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.
Erie County, Pennsylvania, has about 268,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Erie County is held at the county jail, run by the Erie 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: Erie County public records, Erie County arrest records, Erie County warrants, Erie County police reports, Erie County property records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Erie County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Erie County is held at the county jail, run by the Erie County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Erie County Sheriff's Office at eriecountypa.gov/search/sheriff (page title: sheriff | Erie County, PA), phone 814-451-7436, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 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 814-451-7436.
The Erie County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 670 people, up from about 590 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 710 beds, and it ran at 95 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Erie County has about 268,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 25 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Erie County Jail
The Erie County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Erie, Corry, Edinboro, North East, Wesleyville, Girard and two more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Erie County.
The FBI's agency list also places four other agencies, three state agencies, one state police unit and five campus police departments in Erie County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Erie's 3,399 for 2025, Millcreek Township's 767 for 2025 and Edinboro's 385 for 2024.
Together, the eight agencies in Erie County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 4,515 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 Erie 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 Erie 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 Erie County?
Ask the Erie County Sheriff's Office at 814-451-7436; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at eriecountypa.gov/search/sheriff.
How many people are in the Erie County jail?
About 670 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 710 beds.
What is the phone number for the Erie County jail?
814-451-7436, the number on the page of the Erie County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Erie County go?
To a facility of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Is this the official Erie 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.