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.
Beaufort County, North Carolina, has about 45,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Beaufort County is held at the county jail, run by the Beaufort 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: Beaufort County public records, Beaufort County arrest records, Beaufort County warrants, Beaufort County criminal records, Beaufort County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Beaufort County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Beaufort County is held at the county jail, run by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office at beaufortcountysheriff.org/detention-center-services (page title: Use Detention Services | Beaufort County Sheriff's Office), phone (252) 946-7113, 210 N Market St Washington NC 27889, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM., 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 (252) 946-7113.
The Beaufort County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 52 people, down from about 71 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 85 beds, and it ran at 84 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Beaufort County has about 45,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 12 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Beaufort County Jail
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Washington, Belhaven and Chocowinity make the arrests that end in a booking in Beaufort County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Beaufort County: the State Park Rangers at Goose Creek (state agency); Beaufort County Community College (campus police); Beaufort County Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement (other agency).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office's 1,153 for 2025, Washington's 615 for 2025 and Belhaven's 12 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Beaufort County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,780 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 Beaufort 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 Beaufort County serves the sentence in a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, whose inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender-searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Beaufort County?
Ask the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office at (252) 946-7113; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at beaufortcountysheriff.org.
How many people are in the Beaufort County jail?
About 52 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 85 beds.
What is the phone number for the Beaufort County jail?
(252) 946-7113, the number on the page of the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Beaufort 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 Beaufort 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.