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 24, 2026.
Washoe County, Nevada, has about 507,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Washoe County is held at the county jail, run by the Washoe 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: Washoe County public records, Washoe County arrest records, Washoe County warrants, Washoe County criminal records, Washoe County court records, Nevada arrest records and Nevada inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Washoe County
The county jail, run by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Washoe County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office at washoecounty.gov/defender/faq/gen12.php (page title: How do I find someone who is in the Washoe County jail? | Washoe County), phone 775-328-3062, 1001 E 9th St, Reno, NV 89512, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The Washoe County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 1,110 people, up from about 1,110 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,407 beds, and it ran at 85 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Washoe County has about 507,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 22 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Washoe County Jail
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Reno and Sparks make the arrests that end in a booking in Washoe County.
The FBI's agency list also places four other agencies, two state agencies and one campus police department in Washoe County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Reno's 12,119 for 2025, Sparks's 3,727 for 2025 and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office's 3,130 for 2024.
Together, the two agencies in Washoe County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,846 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 Washoe 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 Washoe County serves the sentence in a facility of the Nevada Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.nv.gov/offender-info.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Washoe County?
Look on the custody page of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office at washoecounty.gov/defender/faq/gen12.php, or call 775-328-3062. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Washoe County jail?
About 1,110 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 1,407 beds.
What is the phone number for the Washoe County jail?
775-328-3062, the number on the page of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Washoe County go?
To a facility of the Nevada Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.nv.gov/offender-info.
Is this the official Washoe 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.