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 30, 2026.
Elk County, Pennsylvania, has about 30,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Elk County is held at the county jail, run by the Elk 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: Elk County public records, Elk County arrest records, Elk County warrants, Elk County criminal records, Elk County court records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Elk County
The county jail, run by the Elk County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Elk County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Elk County Sheriff's Office at countyofelkpa.gov/elk-county-offices/elk-county-sheriffs-office/abo... (page title: About the Sheriff | Elk County), phone (814) 776-5353, 250 Main Street - P.O. Box 336 Ridgway, PA 15853, Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm, 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 (814) 776-5353.
The Elk County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 51 people, down from about 73 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 78 beds, and it ran at 65 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Elk County has about 30,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 17 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Elk County Jail
The Elk County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for St. Marys, Ridgway and Johnsonburg make the arrests that end in a booking in Elk County.
The FBI's agency list also places one state police unit and three state agencies in Elk County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were St. Marys's 250 for 2025, Johnsonburg's 137 for 2025 and Ridgway's 100 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Elk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 487 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 Elk 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 Elk 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 Elk County?
Ask the Elk County Sheriff's Office at (814) 776-5353; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at countyofelkpa.gov.
How many people are in the Elk County jail?
About 51 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 78 beds.
What is the phone number for the Elk County jail?
(814) 776-5353, the number on the page of the Elk County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Elk County go?
To a facility of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Is this the official Elk 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.