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UT · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator
Utah Department of Corrections Offender Search
VINELink
Covers Utah
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
Utah

Which system is holding them in Utah?

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

In Utah, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not a state prison, so the UDC Offender Search will not show a brand-new arrest (UDC's tool explicitly excludes people held pretrial in county jails).

Utah participates in the national VINE system (Utah 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 Utah county sheriffs also post an online jail roster / inmate lookup.

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 Utah's 29 counties; many post an online jail roster. Use the county sheriff's roster or Utah VINE, and call the jail's booking/records line for recent bookings and bail amounts.

Search VINELink (choose Utah)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) runs the official Offender Search (page title 'Offender Search | UDC - Corrections').

Search by name or offender number to review custody status, facility, and identifying information for people currently under UDC supervision.

UDC states that the tool covers individuals under the supervision of the Utah Department of Corrections (state prison, parole, and probation) and EXPLICITLY excludes people awaiting trial or not yet sentenced who are housed in county jail facilities, so someone just arrested and held in a county jail will generally NOT appear here.

UDC offender-information line: (801) 545-5500.

Open the Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah

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 29 Utah jurisdictions are here.

29 counties

Finding your person in Utah, 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 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 or are under UDC parole/probation supervision, they are in the Utah DOC system. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).

    Official source

  2. Step 2

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

    Search VINELink (Utah 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

  3. Step 3

    For a sentenced state-prison inmate, use the UDC Offender Search

    Use the Utah Department of Corrections Offender Search and enter the name or offender number to confirm the state facility, custody status, and identifying information. For help you can call UDC at (801) 545-5500.

    Official source

  4. 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 UDC offender 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 UDC Offender Search for state prison and supervision, Utah 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 UDC Offender Search explicitly excludes people held pretrial in county jails, 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 Utah

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

Commercial bail available

In Utah, 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.

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

After arrest a magistrate sets pretrial-release conditions; a person may be released on their own recognizance or on conditions, or bail may be set.

Where bail is set, it can be satisfied by cash posted with the court or by a surety bond through a licensed commercial bail bond producer for a fee.

Utah briefly enacted a bail-reform law (HB 206 in 2020) but repealed it in 2021, so commercial bail continues to operate statewide.

Bail bond producers are licensed and regulated by the Utah Insurance Department.

A surety bond carries a non-refundable premium, commonly around 10 percent of the bond amount; bail bond producers are regulated by the Utah Insurance Department. Cash bail posted directly with the court is refundable (less fees) if you make all required appearances. Ask the court whether it will accept a cash bond or release you on your own recognizance instead of using a bondsman.

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 Utah 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 Utah

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

In Utah, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not a state prison, so the UDC Offender Search will not show a brand-new arrest (UDC's tool explicitly excludes people held pretrial in county jails). Utah participates in the national VINE system (Utah 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 Utah county sheriffs also post an online jail roster / inmate lookup. 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 Utah?

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) runs the official Offender Search (page title 'Offender Search | UDC - Corrections'). Search by name or offender number to review custody status, facility, and identifying information for people currently under UDC supervision. UDC states that the tool covers individuals under the supervision of the Utah Department of Corrections (state prison, parole, and probation) and EXPLICITLY excludes people awaiting trial or not yet sentenced who are housed in county jail facilities, so someone just arrested and held in a county jail will generally NOT appear here. UDC offender-information line: (801) 545-5500.

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

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

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 UDC offender number or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does Utah have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Utah: 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