inmate.solutions

TX · Find someone in custody

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

Search Texas IVSS-Counties

Official resources can help you check custody in Texas. Use the paths below and confirm a missing or uncertain result with the responsible agency.

State locator
Texas TDCJ Inmate Search
Service coverage
Participating counties
Guidance reviewed
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 local jail

IVSS-Counties serves participating county agencies. The Texas Governor explicitly says not all counties participate; check the county in the portal.

Search Texas IVSS-Counties

Select the correct agency and check its participation/availability before relying on a name or identifier search. Use its listed contact if a booking is missing.

A state service link does not establish that this county’s bookings are included. Use a verified local route when available.

IVSS-Counties support: 866-268-8959 — Officially published 24-hour service support; phone response not tested.

Service support, not guaranteed booking confirmation

Available in English/Spanish 24 hours; ask about participating agencies or unavailable records.

Service instructions reviewed 2026-10-05. Public search controls were reached; individual search results were not checked.

If nothing appears, contact the arresting agency or the responsible jail to ask how to confirm booking. A missing record does not prove release, and an agency may limit what it can disclose.

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the correctional locator

For a state-prison sentence, use the Texas correctional locator.

A short jail sentence may still be served in a local or regional jail.

A sentence alone does not establish the housing location; confirm with the responsible agency.

TDCJ state custody/parole versus county custody handled separately

TDCJ inmate-location assistance: 936-295-6371

The TDCJ search form was not reached in this review. Its published inmate-location telephone service requests a TDCJ/SID number or exact date of birth.

Search form availability was not confirmed in this review. An access restriction, CAPTCHA, or unavailable application may require a normal browser or agency assistance; missing records do not establish release.

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Search availability is unconfirmed or this is an instructions/phone route.

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge does not tell you which building holds the person. The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for federal pretrial detention and may use local, state, private, or federal facilities. Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator, but a missing result does not establish that the person is not detained. For a recent federal arrest, contact the arresting agency or the relevant U.S. Marshals district office to ask about the appropriate custody-information process. USMS is a contact route, not a public person locator, and disclosure of a location is not guaranteed.

Search the Federal BOP locator U.S. Marshals district directory

Other kinds of custody

Immigration detention has a separate official ICE detainee locator. It does not search for people under 18, and a missing result does not prove release; use the official ICE field-office contacts. Search by A-number and country of birth, or the name/country/date-of-birth information requested by the service. Access and disclosure can be restricted.

Juvenile and tribal custody may have different agencies, privacy rules, and search limits. This guide does not provide a comprehensive juvenile or tribal locator. Contact the arresting agency or responsible juvenile or tribal authority to confirm the correct process.

For federal pretrial detention, use the U.S. Marshals district directory. Federal responsibility can include housing in a local jail.

Find your area in Texas

Find the area where the arrest happened. County and city matches identify geography; confirm custody using the responsible agency’s assistance. A place may span several areas.

City and town matches use the 2026 Census places and active municipal subdivisions, with exact county memberships. Custody arrangements are researched separately. Municipal police holding and jail transfers may differ from the county route.

254 counties

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.

  1. Step 1

    Match the custody system

    IVSS-Counties serves participating county agencies. The Texas Governor explicitly says not all counties participate; check the county in the portal. Select the correct agency and check its participation/availability before relying on a name or identifier search. Use its listed contact if a booking is missing.

    Official source

  2. Step 2

    Use the relevant state custody resource

    TDCJ state custody/parole versus county custody handled separately TDCJ primary connection refused here; IVSS-Counties has a reachable name/ID form

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    Confirm missing or uncertain records

    Contact the arresting agency or responsible jail. New bookings, transfers, excluded populations and offline agencies may not appear online. A missing result does not establish release.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    Check federal or immigration custody separately

    Use BOP for BOP records, a U.S. Marshals district contact for federal pretrial questions, and ICE ODLS/ERO contacts for immigration. These systems have different coverage and disclosure limits.

    Official source

What you’ll need to search

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

  • TDCJ primary connection refused here; IVSS-Counties has a reachable name/ID form
  • The exact name or agency identifier requested by that service. Date of birth is useful where the service offers it; it is not required by every tool.
  • The arrest location and responsible agency, if known. Check whether the roster is current custody or historical bookings.

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

  • Use free agency resources or an explicitly agency-endorsed public service. Do not pay a records broker to run these public searches.
  • A county filter in a state-prison search is not proof that it includes every county-jail booking.
  • Check participating agencies and outage notices. Use an agency contact when records are missing or unavailable.
  • Do not infer release or housing location from a missing record, a facility listing or geographic proximity.

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

Release depends on the court’s order. A payment is not required in every case. If a secured bond is ordered, ask the court which options are permitted; a private commercial bond service has separate fees and conditions. Confirm the process before paying anyone.

The court decides release and any conditions.

Ask the court or the responsible jail which forms of payment, if any, the order permits, how payments are made, and what refund or forfeiture conditions apply.

Fees for a private commercial service are separate from court deposits.

Do not assume that payment guarantees release.

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

For a recent local arrest, check the arresting jurisdiction’s official jail roster or custody-notification service. Housing may be at a municipal, county, regional, or contracted facility. If no record appears, ask the arresting agency or jail how to confirm the booking; do not infer the destination from distance or a facility listing. These statewide sources can also help.

Common questions about finding someone in Texas

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

IVSS-Counties serves participating county agencies. The Texas Governor explicitly says not all counties participate; check the county in the portal. Select the correct agency and check its participation/availability before relying on a name or identifier search. Use its listed contact if a booking is missing.

How do I find someone in state prison in Texas?

TDCJ state custody/parole versus county custody handled separately The TDCJ search form was not reached in this review. Its published inmate-location telephone service requests a TDCJ/SID number or exact date of birth.

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

Public custody searches are free. IVSS-Counties covers participating counties, under Texas Governor Public Safety Office oversight. Not every county participates. Check the responsible agency and its current participation. A missing record does not establish release. Avoid paid inmate-search and mugshot sites.

What do I need to look someone up in Texas?

TDCJ primary connection refused here; IVSS-Counties has a reachable name/ID form The exact name or agency identifier requested by that service. Date of birth is useful where the service offers it; it is not required by every tool. The arrest location and responsible agency, if known. Check whether the roster is current custody or historical bookings.

How do I check release conditions and costs in Texas?

Ask the court or responsible jail for the release order and permitted options. Court deposits and private service fees are different, conditions vary, and payment does not guarantee release.

Sources & review dates

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

Guidance research date 2026-07-23 · 15 sources · Custody-routing review 2026-10-05