Kern Co Lerdo Minimum in Bakersfield, CA is a county detention facility operated by the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Most people here are awaiting trial or sentencing - this is not a prison, and most stays are measured in days or months, not years. If someone you care about was just booked here, you have questions. Start with the one that matters most right now.
If you are not certain they are there, the fastest way to confirm is the Kern County inmate search or InmateAid's inmate locator, which searches across California facilities by name.
Booking takes time - sometimes several hours after arrest. If the search comes back empty, wait a few hours and try again before assuming they have been transferred somewhere else. You can also pull their arrest record and booking details to confirm the charges and facility assignment. For the most direct answer, call Kern Co Lerdo Minimum at 661-391-7802.
Most people booked at Kern Co Lerdo Minimum appear before a judge within 24 to 48 hours. At that first appearance the judge sets the bail amount - or denies bail - based on the charges, the person's history, and whether they are considered a flight risk.
If bail is set, your family member can be released by paying the full amount or by using a bail bondsman, who typically charges 10 percent of the total as a non-refundable fee. If bail is denied or the amount is unaffordable, they remain at Kern Co Lerdo Minimum until the case resolves. InmateAid's bail and bond guide walks through every option including what to do if you cannot afford a bondsman.
Right after arrest, your family member goes through intake at Kern Co Lerdo Minimum - identity verification, medical screening, property inventory, and classification. Classification places them in a housing unit based on the charges, prior record, and intake behavior. It is not a punishment. It is how the facility manages a population that ranges from people picked up on minor warrants to individuals facing serious charges.
For the first 24 to 48 hours, phone access and visitation are typically unavailable while booking completes. Once they are assigned to a housing unit, those channels open up. InmateAid's what happens in jail guide covers the full intake process step by step so you know what to expect.
Your family member calls you - you cannot call them. Calls from Kern Co Lerdo Minimum go through Securus Tech® and all calls are recorded except attorney calls. Set up a Securus Tech® account before the first call so the connection goes through without delay.
Phone contact is more important than most people realize going into this. A regular call - even a short one - makes a measurable difference in how someone holds up inside. Do not let the setup friction stop you. Visit InmateAid's jail calls page for step-by-step account setup, current rate information, and tips for keeping funds available.
Visitation hours at Kern Co Lerdo Minimum are set by the facility and can change without much notice. Before making the trip, call 661-391-7802 to confirm current hours, any advance registration requirements, and what you are allowed to bring.
The most common mistake families make is showing up without confirming first - and that results in a wasted trip and a missed visit for your family member. General rules across most California county jails: dress conservatively, avoid colors that resemble inmate uniforms, leave your phone in your car, and bring valid government-issued ID. Children may be permitted with specific requirements depending on the facility. InmateAid's visitation guide has a full checklist you can run through before you go.
Kern County Lerdo Minimum Security Facility - Visiting Hours and Rules
Any and all physical contact during visiting is prohibited. Any contact between visitors and inmates regardless of type will result in termination of the visit. Inmates shall be allowed one visit, of at least one hour, per week. Each inmate will be allowed a total of four visitors per table. At the discretion of the on-duty supervisor, family members may swap out with additional visitors during their allotted hour as long as all other visiting requirements are met. Time will not be added to the visit to accommodate visitors over the four-person limit. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the visitors, not security staff, to keep track of their time remaining if they are requesting to share their hour with more than four people.
- All visitors will be seated on the side of the table labeled "visitors". Minors will remain seated at the table with their parent/guardian.
- Infants and children will not be placed, sit, or stand on top of the tables.
- All approved items brought in by visitors will be placed on the bench next to them or on their person, not on top of the table. The tabletop is to remain clear.
Proper identification is required of all visitors to the Lerdo Minimum Facility. Acceptable identification:
- Valid non-expired Driver's license with photo
- Any U.S. state or federal government-issued photo identification
- Photo passport
All visitors shall register at the visiting booth and provide identification. Any visitor without proper identification will be denied visitation privileges. Proper identification shall be official picture identification. All visitors 16 years and older will be required to have proper identification. All visitors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult (18 years or older) (this adult must be a parent or legal guardian). High school students may use their high school identification cards.
All visitors are expected to abide by the facility rules. Anyone not following these regulations will lose their visitation privileges. Visiting regulations will be posted in a place accessible to the inmates and the public. Visitors and inmates will visit only at their assigned table. Failure to do so will result in termination of the visit.
