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.
Shelby County, Kentucky, has about 50,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Shelby County is held at the county jail, run by the Shelby 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: Shelby County public records, Shelby County arrest records, Shelby County warrants, Shelby County criminal records, Shelby County court records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Shelby County
The county jail, run by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Shelby County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office at shelbycounty.ky.gov/departments/Pages/sheriff.aspx (page title: Sheriff | Shelby County), phone (502) 633-4324, Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 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 (502) 633-4324.
The Shelby County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 330 people on an average day, up from about 170 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 316 beds, and it is running at 105 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Shelby County has about 50,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 66 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Shelby County Jail
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Shelbyville and Simpsonville make the arrests that end in a booking in Shelby County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Shelbyville's 660 for 2025, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office's 420 for 2025 and Simpsonville's 234 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Shelby County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,314 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County?
Ask the Shelby County Sheriff's Office at (502) 633-4324; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at shelbycounty.ky.gov.
How many people are in the Shelby County jail?
About 330 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 316 beds.
What is the phone number for the Shelby County jail?
(502) 633-4324, the number on the page of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Shelby County go?
To a facility of the Kentucky Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at kool.corrections.ky.gov/.
Is this the official Shelby 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.