Huntington Beach Inmate Search

Huntington Beach inmate population records come from two systems. The city runs its own jail for short-term holds, and the Orange County Sheriff manages the main county jail facilities. Most people arrested in Huntington Beach spend a brief time at the city jail before transfer to an Orange County facility. The Huntington Beach Police Department operates the local lockup. For longer holds, inmates move to the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange or the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. You can search both systems to find people in custody. About 198,000 residents live in Huntington Beach, making it one of the largest cities in Orange County.

Huntington Beach City Jail

Huntington Beach is one of the few California cities that operates its own jail. The facility sits inside the police station at 2000 Main Street. It holds people for short periods after arrest, usually 24 to 72 hours. The city jail is not meant for long stays. People waiting for arraignment or facing serious charges get transferred to Orange County jail facilities. The Huntington Beach jail handles DUI holds, misdemeanor arrests, and overnight bookings. If someone was just arrested in the city, they may still be at the local lockup.

Call (714) 536-5691 to check if a person is at the Huntington Beach city jail. Staff can confirm custody status by phone. There is no online search portal for just the city jail. You have to call. For people who have already been transferred to county custody, use the OC Sheriff portal instead. The transfer usually happens within a day or two of the initial arrest in Huntington Beach.

Note: Weekend and holiday arrests in Huntington Beach can result in longer city jail holds since court arraignments do not happen on those days.

Orange County Sheriff Inmate Lookup

Once a Huntington Beach inmate transfers to county, the OC Sheriff portal takes over. Go to apps.ocsheriff.gov and search by name or booking number. This system covers the Theo Lacy Facility, the Intake Release Center, and the James Musick Facility. Results show charges, bail, booking date, and current location. The portal updates several times a day. Most Huntington Beach arrests end up in this system within 48 hours of the initial booking at the city jail.

Orange County holds about 5,800 inmates on a typical day across all its facilities. Huntington Beach cases make up a portion of that total. The OC Sheriff phone number for jail information is (714) 647-4666. Use that if the online portal is down or you need help with a search. Partial name searches work on the portal, but adding a first name or birth year helps narrow results in a county this large.

Steps to Find an Inmate

If someone was arrested in Huntington Beach within the last day or two, start by calling the city jail at (714) 536-5691. They can tell you if the person is still there. If the person is not at the city jail, check the OC Sheriff portal next. That covers all county facilities. Between these two options, you can track a Huntington Beach arrest from the moment it happens through the county booking process.

VINELink works as a third option. It covers all of California. Search by name across Orange County and you see if the person is in custody anywhere in the county system. VINE also sends alerts when status changes. Call 1-877-411-5588 to use VINE by phone. For state prison inmates sentenced through the Orange County courts, use the CIRIS inmate locator from CDCR. This tool covers all 34 California state prisons and shows current location, admission date, and parole hearing information.

The Huntington Beach Police Records Bureau handles report requests for local arrests. If you need a police report, go through their office. There is a small fee for copies. The records bureau is separate from the jail, so contact them directly for documents about a Huntington Beach case.

Inmate Records and California Law

Booking data from Huntington Beach arrests is public. Government Code 6254(f) requires law enforcement to share arrest records with anyone who asks. Names, charges, bail amounts, and booking details are all covered. This applies to both the city jail and the county system. The OC Sheriff posts this data online because California law says they must.

Criminal history is restricted though. Penal Code 11105 limits who can see a full criminal background. The California DOJ controls those files. You can not get a full background check from either the Huntington Beach Police or the Orange County Sheriff. Only the individual, certain employers, and authorized agencies have access. To check your own California criminal record, submit fingerprints at a Live Scan site in Huntington Beach or nearby and pay $25 to the DOJ.

Current inmate population data is just a snapshot. It tells you who is in custody right now. It does not replace a background check and does not show past arrests that already cleared the system.

The image above shows the Huntington Beach Police Records Bureau page. This is where you request police reports and records related to Huntington Beach arrests and bookings.

Nearby Cities

These cities sit close to Huntington Beach and share the Orange County jail system. Check each page for local inmate search details.

Orange County Inmate Records

Huntington Beach is in Orange County. See the full county page for details on all jail facilities and the sheriff's inmate search system.