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 26, 2026.
Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County, has about 230,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Huntsville is held at the county jail, run by the Madison 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: Huntsville public records, Madison County inmate search, Huntsville arrest records, Huntsville warrants, Huntsville criminal records, Huntsville court records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Huntsville
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Huntsville is held at the county jail, run by the Madison County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Madison County Sheriff's Office at madisoncountysheriffal.org/inmate-roster (page title: Inmate Roster | Madison County Sheriff's Office | Sort Booking Time | Descending | Page 1), phone 256.722.7181, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Madison County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2020 the jail held about 860 people, down from about 980 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 995 beds, and it ran at 98 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Madison County has about 423,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 20 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Madison County Jail
The Madison County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Huntsville (filed by the FBI as Huntsville Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Huntsville.
The FBI's agency list also places one other agency and four campus police departments in Madison County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Huntsville's 5,897 for 2025, the Madison County Sheriff's Office's 3,545 for 2025 and Madison's 1,620 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in Madison County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 11,178 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 Huntsville arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Huntsville?
Look on the custody page of the Madison County Sheriff's Office at madisoncountysheriffal.org/inmate-roster, or call 256.722.7181. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Madison County jail?
About 860 on an average day in 2020, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 995 beds.
What is the phone number for the Madison County jail?
256.722.7181, the number on the page of the Madison County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Huntsville 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.