Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
Santa Maria, California, in Santa Barbara County, has about 111,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and its arrests are reported to the FBI by an agency of its own. An arrest in the city leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the booking at the county jail, and, if the District Attorney files charges, a case in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: Santa Maria public records, Santa Barbara County arrest records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in Santa Maria
The FBI lists Santa Maria with an arrest reporting agency of its own, filed as Santa Maria Police Department. A city is listed separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
Outside the city, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is the county agency.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Santa Barbara County: Union Pacific Railroad: Santa Barbara County (other); Allan Hancock College and University of California: Santa Barbara (campus police); Highway Patrol: Santa Barbara Area Office, Highway Patrol: Buellton Area Office and Highway Patrol: Santa Maria Area Office (state police).
Booking: Where People Arrested in Santa Maria Are Held
A person held after an arrest in Santa Maria is booked into the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The booking record, with the charges, is the first public record of the arrest; once the person is released or sentenced the record continues in the court file.
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 770 people, down from about 950 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 915 beds, and it ran at 86 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office at sbsheriff.org/command-and-divisions/custody-operations/south-county... (page title: Jail Information | Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office), phone 805-683-2724, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at cdcr.ca.gov/search.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Santa Maria
Whether someone was arrested in Santa Maria, and what came of it, shows up in two places: the case index of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at santabarbara.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-records-search/case...); the District Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at da.countyofsb.org, phone (805) 568-2300).
California does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the California Department of Justice goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Santa Maria
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the California Public Records Act the agency must answer within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, and it may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time.
- An arrest by the Santa Maria police: the police records page SearchSystems verified at cityofsantamaria.org/services/departments/police-department (page title: Police Department | City of Santa Maria), phone (805) 928-3781, 1111 West Betteravia Road Santa Maria, CA 93455, Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
- An arrest by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 805-683-2724.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (805) 568-2300, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, through its records page at santabarbara.courts.ca.gov.
- Your own statewide record: a Record Review through Live Scan fingerprinting, form BCIA 8016RR, $25.
The Santa Barbara County guide covers every agency in the county: Santa Barbara County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Santa Maria?
Ask the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office at 805-683-2724; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at sbsheriff.org.
Where are people arrested in Santa Maria booked?
In the county jail, run by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Are arrest records public in Santa Maria?
The court files of criminal cases in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the California Department of Justice is not public; you can get your own for $25. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the California Public Records Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Santa Maria?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Santa Maria police for its own arrests, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office for the sheriff's. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.
Is this the official Santa Maria website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.