Santa Clara County jail inmate search

The County of Santa Clara Find an Inmate portal lets you check custody status online. For the Main Jail Complex and Elmwood Correctional Facility, the Custody Bureau operates this system.

After an arrest is entered into the database, public records will list:

• Current charges and bail amounts
• Custody holds and warrants
• Dates for the initial court appearance and projected release

The database may not yet include very recent arrests.

New arrestees are brought by officers to the Main Jail Complex, located at 150 W. Hedding Street, San Jose. The arrest is documented and logged in the database by Santa Clara County Administrative Booking staff.

A recent arrest won't show on the online list right away. Call booking information at (408) 299-2305 to ask if the person has arrived and to hear charges or bail.

Use the phone numbers on the County of Santa Clara Contacts page to call the right desk:

• (408) 299-2305: Booking information for custody checks
• (408) 808-2800: Main Jail Administration
• (408) 808-2804: Main Jail visiting phone on weekdays during the day
• (408) 976-5245: Automated jail information, with a fee to the caller

The Sheriff's Visit Appointment page also lists (408) 957-5900 for visiting.

These custody locations appear on the Main Jail Complex page, and the Custody Bureau operates them:

• For main jail housing and booking: Main Jail Complex, 150 West Hedding Street, San Jose, California 95110
• The men's and the women's complexes sit at the Elmwood Correctional Facility at 701 S. Abel Street, Milpitas, CA 95035
• Custody verification letter requests go to the Administrative Booking Unit at 985 N. San Pedro Street

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Custody Bureau runs the county jails. Search their records on the Online Visitor Registration inmate locator or call (408) 299-2305.

Before booking a visit, you'll need approval through the Online Visitor Registration system. The Sheriff's Visit Appointment page has the rules, and approval takes several weekdays.

• Book visits online up to 2 weeks in advance
• Each week, inmates may receive 2 visits of 60 minutes
• Each of up to 2 adults gets 30 minutes
• Bring a valid government photo ID and check in 30 minutes early

Put money in an account using Touchpay, or pick from the options on the Custody Commissary page:

• Pay with cash, Visa, or MasterCard at the lobby kiosk
• Call 1 (866) 232-1899 or use the online commissary system
• Inmate Services accepts a money order or cashier's check by mail

Housing units receive items bought at the commissary, the jail store. The Sheriff's Office receives no commission when you order gift packs online.

For questions about phone rules, call Main Jail Administration at (408) 808-2800. You can also check the County of Santa Clara Contacts page.

Names, photos, and arrest records don't appear on County Jail Lookup. Published charges, bail, holds, and court dates appear on the Santa Clara County Find an Inmate page.

The financial guarantee that an arrested person comes back to court is called a bond. According to the Administrative Booking page, the lobby cashier's window takes bail between 5:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m.

• A bank cashier's check, a money order, or cash are all ways to pay
• Write Santa Clara County Judicial District as the payee on checks
• Post a surety bond through a bail bond agency

Read about the bail process, or go to the California inmate search page.

For most people, booking ends in a citation and release, or bail gets posted. After court finishes, posted bail comes back by check in about 4 to 6 weeks, according to the Administrative Booking page. Call (408) 299-2305 for release updates.