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 1, 2026.
Columbia County, Washington, has about 4,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Columbia County is held at the county jail, run by the Columbia 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: Columbia County public records, Columbia County arrest records, Columbia County warrants, Columbia County criminal records, Columbia County court records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Columbia County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Columbia County is held at the county jail, run by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office at columbiacountyso.policetocitizen.com/Inmates/Catalog (page title: Police To Citizen), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Columbia County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 3 people, down from about 8 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 8 beds, and it ran at 100 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Columbia County has about 4,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 7 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Columbia County Jail
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in Columbia County.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office reported 49 arrests to the FBI for 2025. 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 Columbia 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 Washington State Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.wa.gov/records/incarcerated-data-search/incarcerated-search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Columbia County?
Ask the Columbia County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at columbiacountyso.policetocitizen.com.
How many people are in the Columbia County jail?
About 3 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 8 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Columbia County go?
To a facility of the Washington State Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.wa.gov.
Is this the official Columbia 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.