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 24, 2026.
Thurston County, Washington, has about 303,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Thurston County is held at the county jail, run by the Thurston 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: Thurston County public records, Thurston County arrest records, Thurston County warrants, Thurston County criminal records, Thurston County court records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Thurston County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Thurston County is held at the county jail, run by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office at thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/sheriff/corrections-bureau/correct... (page title: Corrections Bureau | Corrections Facility Roster Search | Thurston County), phone 877-846-3492, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Thurston County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 240 people, down from about 450 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 491 beds, and it ran at 48 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Thurston County has about 303,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Thurston County Jail
The Thurston County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, Yelm and Tenino make the arrests that end in a booking in Thurston County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Thurston County: Evergreen State College (campus police); the State Gambling Commission Enforcement Unit and the State Insurance Commissioner's Special Investigations Unit (state agency).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Olympia's 1,715 for 2025, Lacey's 1,612 for 2025 and the Thurston County Sheriff's Office's 1,161 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in Thurston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,749 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 Thurston 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 Thurston County serves the sentence in a facility of the Washington State Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.wa.gov/records/incarcerated-data-search/incarcerated-search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Thurston County?
Look on the custody page of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office at thurstoncountywa.gov, or call 877-846-3492. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Thurston County jail?
About 240 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 491 beds.
What is the phone number for the Thurston County jail?
877-846-3492, the number on the page of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Thurston County go?
To a facility of the Washington State Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.wa.gov.
Is this the official Thurston 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.