Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. 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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Athens, Alabama, in Limestone County, has about 33,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Athens is held at the county jail, run by the Limestone County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people and common questions.
Related guides: Athens public records, Limestone County inmate search, Athens arrest records, Athens warrants, Athens criminal records, Athens court records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Athens
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Athens is held at the county jail, run by the Limestone County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Limestone County Sheriff's Office at limestonecounty-al.gov/Departments/Sheriff%E2%80%99s-Office (page title: Sheriff’s Office | Limestone Co), phone (256) 232-0111, 100 South Clinton Street, 2nd Floor, Athens, AL 35611, Monday-Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (256) 232-0111.
The Limestone County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 280 people, up from about 250 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 316 beds, and it ran at 90 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Limestone County has about 119,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 24 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Limestone County Jail
The Limestone County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Athens (filed by the FBI as Athens Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Athens.
The Decatur Police Department, the Madison Police Department and the Huntsville Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Limestone County, so their arrests are not broken out for Limestone County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Athens's 1,612 for 2025, the Limestone County Sheriff's Office's 992 for 2025 and Ardmore's 157 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Limestone County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,761 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Athens arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Athens?
Ask the Limestone County Sheriff's Office at (256) 232-0111; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at limestonecounty-al.gov.
How many people are in the Limestone County jail?
About 280 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 316 beds.
What is the phone number for the Limestone County jail?
(256) 232-0111, the number on the page of the Limestone County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Athens 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.