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 on September 23, 2026.
Mecosta County, Michigan, has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Mecosta County is held at the county jail, run by the Mecosta 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: Mecosta County public records, Mecosta County arrest records, Mecosta County warrants, Mecosta County criminal records, Mecosta County court records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Mecosta County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Mecosta County is held at the county jail, run by the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office at mecostacounty.org/government/sheriff.php (page title: Mecosta County, MI), phone (231) 592-0150, Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 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) 592-0150.
The Mecosta County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2020 the jail held about 75 people, down from about 81 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 97 beds, and it ran at 84 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Mecosta County has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Mecosta County Jail
The Mecosta County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Big Rapids and Barryton make the arrests that end in a booking in Mecosta County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Mecosta County: Ferris State University (campus police); the Mecosta County State Police (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office's 739 for 2025, Big Rapids's 417 for 2025 and Barryton's 0 for 2021.
Together, the two agencies in Mecosta County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,156 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 Mecosta County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Michigan Department of Corrections lists its inmates at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Mecosta County?
Ask the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office at (231) 592-0150; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mecostacounty.org/government/sheriff.php.
How many people are in the Mecosta County jail?
About 75 on an average day in 2020, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 97 beds.
What is the phone number for the Mecosta County jail?
(231) 592-0150, the number on the page of the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Mecosta 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 Mecosta 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.