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 October 1, 2026.
Chatham County, Georgia, has about 307,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Chatham County is held at the county jail, run by the Chatham 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: Chatham County public records, Chatham County arrest records, Chatham County warrants, Chatham County criminal records, Chatham County court records, Georgia arrest records and Georgia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Chatham County
The county jail, run by the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Chatham County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Chatham County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.chathamcountyga.gov (page title: Chatham County Sheriff's Office), phone 912-651-3700, 1050 Carl Griffin Drive Savannah, GA 31405, 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 912-651-3700.
The Chatham County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 1,310 people on an average day, down from about 1,860 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 2,433 beds, and it is running at 54 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Chatham County has about 307,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 43 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Chatham County Jail
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office, the Chatham County Police Department and the agencies that report for Savannah, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Garden City, Tybee Island, Bloomingdale and one more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Chatham County.
The FBI's agency list also places two campus police departments, one state police unit, one state agency and three other agencies in Chatham County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Savannah's 6,303 for 2021, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office's 1,152 for 2025 and Pooler's 661 for 2024.
Together, the five agencies in Chatham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,323 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 Chatham 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 Georgia Department of Corrections lists its inmates at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Chatham County?
Ask the Chatham County Sheriff's Office at 912-651-3700; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at sheriff.chathamcountyga.gov.
How many people are in the Chatham County jail?
About 1,310 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 2,433 beds.
What is the phone number for the Chatham County jail?
912-651-3700, the number on the page of the Chatham County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Chatham County go?
To a facility of the Georgia Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender.
Is this the official Chatham 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.