To find out where someone is held in Los Angeles County custody, search the Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center online by name and date of birth, or call (213) 473-6100. Bookings from the last two hours will not show yet, and a city-police arrest may still be at that department's own jail rather than a county facility.
How do you look up someone in LA County jail?
Search the Sheriff's Department's online Inmate Information Center first, then call the inmate information line, (213) 473-6100, for anything the search cannot answer.
- Open the Inmate Information Center and enter the last and first name; the middle name and date of birth fields are optional but narrow the results.
- If nothing comes up and the arrest was within the last two hours, check again later; those bookings are not posted yet. People are sometimes booked with or without a middle name, so try other names the person has used.
- Once a record appears, write down the booking number; mail, deposits and most follow-up calls will ask for it.
- If you only know of an arrest and not which jail, call (213) 473-6100 with the person's full name, date of birth and approximate arrest date. If a city police department made the arrest, ask that department about a direct release versus a transfer to the county's Inmate Reception Center, and the expected timing.
- A crime victim can separately register with the statewide VINE service, vinelink.com or 1-877-411-5588, for release or transfer alerts; the Sheriff's Department does not otherwise notify families of a move between facilities. None of these numbers are for an emergency; call 911 for that.
Where does Los Angeles County book and hold people?
The Sheriff's custody page lists several county jails and a hospital jail ward; the locator result or the inmate information line shows which one holds a person.
Caption: Los Angeles County jail facilities, addresses and public phone numbers.
| Facility | Address | Public phone | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inmate Reception Center (IRC) | 450 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Booking (213) 893-5327; Release (213) 893-5347 | Temporary holding; no public visiting. |
| Men's Central Jail | 441 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | (213) 473-6100 | Men; dedicated guide covers visiting and Legal Unit rules. |
| Twin Towers Correctional Facility | 450 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | (213) 893-5100 | Shares its address with IRC; see the dedicated guide. |
| Century Regional Detention Facility | 11705 S. Alameda Street, Lynwood, CA 90262 | (213) 473-6100 | Women; see the dedicated guide. |
| Pitchess Detention Center (North and South) and North County Correctional Facility | 29320 to 29340 The Old Road, Castaic, CA 91384 | (213) 473-6100 | One complex; its Visiting Center currently has the only cash deposit kiosks. |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (jail ward) | 2051 Marengo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033 | (323) 409-1000 | General information and inmate video visiting. |
| A Sheriff's station jail or a city police department's own jail | Varies | The station desk or that police department | The Sheriff's Department says to call the station desk about someone at a station jail; some cities (Covina, for example) run their own temporary jail. |
How does release work before the first court date?
Before arraignment, a person may be cited and released, released after booking (with no charges, on bail or on a promise to appear), or held for a judge.
For a misdemeanor, Penal Code section 853.6 makes release on a signed notice to appear the rule, instead of a trip before a magistrate, unless the person asks to see one; the officer may still book the person first, and listed exceptions (an outstanding warrant, no satisfactory identification, certain domestic violence or protective-order charges, and others) let the officer keep the person in custody. For someone who is booked, the Los Angeles County Superior Court describes three outcomes: release with no charges filed, release on bail or a promise to appear with a court date, or custody until a judge is seen. For eligible arrests, the court's pre-arraignment protocol, below, decides whether the person is released, with or without conditions, or held until arraignment.
How do I post bail for someone in LA County jail?
Under the court's Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol, many less serious offenses carry $0 bail; when money bail is set, the jail accepts cash or a surety bond.
The court's felony and misdemeanor bail schedules, each effective January 1, 2026, list the dollar amounts and begin with that protocol, which took effect October 1, 2023. Money bail still applies to the offenses in Penal Code section 1270.1 and to certain enhancements under section 1269b(e), and some charges allow no release before arraignment at all. Penal Code section 1269b(a) lets the jail accept scheduled bail in cash or by surety bond, and under section 1269c the person, a lawyer, a friend or a family member may ask a magistrate for lower bail or own recognizance release, except on a 1270.1 offense, which needs a hearing in open court.
None of this binds the judge at arraignment, a separate, later decision. In re Humphrey held that "the common practice of conditioning freedom solely on whether an arrestee can afford bail is unconstitutional," and that the court must consider "whether nonfinancial conditions of release may reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the arrestee's presence at trial." In re Kowalczyk (2026) added that in a noncapital case a judge may deny bail outright only for the offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c), and that required money bail must generally be set "in an amount that is reasonably attainable," distinct from "easily affordable or convenient." The firm's answer on how to post bail after a Los Angeles County booking explains each protocol category and how to pay safely.
When is the first court date, and where will the case be heard?
Someone kept in custody has to see a judge within 48 hours after arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays, subject to the extensions quoted below.
Penal Code section 825(a)(1) requires it:
"Except as provided in paragraph (2), the defendant shall in all cases be taken before the magistrate without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays."
