How do you find someone in the Ventura County jail?

To find out whether someone is in the Ventura County jail tonight, search the Sheriff's Office Inmate Search tool by first and last name or by booking number. The Sheriff's Office runs three jails, and its Main Jail and the East County Jail accept arrestees from every law enforcement agency in the county.

How do you look up someone in Ventura County custody?

The Sheriff's Office Inmate Search tool takes a first and last name or a booking number, and the Sheriff's inmate information line answers what it does not show.

1. Open the Sheriff's Office Inmate Search page.
2. Enter the last name and the first name, which the form requires; a middle name or date of birth can narrow a common name. Or search by booking number alone.
3. Review the results for the person's name and custody status.
4. Call (805) 654-3335 for additional inmate information the search tool does not show.
5. If the person is not listed, search again later or ask the inmate information line in step 4.

The Sheriff's Office also offers an inmate email program: search for the person, then select the red envelope icon next to their name to send a message, which is printed and delivered with regular mail.

Where does Ventura County book and hold people?

The Sheriff's Office operates three jails: the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura, Todd Road Jail near Santa Paula, and the East County Jail in Thousand Oaks.

Ventura County Sheriff's Office jail facilities, from the Sheriff's own Detention Services and visiting pages

The Sheriff's Office states that it operates "three different jail facilities": the Pre-Trial Detention Facility, "located at the government center in Ventura"; Todd Road Jail, "in the unincorporated area west of the city of Santa Paula"; and the East Valley Jail, "located in Thousand Oaks." The Pre-Trial Detention Facility opened in 1980, can house about 890 people, and, together with the East County booking facility, accepts arrestees from every law enforcement agency in the county; the Sheriff's Office says it books about 23,000 people a year. Our Ventura County Courthouse guide covers which courthouse hears the case once someone is released or has a court date.

How does someone get released from a Ventura County jail?

Release can come through a signed citation, posted bail, your own recognizance, or a judge's decision at your first court date, depending on the charge.

For most misdemeanors, the arrested person must be released on a written notice to appear instead of being taken before a magistrate, though the officer may book the person first (Penal Code 853.6(a)(1)); once the notice is signed, "the arresting officer shall immediately release the person arrested from custody" (Penal Code 853.6(d)). An officer may instead keep the person in custody, rather than release on a citation, when, among other listed reasons, there is an outstanding warrant, no satisfactory identification, a need for medical care, or the arrest is for an offense Penal Code 1270.1 lists (Penal Code 853.6(i)). Short of a citation, release before a judge's review happens by posting bail, and a person in custody on a misdemeanor is generally entitled to own recognizance release unless the court finds on the record that it would compromise public safety or not reasonably assure the person's appearance (Penal Code 1270(a)).

How do you post bail at a Ventura County jail?

Bail can be posted at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility by cash, cashier's check, bail bond, or credit and debit card; the East County Jail also accepts bail bonds and deposits.

The Sheriff's Office Posting Bail page states that bail "may be posted at the Pre-Trial Detention facility (800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura)" in exact cash, by a cashier's check "made payable to the Ventura County Superior Court," by a bail bond, or by credit or debit card online through GovPayNet or by phone at 1 (888) 604-7888 (PLC number 6404). Our comparison of a jail surety bond and cash bail explains the cost difference between a bond and paying the full amount in cash. The East County Jail's own page separately states that its staff "will accept bail bonds and deposits for any person held in the Ventura County Sheriff's custody." The Superior Court currently posts its "2024 Bail Schedule" on its Fee & Bail Schedules page; adopted under Penal Code 1269b, it gives the presumptive amount for someone arrested without a warrant until a judge reviews the issue, and a judge can set a different amount, as our bail amount explainer covers in more depth. In re Humphrey (2021) 11 Cal.5th 135 (opinion) requires the court to consider your ability to pay and whether nonfinancial conditions could reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure your appearance in court, and In re Kowalczyk (Cal. Supreme Ct., Apr. 30, 2026, S277910, opinion) later held that in noncapital cases a judge "has the authority to deny bail only as to offenses specified in section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c)" of the state Constitution, and that when money bail is used, it "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable." Our Ventura County Courthouse guide has the schedule's sample amounts in a table.

