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.
Chowan County, North Carolina, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Chowan County is held at the county jail, run by the Chowan 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: Chowan County public records, Chowan County arrest records, Chowan County warrants, Chowan County criminal records, Chowan County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Chowan County
The county jail, run by the Chowan County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Chowan County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Chowan County Sheriff's Office at ncsheriffs.org/people/edward-b-basnight (page title: Sheriff Edward B. Basnight | North Carolina Sheriffs' Association), phone (252) 482-8484, 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) 482-8484.
The Chowan County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 35 people, up from about 32 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 19 beds, and it ran at 168 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Chowan County has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 25 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Chowan County Jail
The Chowan County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Edenton make the arrests that end in a booking in Chowan County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Edenton's 237 for 2025 and the Chowan County Sheriff's Office's 232 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Chowan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 469 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 Chowan 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 Chowan 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 Chowan County?
Ask the Chowan County Sheriff's Office at (252) 482-8484; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at ncsheriffs.org/people/edward-b-basnight.
How many people are in the Chowan County jail?
About 35 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 19 beds.
What is the phone number for the Chowan County jail?
(252) 482-8484, the number on the page of the Chowan County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Chowan 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 Chowan 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.