Reviewed and updated October 6, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was taken from the office that keeps the record, on its own website, on October 5, 2026.
An arrest in Lompoc leaves three records: the arresting agency's report, the booking at the jail, and, if charges are filed, a court case. Each is kept by a different office, and each has its own rules on who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking, bail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
The other Lompoc guides cover Lompoc public records, warrants, inmate search, criminal records, court records, police reports, traffic tickets, DUI, divorce records and property records.
Who Makes Arrests in and Around Lompoc
- Inside the city limits: the Lompoc Police Department.
- In the unincorporated area around the city (Mission Hills, Vandenberg Village, Mesa Oaks): the Santa Barbara County Sheriff, from the Sheriff's Lompoc Station.
- On the state highways: the California Highway Patrol, Buellton Area office, 166 Industrial Way, Buellton, (805) 688-5551.
- On Vandenberg Space Force Base and inside the federal prisons: federal officers. Federal charges are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, not in the Santa Barbara County courts.
Booking: The Lompoc Jail and the County Jail
The Lompoc Police Department runs its own jail at the station, 107 Civic Center Plaza, phone (805) 875-8140. People arrested by the department are booked there and held until they are released or taken to court; for a case in Lompoc the jail staff walk them to the courthouse next door, and for a case in Santa Maria a county van picks them up. A person booked there may make free calls in the local dialing area at booking.
People who stay in custody go to the Sheriff's Northern Branch Jail, 2301 Black Road, Santa Maria, a 376-bed jail that holds both men and women. The Sheriff's Sheriff's booking page describes the steps: a medical screening, a search, photographs and fingerprints, the charges entered, bail calculated and a court date set. The Sheriff warns that after a DUI arrest the testing and paperwork can take up to four hours before the person reaches the jail, so a call made soon after an arrest may find no record yet.
California law requires that a person held in custody be brought before a judge within 48 hours of arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays.
Bail and Release in Santa Barbara County
Bail before the first court appearance follows the countywide schedule set by the judges of the Superior Court; the current felony and misdemeanor schedule took effect in June 2026 and is posted on the court's Bail Schedules page. A judicial officer can release a person on their own recognizance, release them with no money bail and conditions, set money bail, or hold the decision until arraignment.
The schedule names arrests that are not eligible for release before arraignment, among them sex offenses, intimate partner violence, a third DUI within 10 years, a DUI causing injury, and a DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 or more. The Sheriff's jails keep a list of bail agents, and the Lompoc police jail gives one on request.
How to Find Out About an Arrest
The Sheriff's Who Is In Custody search looks up anyone held in a county jail by first and last name or by booking number (CID), and shows the housing location, charges and custody status. For more, the Sheriff gives two numbers: (805) 554-3100 for the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria and (805) 681-4260 for the Main Jail in Santa Barbara.
Under the California Public Records Act a police agency must release the basic facts of an arrest even when the report itself stays closed: the arrested person's name and description, the time and place of the arrest, the charges, the bail and the time and manner of release.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record
- The arrest report: the Lompoc Police Department's Records Bureau, on its records request form, with a box for the arrestee. Email delivery is free; paper copies are 20 cents a page. See Lompoc police reports.
- A local criminal history for yourself: the department issues one under Penal Code section 13300 for $20, with photo identification. It shows Lompoc police arrests only; the outcome of a case comes from the court's Criminal Division.
- A Sheriff's arrest: the Sheriff's Records Bureau, (805) 681-4180. A local criminal history costs $25 and a clearance letter $37.
- The statewide record: only for yourself, through a Live Scan Record Review with the California Department of Justice, $25 plus the fingerprinting fee. See Lompoc criminal records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone was arrested in Lompoc?
Search the Sheriff's Who Is In Custody page by name, or call the Northern Branch Jail at (805) 554-3100. Someone held only briefly at the Lompoc police jail may not appear there; call the police at (805) 736-2341.
Where does the Lompoc Police Department take people it arrests?
To its own jail at 107 Civic Center Plaza. People who stay in custody are moved to the county's Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria.
Are arrest records public in Lompoc?
The basic facts of an arrest are: name, time and place, charges and bail. The full report is released to the people involved, such as the arrestee and victims, and to others only as the law allows.
How much does a Lompoc police clearance letter cost?
$20, from the police Records Bureau, with photo identification.
How fast must someone arrested in Lompoc see a judge?
Within 48 hours of the arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays, if they are still in custody.