When is the first court date after an arrest?

If you are held in custody, state law requires you be brought before a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays.

Penal Code 825(a)(1) requires that a person held in custody "be taken before the magistrate without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays." Saturdays count toward the 48 hours. When that period would end while court is not in session, Penal Code 825(a)(2) extends the deadline "to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following," and when the arrest happens on a Wednesday after that day's court session has ended, and the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the same subdivision requires the person be brought before the magistrate "not later than the following Friday, if the Friday is not a court holiday." This is a deadline for a first appearance before a judge, not a promise of release and not a charging deadline. Our Ventura County Courthouse guide covers which courthouse hears the case and what happens at arraignment.

How do you visit, send mail or send money?

Visiting, mail and money go through the Sheriff's own systems; personal and legal mail for every facility go to one in-county P.O. Box, not the jail's street address.

The Sheriff's Inmate Visiting Guidelines page requires photo identification and limits each inmate to two 30-minute visits a week, with one or two visitors at a time; the Pre-Trial Detention Facility and Todd Road Jail each have their own visiting page, and video visitation runs 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at both. All incoming mail, personal and legal, must be addressed with the inmate's name and booking number and sent to Ventura County Jail, P.O. Box 6929, Ventura, CA 93006; the Sheriff's Inmate Mail policy has legal mail opened and screened for contraband in the inmate's presence, outside the ordinary mail screening, and softbound books, newspapers and magazines must come directly from a publishing company or an Internet bookstore. Money can be sent online through JPay.com, by phone, at a lobby kiosk, or deposited to an inmate's trust account; the Sheriff's Inmate Information page lists the current options for all three jails.

What should you do right now?

Confirm where the person is held and their next steps before anything else, then get ready for a possible first court date.

1. Search the Inmate Search tool for the person's custody status and call (805) 654-3335 with questions.
2. Call the holding facility to ask about visiting, and check the Mail and Money pages above before sending anything.
3. Check the bail schedule above, or call a bail agent, if posting bail is the plan.
4. Write down the booking number and charge, and gather any paperwork from the arrest, before the first court date.
5. If a lawyer is wanted and cannot be afforded, ask the court to appoint one at the first appearance; how that works is set out in our answer on the public defender compared with a private attorney.

Frequently asked questions

Can a lawyer visit someone right after the arrest?

Yes. Penal Code 825(b) lets any attorney licensed in California visit the person in custody at the request of the person or a relative; call the holding facility to schedule the visit.

Does the Ventura County jail offer video visitation?

Yes, at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility and Todd Road Jail, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, in addition to in-person visits; the Sheriff's video visitation page does not list it for the East County Jail.

Does the 48-hour rule skip the whole weekend?

No. For a person held in custody, Penal Code 825 leaves out only Sundays and holidays, so a Saturday counts toward the 48 hours. When the 48 hours expire while court is closed, section 825(a)(2) stretches the deadline through the end of the next court session on the following court day.

Is the bail schedule amount the final price that must be paid?

No. It is the presumptive amount until a judge reviews the case. Before arraignment, Penal Code 1269c lets the arrested person, or a lawyer, friend or relative acting for them, apply to a judge for bail below the schedule or for own recognizance release, unless the charge is listed in Penal Code 1270.1(a). At the first appearance the judge decides bail under Penal Code 1275, applying In re Humphrey and In re Kowalczyk, and can set another figure.

How do I check before visiting Todd Road Jail?

Call (805) 933-8501, the number the Sheriff's Todd Road Jail visiting page gives for inmate availability, before you go. Visitors check in at the Public Reception Lobby one hour before visiting starts. The Sheriff's Office places the jail in the unincorporated area west of the city of Santa Paula.

Talk to a lawyer about a Ventura County arrest

The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free consultation, is available 24/7, and offers payment plans and service in Spanish. Call (800) 755-5174 or use our online contact form to talk through bail, release and what the first court date will involve. The firm's Ventura practice is described on our Ventura criminal defense lawyer page.