUNTY SHERIFF (KCSO) and filled out completely)
- ✓ Writing a personal check that isn’t payable to KERN COUNTY SHERIFF (KCSO)
- ✓ Using a third-party personal check or an out-of-state personal check (not accepted)
- ✓ Bringing more than the equivalent of one roll of coins per transaction
- ✓ Forgetting that cash-payment receipts are mailed to the address on file (make sure your address is correct)
You may see third-party services like Access Corrections advertising options for sending money or posting bail. Before using any vendor for Kern County payments, verify that your specific payment type is accepted and routed to the right office. Vendor services don't automatically match every department's rules.
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