Alachua County, Florida Inmate Search

An inmate search is a public inquiry directed to the agency or department that operates a jail, detention center, or correctional facility. This inquiry seeks information about individuals in custody, including the charges that led to their temporary or extended loss of liberty and the relevant bail/bond amounts.

In Alachua County, Florida, inmate searches are managed by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). This government agency operates the county jail, overseeing its day-to-day operations and ensuring the welfare and care of inmates housed at the facility. (For state-managed correctional facilities, inmate searches are handled by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). Meanwhile, for federal inmate searches, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is the primary contact.)

Unlike some counties and U.S. states, there are no independent cities or municipal jails in Alachua County. Although FS 951.23 specifically permits the establishment of city jails or municipal detention facilities, Florida largely utilizes centralized county jail systems. Thus, in Alachua County, municipal arrests are processed mainly through the County Sheriff’s Office.

However, municipalities may maintain temporary holding cells at their local police departments. Inquiries can be made to these departments for detainee information. Examples include the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) and the Alachua Police Department (APD), both of which operate within the county’s two most populous cities.

The county designates a separate facility to hold delinquent juveniles.

How to Find an Inmate in Alachua County Jail

The Alachua County Jail is managed exclusively by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, which formally designates it as the Department of the Jail.

Alachua County Jail

3333 Northeast 39th Avenue

Gainesville, FL 32609

Members of the public can find inmates housed at this facility using the department’s online jail roster. They can also reach the jail facility for inmate information or speak to staff at the Sheriff’s Office.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office

2621 South East Hawthorne Road

Gainesville, FL 32641

The Sheriff’s Office recommends that phone inquiries for Department of the Jail records be directed to (352) 491-4444, the jail facility’s telephone line. However, individuals can still submit public records requests for jail-related records online through the ACSO’s dedicated web portal or in person at the Sheriff’s Records Customer Service Window on weekdays, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

How to Use the Alachua County Jail Roster

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office website features a web application, an Inmate Search tool, that serves as the county’s jail roster, allowing the public to make inquiries about jail inmates. Below are the steps to access and use the roster:

• Open a browser, and navigate to the Department of the Jail’s website.
• Scroll to the "Inmate Services" section and click on "Inmate Search."
• On the next page, select the "Inmate Search" button, then select "Continue in New Tab" to open the search interface.
• Enter a last name, first name, or booking number in the appropriate fields, then click on "Search." Alternatively, select "View All" to display a comprehensive list of all individuals currently held at the facility.

To view added inmate details, the user can click the "+" sign in the far-left column of the corresponding inmate’s row.

What Information is Included in the Alachua County Inmate Roster

The following information is included in the Alachua County Inmate Roster:

• MNI (Master Name Index) number: A unique identification number assigned to an individual to track their records within the county’s criminal justice system.
• Personal Data: Full name (last, first, and middle), race, sex, age, and picture ("mugshot") of the arrested person.
• Booking Date/Time: The precise time and date that the individual officially completed the intake process and was transferred into the custody of the Department of the Jail.
• POD: The housing unit or wing within the jail facility to which the inmate is presently assigned.
• Arrest Agency: The specific law enforcement agency that executed the arrest (e.g., DOJ, ACSO, GPD).
• Case Information:
  • Case Number: The internal tracking number assigned by the jail or police to identify a specific case or set of charges (e.g., CASE0001)
  • Court Case Number: The official file number assigned by the Alachua County Clerk of Court & Comptroller’s Office (e.g., 012026AB000123A). This number serves as a primary identifier for tracking legal proceedings associated with a particular case, including case filings and outcomes.
  • Charge Number: This number identifies a particular criminal act/offense within a single case or arrest. For example, a person may be apprehended on three charges in the same arrest. Consequently, there will be one case number but three charge numbers (or counts). For example, CASE001 resulting in CHRG0001 (Possession of Marijuana), CHRG0002 (Fraud - Impersonation), and CHRG0003 (Possession of Weapon).
  • Charge Statute: The specific code within Florida’s legislature that references and describes a particular offense.
  • Charge Description: A brief description of the charges (e.g., Prob Violation).
• Bond Amount: The money required for the arrested individual’s release while awaiting trial.
• Status: The current standing of each of the inmate’s charges or cases. An example is "SENT MISD -364," which signifies that a charge led to a misdemeanor conviction, for which the sentence is 364 days or less in jail. Other examples include MISD - AWAIT TRIAL and FELON - AWAIT TRIAL, which indicate a stage where the inmate is currently in custody and awaiting judicial resolution for a specific misdemeanor or felony charge, respectively, and so on.

In accordance with the Florida Public Records Law (Title X, Chapter 119, F.S.), Alachua County inmate records are accessible to the public. Therefore, the information mentioned above can be seen or accessed by anyone.

However, certain exceptions exist. Information deemed confidential or exempt, whether by law or judicial order, is protected from disclosure. For instance, an inmate’s Social Security number is confidential, as is any data that could compromise a victim or witness’s safety.

Contact Details for Alachua County Jail or Sheriff’s Office

Individuals who want to contact staff at the Alachua County Jail/Department of the Jail can use the following information:

Alachua County Jail

3333 Northeast 39th Avenue

Gainesville, FL 32609

Phone (Main): (352) 491-4444

Phone (Booking Support Bureau): (352) 491-4449 or (352) 491-4459

Phone (Inmate Support Bureau): (352) 491-4475

Phone (Classification Unit): (352) 491-4447

Other jail contact numbers are listed on the Department of the Jail’s website.

As the Jail Department is a division of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, inquiries about inmate records can be made to the Sheriff’s Office in person (at the Records Customer Service Window) at the following address:

ACSO

2621 South East Hawthorne Road

Gainesville, FL 32641

Phone: (352) 367-4000

The Sheriff provides an online contact form for inquiries. Parties can dial the office’s line for agency directory assistance.

