The Van Nuys jail is the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Jail Section, run out of the Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6240 Sylmar Avenue. To find out whether someone is held there, call the jail directly or the shared 24-hour custody information line, (213) 473-6100, which covers both LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jails.
How do you find out whether someone is held at the Van Nuys jail?
LAPD lists a jail-specific phone line separately from the station's general number, and a shared 24-hour line covers every LAPD and Sheriff's Department jail.
- Call the Van Nuys Area Jail directly at (818) 374-9645, the number LAPD's own station directory lists for information on persons arrested and in custody.
- Or call the shared inmate information line, (213) 473-6100, which LAPD says the public can call 24 hours a day to learn whether someone is in custody at an LAPD or Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jail.
- Have the person's complete legal name and date of birth ready, and the approximate date of arrest if you know it.
- Ask for the booking number, whether bail has been set and in what amount, and which court and date the arraignment will be.
- If the person stays in custody past arraignment, LAPD remands them to the Sheriff's Department; from that point, search the Sheriff's Inmate Information Center by name and date of birth, where a booking appears after about two hours.
Where is the Van Nuys jail, and who runs it?
The Van Nuys jail is one of three jails the Los Angeles Police Department operates citywide, not a Sheriff's Department facility.
LAPD's own station directory lists the Van Nuys Area Jail, (818) 374-9645, at the Van Nuys Community Police Station, 6240 Sylmar Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91401; the station's main line is (818) 374-9500, with a TDD/TTY line at 855-736-3235. LAPD's separate jail-and-custody information page calls this same building the Valley Jail Section and lists it alongside the department's other two jails, the Metropolitan Detention Center at 180 North Los Angeles Street and the 77th Street Regional Jail at 7600 South Broadway; LAPD says all three operate 24 hours a day. The Van Nuys Community Police Station, under LAPD's Valley Bureau, serves Sepulveda, Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen, Van Nuys, the Ventura Business District, and West Van Nuys.
Who is held at the Van Nuys jail?
People the Los Angeles Police Department books here stay until release or arraignment; anyone still in custody after arraignment is remanded to the Sheriff's Department.
Once arraigned, LAPD says an arrestee who remains in custody is remanded to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, whose own jail system then holds them. Because LAPD holds people only until arraignment, mail and money deposits follow the Sheriff's rules once a person is remanded, as the firm's Los Angeles County Jail Inmate Search guide explains. Someone released before or at arraignment, whether through citation, bail, or own-recognizance release, never moves into that county system at all. If a search of the Sheriff's locator shows nothing and the Van Nuys jail confirms no record either, ask whether the person was released already or booked under a different name or spelling.
What happens during booking, and how does release work?
Everyone booked at the Van Nuys jail keeps certain rights before anything else happens, and several paths lead out again.
Under Penal Code section 851.5, a person who has just been arrested has the right to make at least three completed telephone calls "immediately upon being booked and, except where physically impossible, no later than three hours after arrest," to an attorney or the public defender, a bail bondsman, and a relative or other person; a parent with custody of a minor child may make two further calls to arrange the child's care. From there, release depends on the charge and the bail or citation decision: a misdemeanor arrest can end in release on a written citation under Penal Code section 853.6 rather than continued custody, while other arrests move toward bail or a court appearance as described below.
How does bail work for someone at the Van Nuys jail?
Many lower-level, non-violent arrests end in release without money bail; when bail is set, LAPD accepts it at this jail around the clock.
The Superior Court's Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol, which opens its felony and misdemeanor bail schedules (each effective January 1, 2026), releases eligible people arrested for many such offenses on their own recognizance at zero-dollar bail, but not for serious or violent crimes or offenses listed in Penal Code 1270.1. Where bail does apply, LAPD takes cash, a valid surety bond, a cashier's check payable to the department's Bail Account and drawn on a California bank, or a Western Union or United States Postal money order. How a judge later sets or changes the amount is covered in the Los Angeles County Jail Inmate Search guide and the firm's page on posting bail for someone in LA County jail.
Can family or an attorney visit someone at the Van Nuys jail?
Friends and family get one visit a day during the jail's set hours, and an attorney, bail bondsperson or clergy member may visit at any time.
LAPD says an arrestee may have one visit a day from a friend or family member during the jail's own established visiting hours, while an attorney, a bail bondsperson, or a member of the clergy may visit at any time; a watch commander or supervisor can still cancel visitation if staffing drops below minimum levels or for other operational reasons. Because the specific days and hours can change and differ by jail, LAPD's own jail and custody information page is the current source rather than a fixed schedule here. Separately, Penal Code section 825(b) lets any attorney licensed in California visit an arrested person at the request of the person or any relative, regardless of the jail's own visiting hours.
When is the first court date, and which courthouse hears the case?
A person held in custody must go before a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, at a courthouse that depends on where the arrest happened and the charge.
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."
This limit protects a person who stays in custody, not everyone arrested, and it governs when that person sees a judge, not when prosecutors must file a charge. Subdivision (a)(2) extends the deadline whenever it would otherwise fall while court is not in session:
"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."
For a Wednesday arrest made after that day's session ends, the statute adds a separate limit:
"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."
LAPD says the arraignment location depends on where the person was arrested and the type of charge filed, and it asks callers to contact the jail for details. Once a case is filed, the court's Search for a Criminal Case page looks it up by name or case number, and its case summary shows the filing courthouse and future court dates. The firm's Los Angeles County criminal court guide covers the rest of the county process, including public defender, district attorney and probation contacts, while its directory of California courthouse and jail guides lists other facilities.
What should I do right now?
Start by confirming custody and the booking number, then prepare for the first court date; none of these phone lines are emergency lines, so dial 911 for an emergency.
- Call (818) 374-9645 or (213) 473-6100 to confirm the person is at the Van Nuys jail and ask for the booking number.
- Ask whether bail has been set, and in what amount, before deciding how to proceed.
- Write down the court date and department, if one has already been assigned.
- Keep every document from the arrest, including a citation or booking slip.
- Talk to a criminal defense lawyer about the charge, bail, and the first court date.
Frequently asked questions
What is the direct phone number for the Van Nuys jail?
(818) 374-9645, which LAPD's station directory lists for the Van Nuys Area Jail, for information on persons arrested and in custody. The shared 24-hour countywide line, (213) 473-6100, also covers it.
Why might the jail have no record of a recent arrest yet?
A booking can take time to enter into any system. Call back, and try other spellings the person may use; if they are no longer at the Van Nuys jail, the Sheriff's Inmate Information Center is the next place to check once two hours have passed.
Does everyone arrested in Van Nuys get booked at this jail?
Not necessarily. LAPD operates three jails citywide, so the shared inmate information line, (213) 473-6100, is the way to confirm which LAPD or Sheriff's Department jail actually holds a particular person.
Can bail be posted directly at the Van Nuys jail?
Yes. LAPD accepts bail at its jails 24 hours a day by cash, a valid surety bond, a cashier's check payable to the department's Bail Account, or a Western Union or USPS money order.
What happens to property taken at booking?
Ask the jail directly, (818) 374-9645; LAPD's Van Nuys station directory also lists the Van Nuys Area Property Office, (818) 374-9445, for lost, stolen, found or booked property.
Is there a TTY line for the Van Nuys station?
Yes. The station's TDD/TTY line is 855-736-3235, separate from its main voice line, (818) 374-9500.
Talk to a lawyer
The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free consultation and is available 24/7, including for a family member calling about someone held at the Van Nuys jail. Call (800) 755-5174 to speak with a lawyer about what happens next, or request a free consultation online.