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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Lexington County, South Carolina, has about 314,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lexington County is held at the county jail, run by the Lexington 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: Lexington County public records, Lexington County arrest records, Lexington County warrants, Lexington County police reports, Lexington County property records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Lexington County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lexington County is held at the county jail, run by the Lexington County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Lexington County Sheriff's Office at lexingtonscsheriff.com (page title: Lexington County Sheriff's Department), phone 803-785-8230, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 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 803-785-8230.
The Lexington County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 590 people, down from about 690 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 599 beds, and it ran at 99 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Lexington County has about 314,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 19 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Lexington County Jail
The Lexington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Lexington, West Columbia, Cayce, Batesburg-Leesville, Springdale, South Congaree and five more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Lexington County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies, three other agencies, one campus police department and one state police unit in Lexington County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The Columbia Police Department and the Irmo Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Lexington County, so their arrests are not broken out for Lexington County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Lexington County Sheriff's Office's 2,445 for 2025, West Columbia's 1,131 for 2025 and Lexington's 936 for 2025.
Together, the nine agencies in Lexington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,429 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 Lexington 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 South Carolina Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.sc.gov/inmate-search-disclaimer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Lexington County?
Ask the Lexington County Sheriff's Office at 803-785-8230; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at lexingtonscsheriff.com.
How many people are in the Lexington County jail?
About 590 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 599 beds.
What is the phone number for the Lexington County jail?
803-785-8230, the number on the page of the Lexington County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Lexington County go?
To a facility of the South Carolina Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.sc.gov/inmate-search-disclaimer.
Is this the official Lexington 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.