The Pinellas County Inmate Roster is a public tool that allows anyone to check who is currently in custody at the county jail in the state of Florida. PinellasCourt.us helps quickly find public information about current and recently released inmates. The official roster is maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, and the data is updated regularly. In addition to online searches, information can be obtained by calling the jail directly or visiting it in person. The roster search allows you to find out a person's custody status, charges filed, and booking information — an important element of transparency in the county's criminal justice system.
Search Current Inmates in Pinellas Jail
There are several ways to find information about individuals in custody at the county jail.
Online Search
- Visit the Arrest Inquiry page on the Sheriff's website — this is the primary tool for searching Pinellas County inmates.
- Enter the person's last name in the appropriate field. Optionally, add the first name to narrow the results.
- If you have a booking number, you can search directly by it.
- The system will show a list of individuals currently in custody or recently released.
For court case and criminal record searches, use PinellasCourt.us or refer to the Clerk of Court's public records portal.
Juvenile offenders are not displayed in the public roster.
By Phone
Call the main line of the Pinellas County Jail. The operator can confirm if a specific person is in custody if you provide the full legal name.
In Person
You can visit the jail lobby and use the public information window.
Pinellas County Jail
Additional information about county jails in the state of Florida can be found on the Florida Department's page.
Find Pinellas Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created when a detained person undergoes the registration process at the jail. This record captures key arrest data and is part of the public records under the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes §119.
Each booking record includes:
- A unique booking number
- Date and time of registration
- Charges filed
- Name of the arresting agency
- Photo of the detainee
- Bail amount (if set)
Online access to these records is provided by the "Who's in Jail" page on the Sheriff's website. The tool shows data on individuals currently held and recently released. For final court decisions on any criminal charges, contact the Clerk of Court's Criminal Division.
If records not available in the online system are needed, submit a public records request via the Pinellas County public records portal or directly through the Sheriff's Office request portal.
Search the Pinellas Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The search system on the Sheriff's website supports two main methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter the last name in the "Last Name" field. This is the most common method. A few tips:
- Check the spelling — even one mistake can yield no results.
- If the last name is common, add the first name for clarification.
- Try spelling variations if unsure (e.g., with or without a hyphen).
Search by Booking Number
The booking number is a unique identifier assigned during registration. It provides the most accurate result. This number is usually known to attorneys or family members who have already contacted the jail.
If the Search Yields No Results
The absence of results does not necessarily mean the person was not detained. Possible reasons:
- The person has already been released, and the record no longer appears in the active roster.
- The registration process is not yet complete — there may be a delay between arrest and the record appearing in the system.
- The name was entered incorrectly or differs from the legal name in documents.
In such cases, call the jail at (727) 464-6411 or check the Clerk of Court's records for court case searches.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Pinellas
The inmate roster on the Sheriff's website is updated regularly throughout the day. However, this is not an instantaneous process.
There is usually a delay of several minutes to several hours between the actual arrest and the record appearing in the online system — depending on the jail's workload and the time needed to complete the registration process. During peak times, the delay may be longer.
Main limitations of the roster:
- The system only displays individuals currently in custody and recently released. It is not an archive of all past arrests.
- After release or transfer, the record disappears from the active roster.
- Records of minors are not published.
- Some records may be temporarily unavailable due to court restrictions or technical reasons.
For historical criminal record searches, contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court — the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains an archive of all court cases filed in the county. You can also use the warrant search tool on the Sheriff's warrant page, although it does not cover all local county warrants.
Remember: the data in the roster is information about current custody, not guilt. The presence of a record in the roster indicates only the fact of arrest and detention.