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 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Clay County, Kansas, has about 8,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Clay County is held at the county jail, run by the Clay 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: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County criminal records, Clay County court records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Clay County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Clay County is held at the county jail, run by the Clay County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Clay County Sheriff's Office at claysheriff.com/search/inmate+search (page title: inmate search | Clay County Sheriff’s Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 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 Clay County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 10 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 11 beds, and it ran at 91 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Clay County has about 8,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 13 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Clay County Jail
The Clay County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Clay Center and Wakefield make the arrests that end in a booking in Clay County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Clay Center's 80 for 2025 and the Clay County Sheriff's Office's 62 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 142 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 Clay 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 Kansas Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.ks.gov/@@search?SearchableText=inmate+search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Clay County?
Look on the custody page of the Clay County Sheriff's Office at claysheriff.com/search/inmate+search. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Clay County jail?
About 10 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 11 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Clay County go?
To a facility of the Kansas Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.ks.gov.
Is this the official Clay 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.