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 9, 2026.
Hanover County, Virginia, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Hanover County is held at the county jail, run by the Hanover 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: Hanover County public records, Hanover County arrest records, Hanover County warrants, Hanover County criminal records, Hanover County court records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Hanover County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Hanover County is held at the county jail, run by the Hanover County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Hanover County Sheriff's Office at hanoversheriff.com/306/Find (page title: Find | Hanover County Sheriff, VA), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Hanover County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 400 people, up from about 380 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 519 beds, and it ran at 66 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Hanover County has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 34 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Hanover County Jail
The Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Ashland make the arrests that end in a booking in Hanover County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Hanover County: the Hanover County State Police (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Hanover County Sheriff's Office's 2,805 for 2025 and Ashland's 215 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Hanover County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,020 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 Hanover 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 Hanover County serves the sentence in a facility of the Virginia Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Hanover County?
Ask the Hanover County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at hanoversheriff.com/306/Find.
How many people are in the Hanover County jail?
About 400 on an average day in 2025, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 519 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Hanover County go?
To a facility of the Virginia Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends.
Is this the official Hanover 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.