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 9, 2026.
Oak Island, North Carolina, in Brunswick County, has about 9,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Oak Island is held at the county jail, run by the Brunswick 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: Oak Island public records, Brunswick County inmate search, Oak Island arrest records, Oak Island warrants, Oak Island criminal records, Oak Island court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Oak Island
The county jail, run by the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Oak Island, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office at brunswicksheriff.com/detention-center (page title: Detention Center | Brunswick County Sheriff's Office), phone 910-253-2777, 70 Stamp Act Drive, Bolivia, NC 28422, 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 910-253-2777.
The Brunswick County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 150 people, down from about 340 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 440 beds, and it ran at 78 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Brunswick County has about 167,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 9 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Brunswick County Jail
The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Oak Island (filed by the FBI as Oak Island Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Oak Island.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office's 870 for 2025, Leland's 281 for 2025 and Oak Island's 117 for 2024.
Together, the ten agencies in Brunswick County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,357 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 Oak Island arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction lists its inmates at dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender-searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Oak Island?
Ask the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office at 910-253-2777; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at brunswicksheriff.com/detention-center.
How many people are in the Brunswick County jail?
About 150 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 440 beds.
What is the phone number for the Brunswick County jail?
910-253-2777, the number on the page of the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Brunswick County go?
To a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction; its inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov.
Is this the official Oak Island 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.