Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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 26, 2026.
Herndon, Virginia, in Fairfax County, has about 25,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An arrest in the city leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the Commonwealth's Attorney files charges, a case in the Fairfax Circuit Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: Herndon public records, Fairfax County arrest records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in Herndon
The FBI lists no arrest reporting agency under the name of Herndon.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Fairfax County: the Fairfax County State Police (state police); Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University (campus police).
Booking: Where People Arrested in Herndon Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Herndon is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 540 people, down from about 840 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,259 beds, and it ran at 49 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Sheriffs of Fairfax County Since 1742 | Sheriff at fairfaxcounty.gov/sheriff/sheriffs-fairfax-county-since-1742 (page title: Sheriffs of Fairfax County Since 1742 | Sheriff), phone 703-246-3227, 4110 Chain Bridge Road Fairfax, VA 22030, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the Virginia Department of Corrections lists its inmates at vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Herndon
An arrest in Herndon can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Fairfax Circuit Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at fairfaxcounty.gov/circuit/newsandevents/circuit-court-news/fairfax-..., phone (703) 691-7320); the Commonwealth's Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at fairfaxcounty.gov/commonwealthattorney/commonwealthattorney, phone 703-246-2776).
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Virginia does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the Virginia State Police goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Herndon
An arrest report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the jail. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer within 5 working days, and it may charge the actual cost of searching and copying.
- An arrest by the Herndon police: the police records page SearchSystems verified at herndon-va.gov/departments/public-safety/administration-and-support... (page title: Records Section | Town of Herndon, VA), phone 703-435-6891, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 26, 2026.
- An arrest by the Sheriffs of Fairfax County Since 1742 | Sheriff: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 703-246-3227.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Commonwealth's Attorney, 703-246-2776, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Fairfax Circuit Court, through the court records page at fairfaxcounty.gov, phone (703) 691-7320.
- Your own statewide record: a request to the State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange; a check on someone else needs their signed consent.
The Fairfax County guide covers every agency in the county: Fairfax County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Herndon?
Ask the Sheriffs of Fairfax County Since 1742 | Sheriff at 703-246-3227; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at fairfaxcounty.gov.
Where are people arrested in Herndon booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Sheriffs of Fairfax County Since 1742 | Sheriff; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Herndon?
The court files of criminal cases in the Fairfax Circuit Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the Virginia State Police is not public; you can get your own. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Herndon?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Sheriffs of Fairfax County Since 1742 | Sheriff for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 working days.
Is this the official Herndon 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.