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 on September 23, 2026.
Houston County, Tennessee, has about 8,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Houston County is held at the county jail, run by the Houston 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: Houston County public records, Houston County arrest records, Houston County warrants, Houston County criminal records, Houston County court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Houston County
The county jail, run by the Houston County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Houston County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Houston County Sheriff's Office at hcsotn.org/node/2 (page title: Inmate Booking | Houston County Sheriff's Office), phone 931.289.4614, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Houston County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 36 people, up from about 30 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2024 was 35 beds, and it ran at 104 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Houston County has about 8,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 43 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Houston County Jail
The Houston County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Erin make the arrests that end in a booking in Houston County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Houston County Sheriff's Office's 119 for 2025 and Erin's 41 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Houston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 160 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 Houston 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 Houston County serves the sentence in a facility of the Tennessee Department of Correction, whose inmate locator is at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Houston County?
Look on the custody page of the Houston County Sheriff's Office at hcsotn.org/node/2, or call 931.289.4614. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Houston County jail?
About 36 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 35 beds.
What is the phone number for the Houston County jail?
931.289.4614, the number on the page of the Houston County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Houston 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 Houston 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.