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.
Ottawa County, Michigan, has about 306,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ottawa County is held at the county jail, run by the Ottawa 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: Ottawa County public records, Ottawa County arrest records, Ottawa County warrants, Ottawa County criminal records, Ottawa County court records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Ottawa County
The county jail, run by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Ottawa County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office at miottawa.org/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Ottawa County, MI), phone (616) 738-4000, 12220, Monday 8:00am to 5:00pm, 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 (616) 738-4000.
The Ottawa County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 290 people, down from about 320 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 462 beds, and it ran at 63 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Ottawa County has about 306,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 10 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Ottawa County Jail
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Holland, Grand Haven and Zeeland make the arrests that end in a booking in Ottawa County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Ottawa County: Grand Valley State University (campus police); the Ottawa County State Police (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office's 2,780 for 2025, Holland's 659 for 2024 and Grand Haven's 115 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Ottawa County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,935 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County?
Ask the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office at (616) 738-4000; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at miottawa.org/sheriff.
How many people are in the Ottawa County jail?
About 290 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 462 beds.
What is the phone number for the Ottawa County jail?
(616) 738-4000, the number on the page of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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.