The rule protects someone who is actually held in custody, not everyone arrested, and it sets the time to see a judge, not a deadline for filing a charge. When the deadline would otherwise fall while the court is not sitting, subdivision (a)(2) extends it:
"When the 48 hours prescribed by paragraph (1) expire at a time when the court in which the magistrate is sitting is not in session, that time shall be extended to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following."
A Wednesday arrest that comes in after that day's court session has already closed gets a dedicated rule of its own:
"However, when the defendant's arrest occurs on a Wednesday after the conclusion of the day's court session, and if the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the defendant shall be taken before the magistrate not later than the following Friday, if the Friday is not a court holiday."
The jail holding someone does not decide where the case is heard. The court's Local Rule 2.3(a)(3) says criminal complaints "must be filed at the courthouse handling criminal matters which serves the city or unincorporated area where the offense is alleged to have occurred." The citation, release paperwork or arraignment notice names that courthouse, and the court's Criminal Case Calendar can help confirm it once there is a case number. The firm's Los Angeles County criminal court guide covers the prosecutor, the public defender and later deadlines, the answer on what happens at an arraignment covers that first hearing, and the directory of California courthouse and jail guides lists guides by county.
How do visiting, mail and money work across LA County jails?
All Sheriff's Department jails share a general mail address and one deposit system; visits need an appointment, and visiting hours differ by building.
Visiting. Public visits are by appointment only, made through the Sheriff's visit scheduling site, which opens dates up to seven days out and turns away walk-ins. A new booking stays "unclassified," and unable to receive calls or visits, until classified into a permanent housing location, which the Sheriff's Department says can take two weeks to a month. Visiting days and times change, so the Sheriff's Department's own custody page is the current source rather than a fixed schedule here.
Mail. Address letters and cards for anyone in county custody with the person's name and booking number, then the Sheriff's Department's general mailing box: P.O. Box 86164, Terminal Annex, Los Angeles, CA 90086-0164 (a woman in custody can also receive mail directly at Century Regional Detention Facility). Food, cosmetics, cash, personal checks and blank cards are returned to the sender, and books, periodicals and photographs must meet size and source rules (a returned book, periodical or publication can be appealed by a website complaint within 15 days of the return notice); other mail questions go to the mail room supervisor, (213) 893-5874. Knowingly bringing a controlled substance or related paraphernalia into a county jail is a separate felony under Penal Code section 4573.
Money. Deposits go in online through Access Corrections, (866) 345-1884 (in use since July 28, 2025; a residential address is required, not a P.O. box), or by mail up to $200: from inside California, a certified bank cashier's check or a USPS money order; from any other state, only a USPS money order, made out to the person's name and booking number. Cash deposit kiosks are currently available only during visiting hours at the Visiting Center of Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, for depositors with government-issued photo ID. To let a visitor pick up money from a jail account, the person in custody gets a Money Release Form (the "pink slip") from custody staff and turns it in; the Sheriff's Department processes withdrawals at Century Regional Detention Facility or the Inmate Reception Center, typically within 24 to 48 hours. A former inmate can collect leftover money at either place, but the Sheriff's Department purges trust accounts roughly 30 days after release, and collecting after that takes longer.
What should I do right now?
Confirm custody and the booking number, find out whether bail applies, hold on to every document and call a lawyer early; in an emergency, dial 911.
- Confirm custody and the facility through the Inmate Information Center search or the inmate information line, (213) 473-6100.
- Write down the booking number, needed for mail, deposits and a visit reservation.
- Check whether money bail applies, using the bail answer linked in the bail section above.
- Keep the paperwork. A written notice to appear lists the offense and the time and place of the court date; bring it, and any release papers, to the lawyer.
- Call a criminal defense lawyer early about the charge, the release path and the first court date.
Frequently asked questions
What information does the Inmate Information Center need?
A last and first name, plus an optional middle name and date of birth, which help narrow a common name.
Why might a name not show up in the search?
The booking may be under two hours old, the person may still be held by a city police department, or the name on file may not match exactly; try other spellings and double-check the date of birth.
Is there a fee to search for an inmate?
No. The Sheriff's Department does not list a fee for using the Inmate Information Center.
Will I be notified if the person is moved to another facility?
No. Families get no notice from the Sheriff's Department when a person moves; call (213) 473-6100 for current whereabouts, or register with VINE for release and transfer alerts.
Can I send mail to someone in LA County jail?
Yes, to the Sheriff's Department's general address (or, for a woman in custody, directly to Century Regional Detention Facility), with the person's name and booking number. Mail that breaks the posted rules, such as cash or tape and staples, is returned to the sender.
Can I ask about someone's medical or mental health status?
Staff cannot share a person's status without that person's written consent, but they can receive information from relatives or friends. The Sheriff's Medical Command Center, (213) 893-5544, answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a health emergency that needs immediate help.
Talk to a lawyer
Families calling about someone in Los Angeles County custody can reach the Law Offices of David S. Chesley 24/7 for a free consultation, and payment plans are available. Se habla español. Call (800) 755-5174 to speak with a lawyer about what happens next, or request a free consultation online.