Find Someone in San Diego County Jail

This page helps users complete an inmate search in San Diego County, California, and understand what to check when a custody record needs confirmation.

The main public tool is San Diego Sheriff Who's In Jail, operated by the San Diego County Sheriff's Office for jail custody lookups.

San Diego Sheriff Who's In Jail

Use the Sheriff’s online lookup to search for people in San Diego County jail custody. The search requires at least two characters in both name fields.

• Last Name, with a mandatory two-character minimum
• First Name, with a mandatory two-character minimum

After entering the name details, use the lookup page to review available custody information.

• Open the search San Diego Sheriff Who's In Jail page.
• Enter at least two characters in the Last Name field.
• Enter at least two characters in the First Name field.
• Complete any human verification prompt if one appears.
• Use the LookUp button to run the search.

Important: The Sheriff warns that website data should not be relied on for legal action, and release dates shown online may not be accurate while records are being recalculated.

Search page maintenance and browser issues

The Who's In Jail website is taken offline for maintenance each Wednesday at noon and is normally restored within 30 minutes.

If the LookUp button is disabled, close the browser completely and reopen it. If that does not work, refresh the page or use a hard refresh: Ctrl + F5 on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac.

If a human verification box should appear but does not, update the browser, switch to a different browser, or try another device.

Release date and custody confirmation

For questions about release dates or custody details, contact the facility directly. The Custody Information line for all Sheriff’s detention facilities uses one central number: (619) 409-5000. Select the option for the facility you need.

The Sheriff also provides a detention facilities directory for public inquiries and facility-specific information. You can review Sheriff detention facility information before calling.

Jail information after a lookup

The Sheriff’s jail information page covers common next steps for friends and family, including mail, phone calls, visiting, health care, and bail agency information. You can read Sheriff jail information for those topics.

Calls from inside detention facilities may come from (727) 349-1561. If those calls are filtered as spam, add the number to your phone or contact your phone provider to unblock it.

Facility pages also note that video visits are scheduled through SmartInmate™ - Corrections Communications Services, require an account, and must be reserved at least one day in advance. No same-day visits are available.

Chula Vista PD arrests

The Sheriff’s Who's In Jail page notes that arrests made by the Chula Vista PD may be viewed through Chula Vista PD. If the Sheriff’s search does not return the person you are checking, that notice may be relevant for Chula Vista arrests.

Inmate search contacts

Use these contacts for custody questions, facility selection, or urgent routing.

• Custody Information line
  Phone: (619) 409-5000
• San Diego County Sheriff's Office Main Office, John F. Duffy Administrative Center, 9621 Ridgehaven Ct., San Diego, CA 92123
  Phone: (858) 974-2222
• Non-emergency dispatch
  Phone: (858) 868-3200
• Emergencies
  Dial 9-1-1