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 25, 2026.
San Carlos, California, in San Mateo County, has about 29,000 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 San Mateo. 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 Carlos public records, San Mateo County arrest records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in San Carlos
The FBI lists no arrest reporting agency under the name of San Carlos. In San Mateo County the county agency that reports arrests is the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in San Mateo County: San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Mateo County and Union Pacific Railroad in San Mateo County (other); the Highway Patrol's Redwood City Area Office (state police).
Booking: Where People Arrested in San Carlos Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in San Carlos 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 930 people, down from about 1,020 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,360 beds, and it ran at 77 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
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 Carlos
Whether someone was arrested in San Carlos, and what came of it, shows up in two places: the case index of the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at sanmateo.courts.ca.gov/online-services/information-accessing-your-c..., phone 650-261-5100); the District Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at smcgov.org/da, phone (650) 363-4636).
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 Carlos
An arrest report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the jail. 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 Carlos police: the police records page SearchSystems verified at santaclaraca.gov/our-city/departments-g-z/police-department/communi... (page title: Commonly Used Forms | City of Santa Clara), phone 408-615-4700, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
- An arrest by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (650) 363-4636, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, through the court records page at sanmateo.courts.ca.gov, phone 650-261-5100.
- Any county record that is not posted: the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at smcgov.org (page title: Public Records Act Request Form | County of San Mateo, CA).
- Your own statewide record: a Record Review through Live Scan fingerprinting, form BCIA 8016RR, $25.
The San Mateo County guide covers every agency in the county: San Mateo County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are people arrested in San Carlos booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in San Carlos?
The court files of criminal cases in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo 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 Carlos?
From the agency that made the arrest: the San Mateo 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 smcgov.org.
Is this the official San Carlos 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.