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.
Onslow County, North Carolina, has about 213,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Onslow County is held at the county jail, run by the Onslow 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: Onslow County public records, Onslow County arrest records, Onslow County warrants, Onslow County criminal records, Onslow County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Onslow County
The county jail, run by the Onslow County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Onslow County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Onslow County Sheriff's Office at onslowcountync.gov/1318/Detention-Division (page title: Detention Division | Onslow County, NC), phone (910) 937-1475, 717 Court St Jacksonville, NC 28540, 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) 937-1475.
The Onslow County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 360 people, down from about 410 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 528 beds, and it ran at 77 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Onslow County has about 213,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 17 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Onslow County Jail
The Onslow County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Jacksonville, Holly Ridge, Swansboro, Richlands and North Topsail Beach make the arrests that end in a booking in Onslow County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Onslow County: Albert J. Ellis Airport (other agency); the State Park Rangers at Hammocks Beach (state agency).
The Surf City Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Onslow County, so its arrests are not broken out for Onslow County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Onslow County Sheriff's Office's 2,841 for 2025, Jacksonville's 1,725 for 2025 and Holly Ridge's 213 for 2025.
Together, the six agencies in Onslow County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,118 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 Onslow 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 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 Onslow County?
Ask the Onslow County Sheriff's Office at (910) 937-1475; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at onslowcountync.gov/1318/Detention-Division.
How many people are in the Onslow County jail?
About 360 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 528 beds.
What is the phone number for the Onslow County jail?
(910) 937-1475, the number on the page of the Onslow County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Onslow 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 Onslow 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.