California County Directory

About arrest records in California

In California, arrest records are primarily generated and maintained at the county sheriff level. When an individual is taken into custody anywhere in California, they are typically booked into the county jail of the county where the alleged offense occurred. That booking creates the official arrest record — capturing the arrestee's name, date of birth, the arresting agency, the booking date and time, the formal charges filed, the bond amount set by a magistrate, and (in most counties) a booking photograph.

From there, records branch into several streams. The county sheriff's office maintains the jail roster — the live list of currently incarcerated individuals at the county detention facility. The clerk of court for the county logs the resulting criminal case once charges are formally filed, including all hearings, motions, and dispositions. If a person is convicted and sentenced to state prison time, custody transfers to the California state department of corrections, which publishes its own inmate locator separate from the county jail roster.

Arrest Ledger organizes all of this jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction. Below you'll find a directory of all 58 California counties and county-equivalents. Each county page explains where to find local arrest logs, how to look up current inmates, what the booking process looks like in that jurisdiction, and how to access the underlying court records.

All counties in California (58)

Click any county to view its dedicated arrest records page, including jail roster access, booking schedule, court record links.

What you'll find on each California county page

• Jail roster access. Direct guidance for finding the county's current inmate roster — the live list of who is in custody at the county detention facility.
• Arrest log information. Where the county publishes its 24-hour or weekly booking logs and how to interpret the data.
• Court record access. The clerk of court system for that county and how to look up case dispositions and hearing dates.
• Booking process. What happens when someone is arrested in that county — intake, magistrate hearing, bond setting.
• Mugshot policy. Whether the county releases booking photographs publicly and the relevant state statute.