Search Alachua County Bookings

Alachua County 24 hour booking records are kept by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office in Gainesville, Florida. The ACSO runs an online inmate lookup tool that shows recent bookings, charges, and housing details for people held at the county jail. Anyone can search these records at no cost. Florida's public records law makes booking data open to all, so you can look up arrest info any time of day or night through the sheriff's web portal or by calling the jail line.

Alachua County Booking Records and Inmate Search

The Alachua County Sheriff's Office provides a free inmate lookup tool on its website. You can view all current inmates without even typing a name. The system has a "View All" option that shows every person booked into the jail, sorted by the most recent entries first. This is one of the best ways to check 24 hour booking activity in Alachua County since it pulls up the full roster in one step.

Each listing on the Alachua County inmate search page shows several key details. You will see the person's last name, first name, and full name. The book date tells you when they came in. Race, sex, and age are listed too. There is a column for POD, which stands for the housing unit where the person is held. The arrest agency field tells you who made the arrest. For instance, GPD means Gainesville Police Department and ASO stands for Alachua Sheriff's Office. Multiple agencies book people into this one jail.

The data updates throughout the day. It is not a live feed, but new bookings show up fairly fast. If you need to confirm a very recent arrest, call the jail at 352-491-4444. Staff can check real-time records for you.

How to Use the Alachua County Jail Roster

Getting to the jail roster is simple. Go to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office website and find the inmate search link. You can also go straight to the lookup page. From there, you have two choices. Type a last name to search for a specific person. Or click "View All" to see the full list of current inmates.

You do not need an account. No login is required. The search works on phones, tablets, and computers. Results load fast and show up in a table that is easy to read. You can sort by name or book date to find what you need.

Under Section 119.07 of the Florida Statutes, booking records are public. The sheriff's office must make them available. This is why the online tool is free and open to all. There is no charge to view the data. You only pay if you need a formal copy of a booking report, which you can get through a public records request.

The FDLE also keeps statewide criminal history data. You can run a check through the FDLE Criminal History portal, though that costs $24 per search as set by Section 943.053. For quick 24 hour booking checks in Alachua County, the sheriff's free tool is the better choice.

Alachua County 24 Hour Booking Details

When someone is arrested in Alachua County, they go through a booking process at the jail on Hawthorne Road. Officers record the person's name, date of birth, physical traits, and charges. A photo is taken. Fingerprints are collected. The whole process creates a booking record that becomes part of the public file.

Several law enforcement agencies bring arrests to the Alachua County jail. The sheriff's office handles the county. Gainesville Police covers the city. The University of Florida Police Department also makes arrests in the area. Each agency is noted in the booking record so you can tell who made the arrest. This helps when you want to follow up on a case, since you can contact the right agency for more details.

Booking records in Alachua County typically include:

• Full name and date of birth
• Book date and time
• Charges and bond amount
• Arresting agency (GPD, ASO, UFPD, etc.)
• Housing unit assignment (POD)

The right to communicate during booking is protected under Section 901.243 of Florida law. Anyone who is booked can make phone calls within a reasonable time frame after the process.

Contact the Alachua County Sheriff's Office

The jail sits at 2621 SE Hawthorne Road in Gainesville. That is where all bookings happen for Alachua County. The general number for the sheriff's office is 352-367-4000. For jail-specific questions, including bond info and inmate status, call 352-491-4444. This line is staffed around the clock.

If you want to submit a formal public records request, you can do that through the sheriff's office. Section 119.011 defines what counts as a public record in Florida, and booking data falls squarely within that definition. You can ask for copies of booking sheets, arrest reports, and related documents. The office may charge a small fee for copies, but viewing the data online is always free.

The Florida Department of State also maintains a directory of county jail search tools. Alachua County is listed there alongside every other county in the state. This is a good backup if the sheriff's direct link ever changes.

You can visit the FDLE's main site for broader searches that go beyond Alachua County.

The FDLE website is shown below for reference.

The FDLE handles statewide criminal records and can supplement what you find at the county level.

Alachua County Booking Records and Public Access

Florida has some of the strongest public records laws in the nation. The Sunshine Law gives residents and non-residents alike the right to access government records. Booking info is not exempt. That means 24 hour booking data from Alachua County is open to anyone who wants to see it.

There are a few things the sheriff's office may hold back. Sealed or expunged records will not show in the inmate search. Juvenile cases are handled separately and are not on the public roster. But for adults booked into the Alachua County jail, the data is there for you to see. This includes charges, bond amounts, and booking dates. Most of what you need is on the free online tool.

Keep in mind that an arrest does not mean a conviction. Booking records show who was brought in and what they were charged with. The court process decides the outcome. If charges are dropped or the person is found not guilty, the booking record still exists, but it should not be read as proof of wrongdoing.

Cities in Alachua County

Gainesville is the county seat and the largest city in Alachua County. It is home to the University of Florida and has its own police force that books people into the county jail. All 24 hour booking records from Gainesville go through the same Alachua County system.

Other communities in Alachua County include Newberry, Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne, Archer, and Waldo. These smaller towns do not have their own jail pages, but all arrests in these areas are booked at the Alachua County facility on Hawthorne Road.

Nearby Counties

Several counties border Alachua County. If you are not sure where someone was booked, check the nearby counties below. Each one has its own jail and booking system.