TX · Find someone in custody

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Texas?

Take a breath. You can find where your person is being held in Texas using official sources — here is exactly where to look and what to have ready.

State locator: Texas TDCJ Inmate Search
VINELink: Covers Texas
Last verified: 2026-07-23
Jurisdiction: Texas

Which system is holding them in Texas?

There is no single search that covers everyone. Match the situation to the right official locator — most families start with the first one.

If the arrest was recent

Start with the county jail

Texas has 254 counties and jail rosters are fragmented across them.

Texas participates in the national VINE system (Texas VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts by phone, email, or text (search at vinelink.com or use the VINELink app).

Many large-county sheriffs also post an online jail roster / 'who's in jail' lookup (for example Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, and Travis counties).

For a very recent booking or bail details, call the county jail's booking or records line.

County jails are run by the sheriff in each of Texas's 254 counties; many large counties post an online jail roster. Use the county sheriff's roster or Texas VINE, and call the jail's booking/records line for recent bookings and bail amounts.

Search VINELink (choose Texas)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) runs the official TDCJ Inmate Search (page title 'TDCJ Inmate Search - Search for Inmate').

Search by name, TDCJ number, or SID number to review custody status, unit/facility, and basic offense and projected-release information for people in Texas state prison custody.

It covers adults in the TDCJ state prison system; it does NOT include people held in county jails, so someone just arrested and booked into a county jail will generally NOT appear here.

Confirm anything unclear with TDCJ.

Open the Texas inmate locator

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge means the person is in the federal system, not a Texas state or county facility. Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator by name or register number — it is separate from every state and county tool.

Search the Federal BOP locator

Finding your person in Texas, step by step

Work through these in order. Each step points to an official source — you do the searching there, on the government site.

Step 1

Figure out where the person is likely held

If they were arrested recently and not released, they are almost certainly in the COUNTY JAIL run by the sheriff where the arrest happened. If they were already sentenced to state prison, they are in the Texas TDCJ system. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).
Official source
Step 2

For a recent arrest, use Texas VINE or the county sheriff's jail roster

Search VINELink (Texas VINE) by name and register for free custody-status alerts, or look up the county sheriff's online jail roster for the county where the arrest happened. If nothing shows yet, call the county jail's booking or records line to confirm custody and bail.
Official source
Step 3

For a sentenced state-prison inmate, use the TDCJ Inmate Search

Use the TDCJ Inmate Search and enter the name, TDCJ number, or SID number to confirm the state unit/facility, custody status, and basic sentence information.
Official source
Step 4

For a federal arrest, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

If the charge is federal, search the BOP inmate locator by name or register number instead of the state or county tools.
Official source

What you’ll need to search

You can start with just a name, but these make a match faster and surer.

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name.
Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
A TDCJ number, SID number, or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Use official, free sources — and a few things to watch for

Use only official sources: the TDCJ Inmate Search for state prison, Texas VINE or the county sheriff's jail roster for county jails, or a call to the county jail. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
The TDCJ Inmate Search does not include county-jail detainees, so it is not the tool for a brand-new county arrest.
Be wary of paid data-broker 'inmate search' and mugshot sites. They are not official, often charge fees, and may show stale, incomplete, or expunged records.
Custody data can lag. Someone booked within the last few hours may not appear online yet; if an official source shows nothing, call the county jail's booking or records line.
This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

If you need to bail them out in Texas

Finding the person comes first. Once you know where they are, this is how getting them out works in Texas.

Commercial bail available

In Texas, commercial bail exists. If a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash directly with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee. A judge may also release the person on their own recognizance or on set conditions, so ask the court or the jail what applies before paying anyone.

Texas uses money bail alongside non-monetary release, and commercial bail is common.

After arrest a person is taken before a magistrate (Code of Criminal Procedure art. 15.17), who may release them on a personal bond (a no-money-down bond, often arranged through a personal bond office or pretrial services) or set bail.

Commercial bail bondsmen legally operate statewide; in most populous counties they are licensed and regulated by a county Bail Bond Board under the Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1704 (Bail Bond Sureties), and in counties without a board the sheriff and courts oversee them.

A surety bond carries a non-refundable premium. Texas does not set a single statewide rate, but bondsmen commonly charge around 10 percent of the bond amount, and rates vary by county and bondsman. Cash bail posted directly with the court is refundable (less fees) if you make all required appearances, and many people qualify for a personal (PR) bond with no up-front payment. Ask the court or the county's personal bond office about a personal bond.

The person’s rights. The person in custody has the right to talk to a lawyer about their case, and if they cannot afford one, the court can appoint a public defender.

Other official Texas contacts

County jails are run by the sheriff where the arrest happened — call that jail’s booking or records line for a very recent booking or the bail amount. These statewide sources can also help.

If there is also a warrant to deal with

Two companion guides pick up where this one leaves off — checking for a warrant, and resolving it on your own terms.

Check for a warrant in Texas Worried the person has an open warrant too? Check first, state by state. Resolve a warrant in Texas If they need to resolve a warrant, this walks through turning yourself in calmly.

Common questions about finding someone in Texas

How do I find someone who was just arrested in Texas?

In Texas, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff (or a city jail), not a state prison, so the TDCJ Inmate Search will not show a brand-new arrest. Texas has 254 counties and jail rosters are fragmented across them. Texas participates in the national VINE system (Texas VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts by phone, email, or text (search at vinelink.com or use the VINELink app). Many large-county sheriffs also post an online jail roster / 'who's in jail' lookup (for example Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, and Travis counties). For a very recent booking or bail details, call the county jail's booking or records line.

How do I find someone in state prison in Texas?

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) runs the official TDCJ Inmate Search (page title 'TDCJ Inmate Search - Search for Inmate'). Search by name, TDCJ number, or SID number to review custody status, unit/facility, and basic offense and projected-release information for people in Texas state prison custody. It covers adults in the TDCJ state prison system; it does NOT include people held in county jails, so someone just arrested and booked into a county jail will generally NOT appear here. Confirm anything unclear with TDCJ.

Is there a free way to check if someone is in custody in Texas?

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Texas. Search by name for custody status and register for free alerts. County jail rosters and the state locator are also free and official.

What do I need to look someone up in Texas?

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name. Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. A TDCJ number, SID number, or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does Texas have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Texas: if a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee, and a judge may also grant own-recognizance or conditional release.

Sources & last verified

Everything here links out to official government or public-safety sources. We don’t store, search, or republish records.

Last verified 2026-07-23 · 11 sources