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 24, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, has about 40,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Rio Arriba County is held at the county jail, run by the Rio Arriba 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: Rio Arriba County public records, Rio Arriba County arrest records, Rio Arriba County warrants, Rio Arriba County police reports, Rio Arriba County property records, New Mexico arrest records and New Mexico inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Rio Arriba County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Rio Arriba County is held at the county jail, run by the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office at rio-arriba.org/Departments/Departments-Divisions/Detention-Center (page title: Detention Center Rio Arriba County, NM), phone 505-747-6367, 7350 Location 2 Main St. Bldg 2 Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 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 505-747-6367.
The Rio Arriba County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 71 people, down from about 100 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2018, the last year with a capacity figure, was 140 beds, and it ran at 73 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Rio Arriba County has about 40,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Rio Arriba County Jail
The Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Española make the arrests that end in a booking in Rio Arriba County.
Española reported 356 arrests to the FBI for 2025. 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 Rio Arriba 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 New Mexico Corrections Department lists its inmates at cd.nm.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Rio Arriba County?
Ask the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office at 505-747-6367; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at rio-arriba.org.
How many people are in the Rio Arriba County jail?
About 71 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 140 beds.
What is the phone number for the Rio Arriba County jail?
505-747-6367, the number on the page of the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Rio Arriba County go?
To a facility of the New Mexico Corrections Department; its inmate locator is at cd.nm.gov.
Is this the official Rio Arriba 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.