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 September 30, 2026.
Kenton County, Kentucky, has about 175,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Kenton County is held at the county jail, run by the Kenton 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: Kenton County public records, Kenton County arrest records, Kenton County warrants, Kenton County criminal records, Kenton County court records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Kenton County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Kenton County is held at the county jail, run by the Kenton County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Kenton County Sheriff's Office at kentoncountysheriff.org/201/Current-Inmates-at-the-Kenton-County-Det (page title: Current Inmates at the Kenton County Detention Center | Kenton County Sheriff, KY), phone 859-363-2400, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 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 Kenton County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 670 people on an average day, down from about 790 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 602 beds, and it is running at 111 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Kenton County has about 175,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 38 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Kenton County Jail
The Kenton County Sheriff's Office, the Kenton County Police Department and the agencies that report for Covington, Independence, Erlanger, Elsmere, Fort Mitchell, Edgewood and six more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Kenton County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Kenton County: Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force (other agency).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Covington's 3,147 for 2025, the Kenton County Sheriff's Office's 829 for 2025 and Erlanger's 562 for 2025.
Together, the 14 agencies in Kenton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,285 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 Kenton County 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 Kenton County serves the sentence in a facility of the Kentucky Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at kool.corrections.ky.gov/.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Kenton County?
Look on the custody page of the Kenton County Sheriff's Office at kentoncountysheriff.org, or call 859-363-2400. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Kenton County jail?
About 670 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 602 beds.
What is the phone number for the Kenton County jail?
859-363-2400, the number on the page of the Kenton County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Kenton County go?
To a facility of the Kentucky Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at kool.corrections.ky.gov/.
Is this the official Kenton 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.