Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
San Anselmo, California, in Marin County, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An arrest in the city leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the District Attorney files charges, a case in the Superior Court of California, County of Marin. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: San Anselmo public records, Marin County arrest records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in San Anselmo
The FBI lists no arrest reporting agency under the name of San Anselmo. In Marin County the county agency that reports arrests is the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Marin County: Union Pacific Railroad in Marin County (other); Marin Community College (campus police); the Highway Patrol's Marin Area Office (state police).
Booking: Where People Arrested in San Anselmo Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in San Anselmo is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 260 people, down from about 280 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 386 beds, and it ran at 65 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Marin County Sheriff's Office at marinsheriff.gov/about-us/detention-bureau (page title: Detention Bureau | Marin County Sheriff), phone (415) 473-6653, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at cdcr.ca.gov/search.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in San Anselmo
Whether someone was arrested in San Anselmo, and what came of it, shows up in two places: the case index of the Superior Court of California, County of Marin, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at marin.courts.ca.gov/divisions/court-records-exhibits, phone (415) 444-7080); the District Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at marincountyda.org/our-team, phone (415) 473-6450).
California does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the California Department of Justice goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in San Anselmo
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the California Public Records Act the agency must answer within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, and it may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time.
- An arrest by the San Anselmo police: the police department's page SearchSystems verified at sananselmo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19951/Police-Department (page title: police department), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
- An arrest by the Marin County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at (415) 473-6653.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (415) 473-6450, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Superior Court of California, County of Marin, through the court records page at marin.courts.ca.gov, phone (415) 444-7080.
- Any county record that is not posted: the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at marincountyca.nextrequest.com (page title: Open Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
- Your own statewide record: a Record Review through Live Scan fingerprinting, form BCIA 8016RR, $25.
The Marin County guide covers every agency in the county: Marin County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in San Anselmo?
Ask the Marin County Sheriff's Office at (415) 473-6653; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at marinsheriff.gov/about-us/detention-bureau.
Where are people arrested in San Anselmo booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Marin County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in San Anselmo?
The court files of criminal cases in the Superior Court of California, County of Marin are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the California Department of Justice is not public; you can get your own for $25. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the California Public Records Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in San Anselmo?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Marin County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances; the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at marincountyca.nextrequest.com.
Is this the official San Anselmo 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.