Washington County

Washington County follows Utah law on arrests, release, and courts. These rules are the same in every county in the state; the full set covers prosecutors, defense, and jails too.

Who decides release first

Before a magistrate acts, a county jail official may release some people on their own recognizance under the sheriff's written policy, or set a capped money bail for most misdemeanors and some third-degree property and fraud felonies. The jail may not do either for violent offenses, domestic violence, or once police submit a probable cause statement. A magistrate then finds probable cause and issues a temporary pretrial status order releasing or holding the person.

Utah Code 77-20-203Utah Code 77-20-204Utah Code 77-20-205

Time to see a judge

After a warrantless arrest, police must give a magistrate a sworn probable cause statement within 24 hours. If the jail has no probable cause finding and pretrial status order 24 hours after booking, it must release the person on recognizance, unless a magistrate grants one 24-hour extension for good cause.

Utah R. Crim. P. 9

Money bail

Utah allows money bail. A magistrate or judge may release on recognizance, set conditions including money bail, or order detention, and jail officials may set money bail only up to fixed caps, such as $5,000 for listed felonies and $1,950 for a class A misdemeanor.

Utah Code 77-20-204Utah Code 77-20-205

Courts

District courts try felonies and class A misdemeanors. Justice courts, which counties and cities set up and fund, hear class B and C misdemeanors, ordinance violations, and infractions. District courts hear appeals from justice courts.

Utah State Courts, Guide to the Utah State CourtsUtah Code 78A-7-106

Judges and magistrates

A nominating commission sends five names to the governor, who appoints a district judge; the state senate must confirm. The judge then faces an unopposed retention election and serves six-year terms. Justice court judges are appointed by the county or city from a local nominating commission's list; those appointed since May 2023 must hold a law degree but need not be admitted to the bar.

Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Judicial Nominating CommissionUtah Code 78A-7-201Utah Code 78A-7-202

Read from the statutes and court rules cited, 2026-09-30. Title 17 was renumbered in the 2025 first special session; county attorney law is now chapter 68 and sheriff law chapter 72. Utah Code 78A-7-106 carries a sunset review flag (63I-1-278) for 2029-07-01; check whether justice courts are restructured. The Salt Lake County district attorney example comes from county practice, not the statute text. Justice court judges seated before May 3, 2023 without a law degree may stay in office.

Pretrial practice

Advancing Pretrial lists the whole state as a Public Safety Assessment site since 2018.

Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research, PSA sites list (page modified 2026-06-03)

• St. George101,995
• Washington32,348
• Hurricane22,771
• Ivins9,998
• Santa Clara8,152
• La Verkin4,476
• Toquerville2,344
• Enterprise1,955
• Hildale1,372
• Apple Valley town1,181
• Virgin town715
• Leeds town646
• Springdale town421
• New Harmony town393
• Rockville town260

Every city, village, town, and township with any of its land in Washington County, largest first. Population, the whole place's: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024.

• St. George Police DepartmentCity police department109,020 served
• Washington Police DepartmentCity police department37,464 served
• Hurricane Police DepartmentCity police department26,044 served
• Santa Clara/Ivins Police DepartmentCity police department20,598 served
• Washington County Sheriff's OfficeSheriff or county police13,998 served
• No name UT0270400City police department8,912 served
• La Verkin Police DepartmentCity police department4,576 served
• Hildale Police DepartmentCity police department1,290 served
• No name UT0270800City police department859 served
• Springdale Police DepartmentCity police department615 served
• Utah Tech UniversityCollege or university police

Agencies: FBI NIBRS master file 2025 batch headers; names from the FBI agency list, pulled 2026-09-29. An agency that serves several counties appears on each. Population served is the FBI's figure.