Visitors are allowed to bring in the following items only:
- Identification
- One (1) individual vehicle key and/or remote
- One (1) infant diaper and wipe in a clear see-through bag
- One (1) clear infant bottle
- One (1) infant blanket
- Guardianship documentation and/or paperwork approved by the on-duty supervisor
- Life-saving physician-prescribed medication with the approval of the on-duty supervisor (i.e. epi-pens, asthma inhalers, nitroglycerin).
Absolutely NO food, gum, drinks, toys, gifts, wallets, purses, cell phones, electronic devices, or money will be allowed into the visiting yard. Any visitor bringing in unauthorized items will be asked to leave the facility and return during the inmate's next eligible visiting time.
Once visitors are admitted into the visiting area, they will not be allowed to leave and return the same day. Exiting the visiting yard for any reason indicates the end of the visiting session.
Visiting Yard Dress Code - Visitors will be denied entrance into the visiting yard wearing any of the following clothing:
- Short/Mini skirts
- Short shorts
- Excessively torn clothing
- Midriff shirts
- Spaghetti strap tops or dresses
- Tank Top shirts
- Low cut/Scoop neck shirts
- Excessive, unsafe and/or oversized jewelry that could pose a security risk
- Anything that shows undergarments, see-through and/or revealing clothing
- Anything with obscene material and/or gang references
- Any clothing or lack thereof deemed inappropriate by the Shift Supervisor will not be allowed.
The visiting week will begin on Saturday and end on Sunday. Visiting times are by the last name of the inmate to be visited.
The Minimum Facility bus will transport visitors to the visiting yard from the Lerdo main gate parking lot. The bus begins transporting at 7:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M. on both Saturday and Sunday. Transportation continues until the last bus times listed below. If visitors fail to make the last bus times, they will not be allowed to enter the facility for visiting and must wait until the inmate's next eligible visiting time.
- A thru H - Saturday from 7:30 am to 10:30 am (last facility bus leaves @ 8:45 am)
- I thru Q - Saturday from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm (last facility bus leaves @ 1:45pm)
- R thru Z - Sunday from 7:30 am to 10:30 am (last facility bus leaves @ 8:45 am)
- Females visit on Sundays from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm (last facility bus leaves @ 1:45 pm)
Money on the books - also called the commissary or trust account - gives your family member access to hygiene items, snacks, phone time, and postage. It is one of the most practical things you can do and it has a direct effect on their daily comfort.
Kern Co Lerdo Minimum accepts deposits through approved channels that typically include online deposit, phone deposit, or a kiosk at the facility. Use your family member's full legal name and booking number exactly as they appear in the jail's system - any error in the name or number will delay or reject the deposit. InmateAid's send money page lists the specific deposit methods accepted at Kern Co Lerdo Minimum and walks through the process.
A letter or a printed photo costs almost nothing to send and means far more than most people outside appreciate. Kern Co Lerdo Minimum accepts incoming mail addressed to your family member at 17635 Industrial Farm Rd. Put their full legal name and booking number on every piece of mail.
Standard rules at most California county jails: plain white paper only, no staples, no glitter, no stickers, no colored ink. Photos should be standard print size with nothing written on the back. Mail that does not meet the facility's standards will be rejected - and the facility may not notify you that it was. Keep it simple.
InmateAid's send mail service lets you write and send directly from your phone or computer. We print on approved stock and mail it for you, so rejection for formatting is not a risk.
Books and magazines must come new, ordered directly from the publisher or through an online retailer - not shipped from your home address. Facilities require this to prevent contraband. Order through Amazon or directly from the publisher. Anything shipped from a personal address will be turned away.
County jail procedures, visitation rules, phone rates, inmate search tools, bail processes, and what happens at release all vary by state. California has its own rules and its own agencies, and what applies in one state does not always apply here.
InmateAid's California prison resources hub covers all of it - written specifically for families navigating the California system. Start there when you need answers that go beyond what this facility page covers.
County jail time is hard in a way that is different from anything else. The uncertainty - not knowing how long, not knowing what comes next - wears on everyone. What you can control is the connection. Calls, letters, visits, money on the books. Every one of those things tells your family member that someone out here is paying attention and is not going anywhere.
InmateAid was built for exactly this. Use us.