Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 11, 2026.
Houston County, Alabama, has about 109,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Houston County is held at the county jail, run by the Houston 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: Houston County public records, Houston County arrest records, Houston County warrants, Houston County criminal records, Houston County court records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Houston County
The county jail, run by the Houston County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Houston County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Houston County Sheriff's Office at houstoncountyal.gov/bid_notices/370 (page title: JL-0901 Inmate Communication services | Bid Notices | Houston County, Alabama), phone 334-792-4149, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 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 334-792-4149.
The Houston County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 440 people, up from about 420 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 398 beds, and it ran at 111 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Houston County has about 109,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 40 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Houston County Jail
The Houston County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Dothan, Ashford, Taylor, Kinsey, Webb, Cottonwood and two more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Houston County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Houston County: Wallace Community College at Dothan (campus police); the Dothan-Houston County Airport Authority (other agency).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Dothan's 5,119 for 2025, the Houston County Sheriff's Office's 850 for 2025 and Kinsey's 37 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in Houston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,064 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 Houston County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Houston County?
Ask the Houston County Sheriff's Office at 334-792-4149; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at houstoncountyal.gov/bid_notices/370.
How many people are in the Houston County jail?
About 440 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 398 beds.
What is the phone number for the Houston County jail?
334-792-4149, the number on the page of the Houston County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Houston County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.