Understanding Phone Calls from Tarrant County Jail: Free Calls, Collect Charges, and Who Pays
Phone calls from Tarrant County Jail can be free during a very specific window—and collect (meaning you pay) the rest of the time. Here's how the booking-stage phones work, when "local" matters, and who to contact for exact rate details.
Free phone calls at Tarrant County Jail exist, but only during booking. That's the brief window right after intake, before the person moves to a housing unit.
Each holding cell has a phone during booking. It's there for practical reasons: so someone can arrange bail, let family know what happened, or reach an attorney.
Tip: If you get an early call, it’s often meant for urgent basics like bail, family notification, or contacting a lawyer. Don’t assume calls will stay free after the booking process ends.
Whether you pay depends on where the call goes. Calls from holding cell phones are free when dialed within the local area.
Calls outside the local dialing area go through collect-call phones. When an inmate calls you collect, you - the person receiving the call - pay the fee.
Before you accept: Listen for whether the call is collect, especially if you’re outside the local dialing area. Accepting a collect call means you’re agreeing to the charges.
Need collect-call fee information? Tarrant County directs recipients to Smart Communications. Call them at 1-727-349-1561 (or reach the Smart Communications Customer Care Center) to find out what fees apply in your area.
For questions about accounts or deposits, contact Access Corrections at 866-345-1884. They have live bilingual agents available 24/7 if you need help in English or Spanish.
- ✓ What is the exact rate for collect calls in my area?
- ✓ Are there additional fees (like connection or billing fees) on top of the rate?
- ✓ What payment or deposit options are available for my situation?
- ✓ Do you have bilingual support available if I need it?
- Confirm whether the call is local or collect - if the call is outside the local dialing area, it may be a collect call you’ll be charged for.
- If it’s collect, ask what service is billing it - collect-call fees vary by area, so you’ll want the correct company for rate details.
- Decide who will pay before you keep accepting calls - collect calls make the recipient responsible for the fees.
- Write down the customer-service contact you used - if charges don’t match what you expected, having the right number handy makes follow-up faster.
Booking-stage phone access helps people handle immediate needs - arranging bail, notifying family, contacting an attorney - right at intake. It's genuinely useful in those first hours. But once booking ends, so does free calling.
If you see unexpected charges: Contact Smart Communications at 1-727-349-1561 for collect-call fee details, or Access Corrections at 866-345-1884 for account/deposit questions, and ask them to walk you through the charges.
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