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 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Lake County, Michigan, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lake County is held at the county jail, run by the Lake 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: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County criminal records, Lake County court records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Lake County
The county jail, run by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Lake County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Lake County Sheriff's Office at lakecountymi.gov/corrections (page title: Sheriff Office Corrections | Lake County), phone (231) 745-6201, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 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 (231) 745-6201.
The Lake County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2020 the jail held about 16 people, down from about 28 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 48 beds, and it ran at 58 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Lake County has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 13 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Lake County Jail
The Lake County Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in Lake County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Lake County: the Lake County State Police (state police).
The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported 163 arrests to the FBI for 2020. 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 Lake 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 Lake County serves the sentence in a facility of the Michigan Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Lake County?
Ask the Lake County Sheriff's Office at (231) 745-6201; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at lakecountymi.gov/corrections.
How many people are in the Lake County jail?
About 16 on an average day in 2020, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 48 beds.
What is the phone number for the Lake County jail?
(231) 745-6201, the number on the page of the Lake County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Lake County go?
To a facility of the Michigan Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2.
Is this the official Lake 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.