San Francisco County Booking Reports

San Francisco County booking reports track every arrest processed through the city and county jail system. San Francisco is unique in California because the city and county share the same borders, so one sheriff handles all bookings. You can search San Francisco County booking reports online through the sheriff's inmate lookup tool. The system lets you find people by name, booking number, or SF number. Whether you need to check on a recent arrest or look up current custody status, San Francisco booking records are available to the public around the clock at no cost.

Search San Francisco Booking Reports Online

The San Francisco Sheriff's Department runs a free online tool called Find a Person in Jail. This is the fastest way to look up booking reports in San Francisco County. You can search by entering the first three letters of someone's first and last name. The system also accepts SF numbers and booking numbers if you have them. Results show the person's custody status, charges, and booking details. The tool works at any time and does not require you to create an account or pay a fee.

The San Francisco Sheriff's Department provides current booking information through its Find a Person in Jail portal.

This portal is the main tool for searching San Francisco County booking records.

If you cannot find what you need online, call the Central Records and Warrants Unit. The office is at 850 Bryant Street, Room 460, San Francisco, CA 94103. You can reach them at (415) 553-1430 or (415) 553-9505. Staff can help you track down booking reports and verify custody status for San Francisco County. Walk-in requests are taken during business hours at the same location. For people in mental health crisis while in custody, San Francisco provides a separate line at (415) 558-4443.

San Francisco County Booking Process

San Francisco is both a city and a county. That makes booking simpler here than in most California counties. There is one jail system. There is one sheriff. When anyone gets arrested in San Francisco, they go through the county jail for booking. The SFPD makes most arrests in the city. Other agencies like BART police and state officers also bring people in. Every arrest ends up as a booking report in the same county system.

During booking, staff record the person's name, date of birth, physical description, charges, arrest time, and bail amount. San Francisco County booking reports capture all of this data. Under California Government Code Section 7920.000, these are public records. The California Public Records Act gives you the right to see and copy them. San Francisco must respond to records requests within 10 days. The online inmate search tool provides most booking data instantly, which is faster than filing a formal request.

San Francisco Booking Report Laws

Government Code Section 7923.600 spells out what booking data law enforcement must release to the public. For San Francisco County, this includes the full name of the person arrested, their occupation, physical description, date of birth, time and date of arrest, time and date of booking, where the arrest happened, bail amount, and all charges. San Francisco County must share this information when asked. You do not need to explain why you want it.

Penal Code Section 13300 covers local criminal history records. A full criminal history is not the same as a booking report. Booking reports show one event. Criminal histories track all past arrests and case outcomes. In San Francisco County, you can get booking reports for free through the sheriff. Full criminal histories require fingerprinting and a $25 fee through the California Department of Justice.

People arrested in San Francisco County can ask to have their records sealed later. Penal Code Section 851.91 allows this when charges are dropped or the person is found not guilty. Once a San Francisco County booking report is sealed, it will not show up in public searches anymore.

Note: Sealed records in San Francisco County are no longer visible through the sheriff's online search tool.

Track San Francisco Custody Changes

The California VINE system covers San Francisco County. VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. It sends alerts when someone in custody gets released, transferred, or escapes. Registration is free. You choose how to get alerts: phone, email, or text. Crime victims in San Francisco County use this to stay informed about an offender's status without calling the jail repeatedly.

VINE works alongside the sheriff's inmate search. The sheriff's tool shows current booking data. VINE tracks changes over time. Use both to stay on top of booking activity and custody updates in San Francisco County.

San Francisco Booking Photos

California has rules about booking photos. Penal Code Section 13665 limits when law enforcement can share booking photos on social media. For nonviolent arrests in San Francisco County, the sheriff cannot post the photo online unless the person poses a threat to public safety or is a fugitive. If a photo does get posted, the agency must take it down within 14 days. This law took effect to protect people who are arrested but not yet convicted of a crime in San Francisco or anywhere in California.

State Prison Records for San Francisco

If someone arrested in San Francisco County ends up in state prison, their records move to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The CIRIS database lets you search for people in state custody. Results include the person's name, CDCR number, age, location, admission date, and parole hearing dates. This covers people who were sentenced in San Francisco Superior Court and then transferred to a state facility. County booking reports and state prison records are two separate systems, so check both if you are not sure where someone is held.

Cities in San Francisco County

San Francisco is a consolidated city-county. The city of San Francisco is the only city in San Francisco County. Everyone arrested here gets booked through the same county system.

Nearby County Booking Reports

San Francisco County sits on the tip of a peninsula, bordered by water on three sides. If an arrest happened outside San Francisco, check these neighboring counties for booking reports.