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.
Sanford, Maine, in York County, has about 22,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Sanford is held at the county jail, run by the York 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: Sanford public records, York County inmate search, Sanford arrest records, Sanford warrants, Sanford criminal records, Sanford court records, Maine arrest records and Maine inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Sanford
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Sanford is held at the county jail, run by the York County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the York County Sheriff's Office at inmatesinjail.yorkcountygov.com/detentioncenter/inmatesinjail.aspx (page title: York County Detention Center Inmates), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The York County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 180 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 298 beds, and it ran at 59 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
York County has about 220,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the York County Jail
The York County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Sanford (filed by the FBI as Sanford Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Sanford.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Biddeford's 750 for 2025, Sanford's 678 for 2025 and Old Orchard Beach's 488 for 2025.
Together, the 16 agencies in York County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,061 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 Sanford arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Maine Department of Corrections lists its inmates at apps1.web.maine.gov/online/correctionssearch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Sanford?
Ask the York County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at inmatesinjail.yorkcountygov.com.
How many people are in the York County jail?
About 180 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 298 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in York County go?
To a facility of the Maine Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at apps1.web.maine.gov/online/correctionssearch.
Is this the official Sanford website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.