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 25, 2026.
Galveston County, Texas, has about 367,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Galveston County is held at the county jail, run by the Galveston 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: Galveston County public records, Galveston County arrest records, Galveston County warrants, Galveston County criminal records, Galveston County court records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Galveston County
The county jail, run by the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Galveston County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Galveston County Sheriff's Office at p2c.galvestoncountytx.gov/jailinmates.aspx (page title: Request Rejected), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Galveston County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 1,070 people on an average day, up from about 980 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 1,223 beds, and it is running at 87 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Galveston County has about 367,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 29 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Galveston County Jail
The Galveston County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for League City, Texas City, Galveston, Friendswood, Dickinson, La Marque and seven more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Galveston County.
The FBI's agency list also places 11 other agencies and three campus police departments in Galveston County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Galveston County Sheriff's Office's 2,587 for 2025, Galveston's 2,517 for 2025 and Texas City's 1,600 for 2024.
Together, the 11 agencies in Galveston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 8,900 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 Galveston 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 Galveston County serves the sentence in a facility of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, whose inmate locator is at inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Galveston County?
Ask the Galveston County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at p2c.galvestoncountytx.gov/jailinmates.aspx.
How many people are in the Galveston County jail?
About 1,070 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 1,223 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Galveston County go?
To a facility of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; its inmate locator is at inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.
Is this the official Galveston 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.