This table summarizes the contact information for the jail and the Sheriff’s Office in Alachua County, Florida.

Agency	Physical Address	Phone Number
Alachua County Jail/Department of the Jail	3333 Northeast 39th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32609	Main Line: (352) 491-4444
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office	2621 South East Hawthorne Road Gainesville, FL 32641	(352) 367-4000

Jail Facility Overview in Alachua County

The Department of the Jail is Alachua County’s sole county jail. This 314,000-square-foot facility has a capacity of 1,148 beds but optimally houses 975 inmates. It detains adult individuals awaiting trial and adult offenders serving sentences of up to one year.

For juvenile offenders, the primary detention facility is the Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center. The facility, a 45-bed, hardware-secure facility, serves Alachua County and several surrounding counties. These counties include Baker, Dixie, and Gilchrist, among others (a full list is available on the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s website). The Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center houses youths detained by the circuit court and whose cases are pending adjudication, disposition, or placement in a commitment facility.

Agency	Office and Mail Address	Phone Number	Office Hours	Email
Alachua County Jail/Department of the Jail	3333 Northeast 39th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32609	(352) 491-4444	24 hours a day, 7 days a week	The Alachua County Jail does not have a dedicated email address for public inquiries. The jail can be contacted by phone for inquiries.
Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center	3440 Northeast 39th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32609	(352) 955-2105	24 hours a day, 7 days a week	The Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center does not maintain a general-purpose email address. However, the center can be contacted by phone for inquiries. The facility’s fax number is (352) 334-1609.

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Alachua County Department of the Jail

The following methods are available to send money to an inmate confined in the Alachua County Jail:

• Use the financial kiosk located in the jail’s lobby. The kiosk accepts all bills, excluding $1 bills. Payment is accepted via a major credit card (Discover, Visa, or Mastercard).
• Use the ATM located inside the inner section of the jail’s lobby.
• Deposit a money order in the jail lobby’s drop box.
• Deposit money using the jail’s approved online third-party platforms. These vendors can also deposit care packages to inmates.

To deposit money for an inmate, one must have the inmate’s complete MNI number. This number can be obtained by searching the county’s online jail roster, as previously detailed.

Inmate Search by Jail Facility

Alachua County, Florida, manages a single jail facility for all adult inmates and detainees. To find an adult inmate, one can use the facility’s online inmate roster, which supports searches by name or booking number.

In contrast, juvenile offenders are typically transferred to the Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center, which does not offer an online search database or portal. Inquiries about juvenile detainees require contacting or visiting the facility directly. However, it is important to note that information about juvenile offenders is generally protected under Florida law and disclosed only to legally authorized parties, such as a parent or legal guardian.

Agency	Availability of Public Inmate Search	How to Access Information	Limitations/Notes
Alachua County Jail/Department of the Jail	Yes	The Department of the Jail’s web-based inmate search application.	Only public information is disseminated.
Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center	No	Direct inquiries only.	Juvenile offender information is restricted under Florida law.

Alachua County Visitation Rules and Schedules

All visitation at the Alachua County Jail/Department of the Jail is scheduled 24 hours in advance via the facility’s third-party scheduling application. On-site and internet (video) visits are available weekly, but the visitation schedule varies by the inmate’s housing unit. Individuals can call (352) 491-4511 for assistance, including to find out whether an inmate is allowed visits.

The jail enforces the following rules for on-site visitation:

• Each inmate is allowed a maximum of 2 hours of free visitation per week; the rule applies to all on-site visits. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office publishes a visitation schedule, although subject to change at any time, on page 28 of its Inmate Handbook.
• Any inmate can be visited, provided they are not currently in disciplinary confinement.
• Visits are limited to a maximum of two people per session. Only the inmate specified during the scheduling process can be visited. Children under 24 months of age do not count toward the two-person limit, but they must be continuously supervised by an adult at all times.
• Proper photo identification is required of all visitors. Accepted IDs include a driver’s license, military ID, state ID, or a valid passport.
• To enter the facility, all visitors must adhere to the jail’s visitation regulations, which include submitting to a search or a metal detector screening. Non-compliance can result in sanctions, such as denied visitation, and criminal behavior may lead to criminal charges.

The full visitation rules for the Alachua County Jail, including dress code requirements and behavior expectations, are available on the Sheriff’s Office website.

Off-site (internet) visits are subject to a specific set of rules:

• Internet visits are scheduled through the facility’s third-party application. Scheduling must occur at least 1 day prior to the visit and can be done up to 3 weeks in advance.
• Visitation is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., 7 days a week, based on a pre-determined schedule that does not interfere with on-site visits.
• Eligible inmates are allowed 2 paid internet visits each week, in addition to the 2 hours of free visitation permitted at the jail.

For a full set of off-site visitation rules and procedures, one can check the jail’s website. Individuals can also contact the jail at (352) 491-4444.

Mailing and Commissary Information

Details on how to deposit money into an inmate’s commissary account at the Alachua County Jail are outlined in the "How to Send Money to an Inmate in Alachua County Jail" section on this page.

Separately, to send mail to an inmate, individuals will need to send postcards to the following address:

Inmate Name

3333 Northeast 39th Avenue

Gainesville, FL 32609

The postcard must include a complete return address. The jail accepts only postcards for all incoming mail, except privileged/legal mail. Postcards must meet the requirements specified on the jail’s website. Unacceptable postcards are returned to the sender.

Postcards deemed unacceptable and subject to rejection include those that

• Are defaced or altered
• Are xeroxed or photocopied
• Are oversized (the maximum allowed size is 4 ¼" by 6"; the standard is 3 ½" by 5")
• Depict nudity, weapons, or gang references