Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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.
Baltimore County, Maryland, has about 852,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by three campus, state or other agencies. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the State's Attorney files charges, a case in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: Baltimore County public records, Maryland arrest records, Maryland inmate search and Maryland criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Baltimore County
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Baltimore County: the Baltimore County State Police (state police); the University of Maryland in Baltimore County and Towson University (campus police).
Booking: Where People Arrested in Baltimore County Are Held
The county jail is where a person arrested in Baltimore County and kept in custody ends up, whichever agency made the arrest, though a city department may hold someone in its own cells first and a person cited and released at the scene is never booked. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and once the person is released or sentenced the record continues in the court file.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 920 people, down from about 1,120 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2022, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,513 beds, and it ran at 69 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the sheriff's office at baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/corrections (page title: Corrections | Baltimore County Government), phone 410-512-3200, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Baltimore County
Whether someone was arrested in Baltimore County, and what came of it, shows up in two places: the case index of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at mdcourts.gov/courts/courtrecords); the State's Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/states-attorney, phone 410-887-2222).
Statewide, Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the free statewide case search of every Maryland court.
Maryland does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Criminal Justice Information System goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Baltimore County
An arrest report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the jail. Under the Maryland Public Information Act the agency must answer within 30 days, with a denial due within 10 working days, and it may charge staff time after the first two hours, plus copying.
- An arrest by the Baltimore County State Police, the University of Maryland in Baltimore County or Towson University: the records office of the agency involved.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, 410-887-2222, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, through the court records page at mdcourts.gov/courts/courtrecords.
- Any county record that is not posted: the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at baltimorecountymd.gov (page title: Records Search and Requests | Baltimore County Government).
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the CJIS Central Repository.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Baltimore County?
Ask the sheriff's office at 410-512-3200; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/corrections.
Where are people arrested in Baltimore County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Baltimore County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Criminal Justice Information System is not public; you can get your own. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Maryland Public Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Baltimore County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the sheriff's office or the city's police. Under the Maryland Public Information Act the answer is due within 30 days, with a denial due within 10 working days; the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at baltimorecountymd.gov.
Is this the official Baltimore 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.