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 October 2, 2026.
Opelika, Alabama, in Lee County, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Opelika is held at the county jail, run by the Lee 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: Opelika public records, Lee County inmate search, Opelika arrest records, Opelika warrants, Opelika criminal records, Opelika court records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Opelika
The county jail, run by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Opelika, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Lee County Sheriff's Office at leecosheriffal.gov/corrections/inmate-search (page title: Inmate Search | Lee County Sheriff’s Office | Lee County Sheriff's Office), phone (334) 749-5651, 1900 Frederick Road Opelika, AL 36801, Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 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 Lee County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 390 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 424 beds, and it ran at 92 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Lee County has about 188,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 21 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Lee County Jail
The Lee County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Opelika (filed by the FBI as Opelika Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Opelika.
The Notasulga Police Department and the Phenix City Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Lee County, so their arrests are not broken out for Lee County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Lee County Sheriff's Office's 2,814 for 2025, Auburn's 2,731 for 2025 and Opelika's 1,491 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Lee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,036 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 Opelika arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Opelika?
Look on the custody page of the Lee County Sheriff's Office at leecosheriffal.gov/corrections/inmate-search, or call (334) 749-5651. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Lee County jail?
About 390 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 424 beds.
What is the phone number for the Lee County jail?
(334) 749-5651, the number on the page of the Lee County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Opelika 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.