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.
Belmont County, Ohio, has about 65,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Belmont County is held at the county jail, run by the Belmont 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: Belmont County public records, Belmont County arrest records, Belmont County warrants, Belmont County criminal records, Belmont County court records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Belmont County
The county jail, run by the Belmont County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Belmont County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Belmont County Sheriff's Office at belmontsheriffohio.gov/jail (page title: Belmont County Jail | Inmate Info & Visitation Rules), phone 740-695-5124, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Belmont County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 190 people, up from about 180 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 144 beds, and it ran at 127 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Belmont County has about 65,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 29 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Belmont County Jail
The Belmont County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Martins Ferry, St. Clairsville, Barnesville, Bellaire, Shadyside, Bridgeport and three more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Belmont County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Belmont County: Belmont County Major Crimes Unit (other agency).
The Yorkville Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Belmont County, so its arrests are not broken out for Belmont County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Belmont County Sheriff's Office's 158 for 2025, Martins Ferry's 123 for 2025 and Barnesville's 72 for 2025.
Together, the six agencies in Belmont County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 463 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 Belmont 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 Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction lists its inmates at appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Belmont County?
Look on the custody page of the Belmont County Sheriff's Office at belmontsheriffohio.gov/jail, or call 740-695-5124. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Belmont County jail?
About 190 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 144 beds.
What is the phone number for the Belmont County jail?
740-695-5124, the number on the page of the Belmont County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Belmont County go?
To a facility of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction; its inmate locator is at appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch.
Is this the official Belmont 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.