The Mendocino County, California Jail Roster is a public resource that allows anyone to find out who is currently in custody at the local correctional facility. MendocinoCourt.us helps locate publicly available information about current and recently arrested individuals. Additionally, information can be obtained from the official website of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, in person at the jail reception, or by calling the sheriff's non-emergency line. A search in the roster allows you to check custody status, view charges filed, and the date of admission. The roster is maintained by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office; it is periodically updated and posted on the sheriff's department resources.
Search Current Inmates in Mendocino Jail
To find a person currently held in the Mendocino County Jail, use one of the methods below.
Online Search
- Visit MendocinoCourt.us to search among publicly available court and arrest records.
- Go to the inmate roster page on the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office website. The roster is usually presented as a list that can be browsed or filtered using the browser's search function (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F).
- To view the booking log of individual municipal police departments — for example, the Fort Bragg Police booking log — visit the respective site.
You will need:
- The full legal name of the person
- The booking number, if known
Juvenile offenders are not displayed in the public roster.
By Phone
Call the sheriff's non-emergency line at (707) 463-4086. An operator can confirm if a specific person is in custody if you provide the full name or booking number.
In Person
Visit the jail reception at:
The reception is open daily. It is recommended to confirm the exact visiting hours by phone, as they may change. The address is verified on the California Attorney General's website.
If the person has been transferred to a state-level facility, the search can continue through the California Incarcerated Records & Information Search (CIRIS), supported by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Find Mendocino Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created at the moment when a detained person is officially admitted to the jail. It is the first document that records the fact of custody.
During the booking process, the following data is generated:
- A unique booking number
- Date and time of admission
- Charges filed
- The agency that made the arrest (sheriff, city police, etc.)
- Basic identification data of the detainee
These records can be obtained online in several ways:
- Sheriff's Inmate Roster. If the person is still in custody, booking information is usually displayed directly in the roster.
- Court Records. Once the case is forwarded to court, details of charges and hearings are available through the re:SearchCA Mendocino County Superior Court portal. There you can view information about the case, parties, scheduled hearings, and some filed documents.
- Public Records Request. To obtain copies of documents not available online, submit a written request in accordance with the California Public Records Act. The request form can be submitted through the California Attorney General's portal or directly to the sheriff's office.
To request your own criminal history, you need to submit fingerprints and pay a $25 fee to the California Department of Justice — more details on the procedure here.
Search the Mendocino Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The roster supports two main search methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter the person's last name in Latin script. If the system allows, add the first name to narrow the results. Some practical tips:
- Check the spelling — one incorrect letter can yield no results.
- Try just the last name if you are unsure of the exact spelling of the first name.
- If the roster is displayed as a static list without a search field, use Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) in the browser.
Search by Booking Number
The booking number is the most accurate way to find a specific record. It eliminates confusion with people having the same name. This number is usually provided during the admission process and may be known to the detainee's attorney or relatives.
If the Search Yields No Results
- Ensure the last name is spelled correctly; try alternative spellings.
- The person may have already been released — the roster only shows those currently in custody.
- There may be a few hours between the time of arrest and the appearance of the record in the roster.
- Call the jail at (707) 463-4086 and inquire directly.
- If the person may have been transferred to a state facility, check the CIRIS database.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Mendocino
The Mendocino County inmate roster is updated periodically throughout the day. It is not a real-time system — there is usually a delay of a few minutes to a few hours between the actual booking and the appearance of the record in the online roster.
Main limitations to consider:
- Delay after arrest. The admission procedure includes photographing, fingerprinting, and data entry. Until it is completed, the record does not appear in the roster.
- Disappearance of records after release. When a person is released on bail, by court decision, or after serving their term, their record is removed from the current roster. The roster is a list of those currently held, not an archive of all past bookings.
- Data entry errors. Sometimes the last name or first name is entered incorrectly, complicating the search.
- Transfers. If the detainee is transferred to another county facility or a state-level institution (CDCR), the record will disappear from the local roster.
To obtain archival data or records of past bookings, an official public records request must be submitted to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Court materials for past cases are available through the Court Case Records section on the Mendocino County Superior Court website or by submitting a court records request using form MMC-900.