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CO · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator
Colorado Department of Corrections
VINELink
Covers Colorado
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
Colorado

Which system is holding them in Colorado?

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

Someone just arrested is in a COUNTY JAIL run by that county's sheriff (in Denver, the Denver Sheriff Department), not in CDOC state prison, so the state locator will not show them.

Colorado's 64 counties run their jails independently and there is no single statewide jail roster.

Several larger sheriffs post an online jail/inmate roster, but coverage varies.

For a recent arrest, check the arresting county sheriff's roster if it exists, use VINE, or call the jail's booking desk.

Some Colorado county sheriffs (e.g., Denver, El Paso, Jefferson) publish online jail rosters; others have none, in which case call the jail booking/records line. VINE covers participating Colorado jails and prisons statewide.

Search VINELink (choose Colorado)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The CDOC Offender Search is Colorado's official public lookup for people in state prison custody.

Enter the person's first and last name, or DOC number if known (providing at least two fields narrows results).

It shows custody status, facility location, and sentence start/expected release dates.

Reached from the 'Find an Inmate' page on the state portal (co.colorado.gov/locate-inmate).

It covers people in Colorado state prison custody, not county jails or people just arrested.

Open the Colorado 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 Colorado 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

Find your county in Colorado

A recent arrest is handled at the county jail. Open the county where the arrest happened for its facilities, phone numbers, and the exact locators to search — all 64 Colorado jurisdictions are here.

64 counties

Finding your person in Colorado, step by step

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

  1. Step 1

    Figure out which system is likely holding them

    A person arrested in the last hours or days is almost always in the county jail where the arrest happened. A person already sentenced and transferred is in a CDOC state prison. A person facing federal charges is in federal custody. Match the situation to the right official locator below.

  2. Step 2

    For a recent arrest, check the county jail roster or VINE

    Find the sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened and check its online jail roster if it has one. Or use VINE at vinelink.com, which pulls near-real-time custody status from participating Colorado jails and prisons and lets you register free for custody-change alerts.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    For a sentenced person, search the state prison locator

    Use the CDOC Offender Search and enter the first and last name, or DOC number. It covers only people in Colorado state prison custody, not county jails or brand-new arrests.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    If the charge is federal, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator

    The federal BOP inmate locator at bop.gov covers people held in federal custody and is separate from Colorado state and county systems.

    Official source

  5. Step 5

    If no online roster shows them, call the jail's booking or records line

    A person booked in the last few hours may not appear online yet, and some jails post nothing. Call the county sheriff's booking/records desk to confirm the booking, booking number, any bond amount, and next court date. Court information is on the Colorado Judicial Branch site.

    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 middle name, alias, or spelling variations.
  • Their date of birth, which official locators use to distinguish similar names.
  • If you have it, the DOC or county booking number for the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

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

  • Use only official government sources: the CDOC Offender Search, the county sheriff's own jail roster, VINE at vinelink.com, or the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All are free.
  • Be wary of paid 'inmate search' and mugshot websites that outrank the official ones. They often charge fees for information the official sites give free and may show stale, incomplete, or already-expunged records.
  • Custody information changes constantly; a very recent booking may not appear online right away, so call the facility booking or records line if you cannot find the person.

If you need to bail them out in Colorado

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

Commercial bail available

In Colorado, 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.

Colorado uses a bond system set under state law (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 16, Article 4).

A judicial officer sets the type and amount of bond, which can be a personal recognizance (PR) bond (unsecured), a cash bond, a property bond, or a surety bond posted through a licensed bail bonding agent for a fee.

Commercial bail bonding agents legally operate in Colorado and are licensed and regulated by the Colorado Division of Insurance (part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies).

Recent reforms have limited money bail for many lower-level offenses and require a prompt bond-setting hearing after arrest.

A surety bail bond carries a non-refundable premium (fee) charged by the licensed bail bonding agent. The Colorado Division of Insurance regulates these agents and their premiums and prohibits overcharging; a bonding agent must provide a written premium and collateral receipt. Cash or property posted directly with the court is returned, less any costs, once the bond conditions are met.

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 Colorado 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.

Common questions about finding someone in Colorado

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

Someone just arrested is in a COUNTY JAIL run by that county's sheriff (in Denver, the Denver Sheriff Department), not in CDOC state prison, so the state locator will not show them. Colorado's 64 counties run their jails independently and there is no single statewide jail roster. Several larger sheriffs post an online jail/inmate roster, but coverage varies. For a recent arrest, check the arresting county sheriff's roster if it exists, use VINE, or call the jail's booking desk.

How do I find someone in state prison in Colorado?

The CDOC Offender Search is Colorado's official public lookup for people in state prison custody. Enter the person's first and last name, or DOC number if known (providing at least two fields narrows results). It shows custody status, facility location, and sentence start/expected release dates. Reached from the 'Find an Inmate' page on the state portal (co.colorado.gov/locate-inmate). It covers people in Colorado state prison custody, not county jails or people just arrested.

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

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Colorado. 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 Colorado?

The person's full legal name, plus any middle name, alias, or spelling variations. Their date of birth, which official locators use to distinguish similar names. If you have it, the DOC or county booking number for the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

Does Colorado have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Colorado: 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 · 12 sources