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 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026.
Chester County, Pennsylvania, has about 561,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Chester County is held at the county jail, run by the Chester 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: Chester County public records, Chester County arrest records, Chester County warrants, Chester County police reports, Chester County property records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Chester County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Chester County is held at the county jail, run by the Chester County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Chester County Sheriff's Office at chesco.org/167/Sheriff (page title: Chester County Sheriff | Chester County, PA), phone 610-344-6850, 201 W Market Street, Suite 1201 West Chester, PA 19382, Fridays, 8:30am to 3:30pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 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 610-344-6850.
The Chester County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 710 people, down from about 840 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,023 beds, and it ran at 67 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Chester County has about 561,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 13 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Chester County Jail
The Chester County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for West Chester, Phoenixville, Coatesville, Downingtown, Kennett Square, Oxford and four more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Chester County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies, three campus police departments, one state police unit and one other agency in Chester County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were West Chester's 1,120 for 2025, Coatesville's 508 for 2025 and West Goshen Township's 477 for 2025.
Together, the 34 agencies in Chester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,241 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 Chester 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 Chester County serves the sentence in a facility of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Chester County?
Ask the Chester County Sheriff's Office at 610-344-6850; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at chesco.org/167/Sheriff.
How many people are in the Chester County jail?
About 710 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 1,023 beds.
What is the phone number for the Chester County jail?
610-344-6850, the number on the page of the Chester County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Chester County go?
To a facility of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Is this the official Chester 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.