Santa Barbara County Booking Database

Santa Barbara County recent bookings show up in the Who Is In Custody online database after someone gets arrested and processed. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office operates jail facilities that serve the entire county from the coast to inland valleys. You can search by name to find current inmates at no cost. The system updates regularly throughout each day as new people get booked and others get released. Results display booking dates, charges, bail amounts, and which facility holds each person. Anyone can access this public database any time without creating an account or explaining why they need the information.

Search Who Is In Custody

The Santa Barbara County Who Is In Custody portal lets you search for inmates in county jails. Enter a last name and first name in the search fields. The system looks through both main facilities at once. You get results in seconds for most searches. No account or login is required. The database is open to the public at all hours.

Results show the full legal name of each inmate. Booking numbers identify each specific jail stay. Date of birth helps confirm you found the right person when multiple people have similar names. The booking date tells you when they entered custody. Facility name shows whether they are at the Main Jail in Santa Barbara or the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria.

Charges appear with California code sections and descriptions. Bail amounts show what it costs to post bond for release. Some serious charges have no bail which means the person must appear before a judge before they can leave. Court dates might appear if they have been scheduled. Release dates show when someone left custody after posting bail or completing their sentence.

The sheriff's office updates this database multiple times per day. New bookings appear within hours of arrest. Releases show up once processing completes. The system gives you current information about who is in county custody right now. For questions not answered by the online search, contact the jail directly by phone during business hours.

Santa Barbara Jail Facilities

Santa Barbara County Main Jail sits in downtown Santa Barbara. This facility handles most bookings from the southern part of the county including the city of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, and surrounding areas. The Main Jail processes new arrests, houses pretrial inmates, and holds sentenced inmates serving shorter terms. Its location near the Santa Barbara Superior Court makes it convenient for daily court appearances.

The Northern Branch Jail operates in Santa Maria to serve the northern part of Santa Barbara County. This facility handles bookings from Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, and other northern communities. Having two jails spread across the county reduces transport times and keeps inmates closer to their home communities. Both facilities meet California standards for jail operations as set by the Board of State and Community Corrections.

Each facility has its own visiting hours and procedures. Video visits are available at both locations. In-person visits follow specific schedules that vary by day of the week and housing unit. Check the sheriff's website for current visiting information before planning a trip to either jail. Mail, phone calls, and inmate accounts also follow facility-specific rules.

Details in Santa Barbara Bookings

Santa Barbara County booking records contain information about each arrest and jail stay. Booking numbers serve as unique identifiers. Each arrest generates a new number even if the same person has been booked before. Names appear as given during the intake process. Aliases might show up if the person provided them to jail staff. Physical descriptions include height, weight, and sometimes identifying marks.

Charges use California statute codes. PC stands for Penal Code and covers most criminal offenses. HS refers to Health and Safety Code which includes drug crimes. VC is Vehicle Code for traffic violations. Each charge lists a section number and plain language description so you understand what crime the person allegedly committed. Multiple charges can appear for a single booking if the arrest involved several offenses.

Bail information comes from the county bail schedule unless a judge sets a different amount. The schedule assigns bail amounts based on the severity of charges. Misdemeanors typically have lower bail than felonies. Some violent crimes or cases where someone might flee have very high bail or no bail at all. Arresting agency names identify which police department made the arrest such as Santa Barbara PD, Santa Maria PD, or the sheriff's department.

Request Booking Documents

For detailed records beyond the online search, contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. Submit California Public Records Act requests for arrest reports, booking photos, and related documents. Include the inmate's name, booking date, and booking number in your request. The more details you provide, the faster staff can locate the specific records you need.

Fees apply to many types of records. Booking photos cost money. Arrest reports require payment. Certified copies cost more than regular copies. Large requests with many pages can add up to significant fees. Ask about costs before the sheriff's office starts processing your request. They will tell you the estimated total so you can decide whether to proceed or narrow down what you are asking for.

California law requires agencies to respond to public records requests within 10 days. They can extend this by 14 days for complex requests. Simple booking records often come back faster. The sheriff's office will tell you if any records are exempt from disclosure under California law. Some information remains confidential for investigative purposes or to protect victims and witnesses.

Note: The free Who Is In Custody search provides basic booking information without fees or formal requests.

Cities in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County stretches from the Pacific coast into inland valleys and mountains. Cities range from coastal communities to agricultural towns. No city in the county operates its own jail. All rely on the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office for detention services. When local police make arrests they book people into either the Main Jail or Northern Branch Jail depending on location.

The city of Santa Barbara sits on the coast and is the county seat. Santa Maria is the largest city and sits in the northern part of the county. Lompoc lies to the west near Vandenberg Space Force Base. Goleta is a coastal city just north of Santa Barbara. Carpinteria sits to the south along Highway 101. All these cities use county jails for all bookings and long-term custody.

Smaller communities like Guadalupe, Solvang, and Buellton also rely on county facilities. The Who Is In Custody database covers arrests from every police department in Santa Barbara County plus sheriff's deputies who patrol unincorporated areas. You can find anyone booked into county custody regardless of which agency made the arrest.

VINE Custody Notifications

Santa Barbara County participates in the VINE system for automated custody alerts. Visit vinelink.vineapps.com/state/CA or call 1-877-411-5588 to register. Search for an inmate in the VINE database. Sign up to receive notifications by phone, text, or email. The service is free and does not require you to explain why you want alerts. Your registration stays anonymous.

The system updates every 15 minutes by checking the jail database. When custody status changes, VINE sends you an alert right away. This includes releases, facility transfers, and court appearances. Crime victims use VINE to maintain safety and stay informed about when offenders leave custody. Families use it to know when to pick up relatives. The automatic alerts save you from having to check the database repeatedly throughout the day.

Nearby California Counties

Santa Barbara County sits on the Central Coast between Los Angeles and the Central Valley. Nearby counties include: