SLC, UT Jail Inmate Search & Booking Lookup

How to Use the Official SLC Utah Jail Inmate Search

The Salt Lake County Sheriff provides a public Inmate Database Search. You do not need to pay a commercial people-search site just to check current Salt Lake County jail custody.

1. Open the official lookup. Go to iml.saltlakecounty.gov/IML. Salt Lake County’s own “Find a Prisoner” page links to this system.
2. Choose your search method. The database allows a search by first and last name or by an available unique identifier/value.
3. Use the legal name first. Enter the first and last name carefully. If the surname is hyphenated, changed, or commonly misspelled, retry reasonable variations.
4. Open the matching entry. Compare available identifying and booking information before assuming you found the right person.
5. Write down the SO#. The Sheriff’s Office prisoner number is useful for bail, deposits, correspondence, and other jail services.
6. Check the roster if needed. If you are researching recent jail activity rather than one exact person, use the Sheriff’s Jail Dockets & Rosters page.

For a broader county-specific explanation, see our Salt Lake County Jail inmate search and roster guide.

SLC Booking Lookup, Jail Roster, and In/Out Docket

Salt Lake County provides more than one jail tool, and each serves a different purpose. The person-specific inmate lookup is usually the best choice when you know who you are searching for. The roster and in/out docket are more useful for reviewing recent jail activity.

Salt Lake County specifically states that some personal identifiers have been removed from the public jail roster to comply with state privacy requirements. A missing identifier should therefore not automatically be treated as a missing booking record.

If a Recently Arrested Person Does Not Appear

A blank search does not prove that no arrest occurred. The Sheriff’s prisoner FAQ says the booking process averages about 6–8 hours after arrival at the jail, and it can take longer when a person cannot immediately be processed.

If a person has moved into Utah state prison or supervision, switch to the Utah Department of Corrections Offender Search rather than repeatedly searching the county jail database.

Where Salt Lake City Arrestees Are Held

Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office operates two correctional facilities: the Metro Jail and Oxbow Jail. Salt Lake City government material also describes people arrested in the city as being taken to the Salt Lake County Jail for booking.

Metro/Oxbow jail information: 385-468-8400. The Sheriff’s current contact page lists this number for both facilities.

If you are trying to understand the city’s booking process rather than locate a specific inmate, Salt Lake City’s official jail and booking information explains the local intake and pretrial screening process.

How to Check Bail and Make an In-Person Payment

Do not travel to the jail with money until you have identified the correct prisoner and confirmed the current bail information. Bail conditions can change because of court orders, additional cases, holds, or other custody events.

1. Search the inmate and write down the prisoner’s SO#.
2. Confirm the current booking and bail information before arranging payment.
3. For the Sheriff’s in-person option, go to Metro Jail at 3415 South 900 West.
4. Proceed to the Visiting Lobby.
5. The Sheriff lists cash, cashier’s check, and certified check as accepted in-person payment types.
6. Cashier’s and certified checks must be verified during business hours, listed as 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and should be made payable to Salt Lake County Treasurer.

The Sheriff states that bail is accepted at the Metro Jail 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Its published in-person method has no county fee.

Check the current Salt Lake County bail instructions before paying.

Salt Lake County Jail Visitation

Walk-in personal visits are accepted, but the Sheriff encourages pre-scheduling because scheduled visits take priority. Visits can be scheduled up to six days in advance by calling 385-468-8400.

Schedule change: Salt Lake County’s current visitation notice states that beginning November 1, 2026, visits can be scheduled at the top and bottom of each hour, such as 9:00 and 9:30. Before that date, the published schedule uses the top of each hour.

School IDs and Driving Privilege Cards are not listed as accepted visitor identification. Minors have additional adult/guardian requirements, and housing assignments, medical quarantine, disciplinary restrictions, work schedules, or facility incidents can affect whether a visit takes place.

Check the live visiting schedule and pod rules before traveling.

How to Put Money on a Prisoner’s Account

Salt Lake County uses commissary accounts for approved purchases such as food items and phone-related expenses. Friends and family can fund an account through methods listed by the Sheriff.

Online, phone, and kiosk deposits

The Sheriff’s current deposit page lists ConnectNetwork options and gives the telephone number 888-988-4768 with site ID 143. A lobby kiosk at the facility accepts cash or credit for eligible deposits.

In-person deposits at Metro Jail

Payments for prisoners housed at either Metro or Oxbow are handled at the Metro Jail for the county’s in-person process. Published funding hours are 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m..

Mailing funds

1. Find the prisoner’s correct SO#.
2. Put the prisoner’s name and SO# on the envelope and payment instrument when applicable.
3. Include your return address.
4. Use the Metro Jail mailing address shown below.
5. Review the current jail deposit rules before sending the payment.

The Sheriff states that personal checks are not accepted. Certified checks, cashier’s checks, and money orders handled through the published jail process are subject to a 7-day hold. It also warns that up to 50% of new money deposited to an account may be applied to balances the prisoner owes the jail.

Review the official deposit and commissary instructions.

Phone Calls, Email, and Mail

Phone calls

Prisoners can make outgoing calls but cannot receive normal incoming calls. The Sheriff says housing-area phones are generally available from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., although housing, classification, security, or operational conditions can change access.

Standard calls are generally limited to 15 minutes. Calls may be monitored or recorded except protected attorney communications.

Email

The Sheriff publishes an electronic messaging option and currently lists a cost of $0.50 per message. Because vendors and fees can change, use the link provided on the county’s communication page rather than searching for an unrelated service.

Regular mail

The Metro Jail address is also used for prisoners housed at Oxbow:

Incoming mail is inspected. Current county rules allow ordinary paper correspondence and photographs up to 4×6 subject to jail restrictions. More than 12 photographs, stamps, stickers, tape, staples, paper clips, instant photographs, and several other items are prohibited. New softcover books and periodicals must be sent directly from a publisher, book club, or book retailer and must follow current jail delivery rules.

Read the official phone, email, and mail rules before sending anything.

Booking Record vs. Court Case vs. State Prison Record

One of the most common search mistakes is using a jail roster for a question it cannot answer. A jail record is primarily about custody and booking. It is not the final criminal court record.

The Salt Lake County Sheriff lists a records-request line at 385-468-8870, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and provides an online public-records request path through its official contact page.

Do not assume a jail search is also a mugshot search. Salt Lake City Police specifically identifies the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office as the custodian of jail booking photographs, and Utah law restricts many booking-photo releases.

Use the Right Custody System

If your Salt Lake County search fails after you have checked the timing, spelling, and jurisdiction, consider whether the person may be in a different custody system.

• Utah state custody: use the Utah Department of Corrections offender search.
• Federal custody: use the appropriate federal inmate or detainee system rather than a county roster.
• Another county: search the county where the person was actually booked.

For examples of how different local jail systems work, you can also review our Clark County jail inmate search guide and Maricopa County jail inmate search guide. Each county uses its own custody database and identifiers, so never assume one county’s search covers another jurisdiction.