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 23, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Cortez, Colorado, in Montezuma County, has about 9,200 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Cortez is held at the county jail, run by the Montezuma 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, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Cortez public records, Montezuma County inmate search, Cortez arrest records, Cortez warrants, Cortez property records, Colorado arrest records and Colorado inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Cortez
The county jail, run by the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Cortez, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office at montezumacounty.gov/sheriffoffice (page title: Sheriff's Office <), phone (970) 564-4016, 730 East Driscoll Street, Cortez, CO 81321, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 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 (970) 564-4016.
The Montezuma County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 70 people, down from about 110 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2025 was 104 beds, and it ran at 67 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Montezuma County has about 27,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 26 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Montezuma County Jail
The Montezuma County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Cortez (filed by the FBI as Cortez Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Cortez.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Cortez's 1,561 for 2025, the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office's 273 for 2025 and Mancos's 14 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Montezuma County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,848 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 Cortez arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Montezuma County serves the sentence in a facility of the Colorado Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at cdoc.colorado.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Cortez?
Ask the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office at (970) 564-4016; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at montezumacounty.gov/sheriffoffice.
How many people are in the Montezuma County jail?
About 70 on an average day in 2025, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 104 beds.
What is the phone number for the Montezuma County jail?
(970) 564-4016, the number on the page of the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Montezuma County go?
To a facility of the Colorado Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at cdoc.colorado.gov.
Is this the official Cortez 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.