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 30, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Clay County, West Virginia, has about 7,700 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person held after an arrest in Clay County is at the regional jail that serves Clay County, and the state's inmate search covers every regional jail. 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: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County police reports, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Clay County
West Virginia closed its county jails in favor of regional jails run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, so a person held after an arrest in Clay County is at the regional jail that serves Clay County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
That search is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Clay County in the Regional Jail: The Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the regional jail held about 26 people from Clay County, down from about 29 in 2019. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Clay County has about 7,700 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so about 34 of every 10,000 of them are in the regional jail on an average day.
Who Books People
The Clay County Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in Clay County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Clay County: the Clay State Police (state police); the State Fire Marshal in Clay County and the Department of Natural Resources in Clay County (state agency).
The Clay County Sheriff's Office reported 1,152 arrests to the FBI for 2025. Those kept in custody were booked into the regional jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Clay 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 West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Clay County?
Through the state's inmate search at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx, which covers every regional jail; the page of the Clay County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified is at claycountysheriff.org/cur_inmates.html.
How many people from Clay County are in the regional jail?
About 26 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Clay County go?
To a facility of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation; its inmate locator is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Is this the official Clay 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.