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 on September 23, 2026.
Highlands County, Florida, has about 110,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Highlands County is held at the county jail, run by the Highlands 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: Highlands County public records, Highlands County arrest records, Highlands County warrants, Highlands County criminal records, Highlands County court records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Highlands County
The county jail, run by the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Highlands County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office at highlandssheriff.gov/inmateSearch (page title: Inmate Search | Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, FL), phone (863) 402-7200, 400 S Eucalyptus St, Sebring, FL 33870, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 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 Highlands County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 470 people on an average day, up from about 440 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 486 beds, and it ran at 104 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Highlands County has about 110,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 43 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Highlands County Jail
The Highlands County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Sebring and Lake Placid make the arrests that end in a booking in Highlands County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in Highlands County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Highlands County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Florida Department of Corrections lists its inmates at fdc.myflorida.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Highlands County?
Look on the custody page of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office at highlandssheriff.gov/inmateSearch, or call (863) 402-7200. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Highlands County jail?
About 470 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 486 beds.
What is the phone number for the Highlands County jail?
(863) 402-7200, the number on the page of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Highlands County go?
To a facility of the Florida Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at fdc.myflorida.com.
Is this the official Highlands 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.