Scope: Pennsylvania procedure, with Northampton and Lehigh County practice notes. The official statewide rules and county materials cited below were checked on August 21, 2026. Reviewed by James Madsen, Esq. on .
What the next 48 hours actually hold
If you or someone you love was just arrested in the Lehigh Valley, the next two days usually follow a knowable sequence. After an arrest that does not end in prompt release, that sequence can include booking, a preliminary arraignment before an issuing authority, a bail decision, and either release or commitment to the county jail. The preliminary-hearing date is ordinarily set at the preliminary arraignment. The warrant, charge, release rules, and individual court order can change the path.
Two rules of thumb matter through all of it: do not discuss the facts of the case with anyone except your lawyer, and do not miss anything the paperwork schedules or requires. Everything below is the longer version of those two sentences.
Who this is for — and what it is not
This guide is for the person who was arrested and released, and equally for the parent, spouse, or other family member trying to help someone who remains in custody. It provides general information about Pennsylvania criminal procedure, not legal advice about any case, and it is not for an emergency in progress. Juvenile arrests follow a different system.
If the arrest involves a Protection From Abuse order — whether you are the accused or the protected party — read this guide, then review how PFA, custody, criminal charges, and firearm rights interact. Those proceedings can overlap, but their orders and deadlines remain distinct.
Hour by hour: the sequence
Booking and holding
Booking commonly includes fingerprints, photographs, property inventory, and paperwork. If police seek to question you about the incident, you can say clearly: “I want a lawyer. I am invoking my right to remain silent, and I will not answer questions.” Then stop discussing the case. Invocation, waiver, and admissibility can be fact-specific; volunteering facts can create evidence.
Pennsylvania law. After a warrantless arrest, a person who is not promptly released under an applicable exception must be brought before the proper issuing authority for a preliminary arraignment “without unnecessary delay.” See Pa.R.Crim.P. 519. Rule 519 also identifies situations in which prompt release can occur without a preliminary arraignment, so not every arrest follows exactly the same sequence.
The preliminary arraignment
This hearing is usually before a magisterial district judge. Rule 540 permits the issuing authority to use audiovisual transmission. It is not the trial and ordinarily is not the moment to tell your side of the story. The issuing authority provides a copy of the complaint, advises you of rights including the right to counsel and a preliminary hearing, and addresses bail. Answer identity and address questions accurately; do not volunteer an account of the alleged incident.
The bail decision and its conditions can shape the next weeks of your life. Before leaving the hearing or relying on what someone remembers from it, obtain and read every page of the release or commitment paperwork.
The preliminary-hearing date
Pennsylvania law — current rule. Rule 540 requires a preliminary hearing “not later than 14 days” after the preliminary arraignment when the defendant is held only on the current case, and “no later than 21 days” when the defendant is not in custody or is held for another reason, unless the issuing authority extends the time for cause shown.
Those are the current statewide scheduling limits for the first hearing date; older timing formulations are superseded. Later continuances and local scheduling practices can affect when a hearing actually occurs. The summons or paperwork identifies the district court and date. That document — not your ZIP code — controls where and when you appear. If the incident or address is in Bethlehem, check which county the matter is actually in.
Bail, in plain terms — and how the counties differ
Pennsylvania law. Rule 524 recognizes release on recognizance, release on nonmonetary conditions, unsecured bail, nominal bail, and monetary conditions. Under Rule 528, monetary bail can be satisfied through cash, an authorized percentage deposit, real property, or a surety bond. A court can impose reporting, travel, no-contact, testing, or other lawful conditions under Rule 527. Bail can be modified under Rule 529; if an amount or condition does not fit the case, counsel can evaluate whether to seek review or modification.
- Lehigh County: when percentage cash bail is authorized, the county describes a 10% deposit. Its published Pretrial Services instructions require the defendant to call within 24 hours of release. At final disposition, the county says 30% of a percentage-cash deposit is retained as an administrative fee and the remaining 70% is applied or returned under its published process. The Lehigh County criminal-procedure guide explains these details and links the county's current materials.
- Northampton County: the county says Pretrial Services reviews new jail commitments daily. Its published practice also says bench-warrant detainees are scheduled for a video hearing within 72 hours. The Northampton County criminal-procedure guide explains the rest of the local process and links the county's current materials.
For whoever posts bail: keep every receipt, distinguish the deposit from the amount of bail set, and read the conditions imposed on the defendant. Under Rule 536, a violation can lead to arrest and modification or revocation of bail. Whether money is forfeited depends on the condition violated, who posted it, and the governing rules and orders.
The five mistakes that follow people into court
- Talking about the facts. Do not assume conversations with cellmates, family, or friends are privileged. Treat ordinary jail calls as potentially monitored or recorded, and assume social-media posts and messages can be preserved. Confidential attorney-client communications ordinarily receive different protection; follow the facility's procedure for designated legal calls.
- Contacting the accuser. In a case with an alleged victim — especially one involving a PFA or a no-contact bail condition — a call, text, social-media message, or message sent through someone else can create a new problem. Follow every order exactly. If communication about children, property, or housing is necessary, ask counsel how it may lawfully occur.
- Sleeping on the ARD clock. Northampton County's published DUI ARD materials direct applicants to apply within 10 days after the preliminary hearing and before formal arraignment. Lehigh County publishes its own ARD process and forms. If diversion may be possible, gather the application materials and obtain case-specific advice early. If you have had DUI ARD before, the rules about its effect changed twice in 2025.
- Ignoring conditions. No-contact provisions, travel limits, testing, reporting, and check-ins are court-ordered requirements. A missed condition can turn the bail issue into a custody issue even when the underlying charge remains contested.
- Waiting to contact counsel. Bail-review issues, ARD screening, preliminary-hearing preparation, and evidence that may disappear all arise early. The preliminary hearing is an important screening stage, and preparation before it can matter. For an overview of the work involved, see the firm's criminal-defense and DUI-defense pages.
What to gather while it is fresh
- Every paper from the arrest, including the complaint, bail sheet, property receipt, and summons identifying the district court.
- The names and contact information of people who may have seen or heard relevant events.
- Current, dated photographs of relevant injuries, locations, property, or damage, preserved in their original form.
- A private chronology prepared for your lawyer, including what happened before and after the arrest. Do not post or circulate it.
- The exact dates and available records for prior cases or ARD, which may affect bail arguments, sentencing exposure, or diversion analysis.
For the family member
You can help with logistics: locate the person through the county corrections department, gather paperwork, keep bail receipts, attend public hearings, and retain counsel for the person. Use only the counties' official corrections sites: Northampton County Corrections and Lehigh County Jail. Do not rely on third-party inmate-roster sites.
On an ordinary jail call, do not ask, “What happened?” Assume the call may be monitored or recorded and keep the conversation to logistics. The most useful help in the first 48 hours is often practical: identifying the court, preserving the papers, understanding bail, and arranging confidential legal advice.
Why early counsel can matter
Bail terms are easier to investigate while the commitment information is current. ARD questions can require action before formal arraignment. A preliminary hearing rewards preparation before the hearing date. Evidence may also have a short life: private video can be overwritten and witnesses can become difficult to locate. No lawyer can promise an outcome, but early review gives counsel more time to identify deadlines, preserve evidence, and evaluate lawful options.
This article is general information about Pennsylvania procedure, not legal advice about any case, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Timelines and county practices are stated as published on the dates checked and can change; current statutes, rules, notices, and individual court orders control. No outcome is promised.