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.
Matagorda County, Texas, has about 36,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Matagorda County is held at the county jail, run by the Matagorda 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: Matagorda County public records, Matagorda County arrest records, Matagorda County warrants, Matagorda County criminal records, Matagorda County court records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Matagorda County
The county jail, run by the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Matagorda County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office at matagordatx.gov/page/Sheriff (page title: Sheriff's Office | Matagorda County, Texas), phone 979-245-5526, 2308 Avenue F Bay City, TX 77414, 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 979-245-5526.
The Matagorda County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 120 people on an average day, up from about 96 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 192 beds, and it is running at 65 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Matagorda County has about 36,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 34 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Matagorda County Jail
The Matagorda County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Bay City and Palacios make the arrests that end in a booking in Matagorda County.
The FBI's agency list also places seven other agencies in Matagorda County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Bay City's 492 for 2025, the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office's 220 for 2025 and Palacios's 68 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Matagorda County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 780 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 Matagorda 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 Texas Department of Criminal Justice lists its inmates at inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Matagorda County?
Ask the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office at 979-245-5526; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at matagordatx.gov/page/Sheriff.
How many people are in the Matagorda County jail?
About 120 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 192 beds.
What is the phone number for the Matagorda County jail?
979-245-5526, the number on the page of the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Matagorda 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 Matagorda 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.