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 October 2, 2026.
Dayton, Tennessee, in Rhea County, has about 7,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Dayton is held at the county jail, run by the Rhea 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: Dayton public records, Rhea County inmate search, Dayton arrest records, Dayton warrants, Dayton criminal records, Dayton court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Dayton
The county jail, run by the Rhea County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Dayton, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Rhea County Sheriff's Office at rheacountytn.gov/contact-us-2 (page title: Contact Us | Rhea County Sheriff's Office), phone 423-775-7832, 7800 Rhea County Hwy Dayton, TN 37321, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 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 423-775-7832.
The Rhea County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 270 people, up from about 140 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2024 was 342 beds, and it ran at 80 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Rhea County has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 78 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Rhea County Jail
The Rhea County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Dayton (filed by the FBI as Dayton Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Dayton.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Rhea County Sheriff's Office's 795 for 2025, Dayton's 290 for 2024 and Spring City's 76 for 2023.
Together, the four agencies in Rhea County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 1,210 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 Dayton arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Tennessee Department of Correction lists its inmates at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Dayton?
Ask the Rhea County Sheriff's Office at 423-775-7832; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at rheacountytn.gov/contact-us-2.
How many people are in the Rhea County jail?
About 270 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 342 beds.
What is the phone number for the Rhea County jail?
423-775-7832, the number on the page of the Rhea County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Rhea County go?
To a facility of the Tennessee Department of Correction; its inmate locator is at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Is this the official Dayton website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.