Lake County 24 Hour Booking Records

Lake County 24 hour booking records are managed by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, based in Tavares, Florida. The sheriff runs an inmate search tool on its website that lets anyone view recent bookings and current jail population data at no cost. Florida law treats booking records as public information, which means you can look up arrest details through the sheriff's online portal or reach the jail by phone any time. The county sits in central Florida and borders several other counties, so knowing which agency handled an arrest matters when you start your search.

Lake County Jail Roster and Booking Search

The Lake County Sheriff's Office keeps an online inmate search tool at its website. You can go straight to the Lake County inmate search page and look up who is currently held at the jail. The tool lets you type in a name to pull up booking details. Results show the person's charges, booking date, and bond information. This is all free to use.

New bookings get added to the system throughout the day. The data is not live in real time, but it refreshes often enough that a recent arrest will show up within hours. If you need confirmation of a very recent booking, call the jail directly at 352-742-4000. Staff at the detention center can give you up-to-the-minute details on who is in custody and what the charges are. The phone line is open around the clock, so timing is never an issue.

Under Section 119.07 of the Florida Statutes, the public has a right to inspect and copy public records. Booking data falls within this right. The sheriff cannot charge you to view the information online. If you want certified copies of a booking report or arrest affidavit, a small fee may apply, but the basic search tool costs nothing.

How Lake County 24 Hour Bookings Work

When someone is arrested in Lake County, they are brought to the county detention facility. The jail sits at 360 W Ruby St in Tavares. Officers from the sheriff's office handle most of the bookings, but city police departments also bring in people from across the county. Each arrest creates a booking record that includes the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, and a photograph.

The booking process follows a set pattern. The arrested person is searched, photographed, and fingerprinted. Personal items are logged and stored. The charges are entered into the system along with bond amounts set by the court. All of this becomes part of the public record. Florida treats arrest records as open data under the Sunshine Law, so none of this is hidden from public view unless a judge orders it sealed or the record gets expunged later on.

Several agencies operate within Lake County. The sheriff covers unincorporated areas. Cities like Clermont, Eustis, Leesburg, and Mount Dora have their own police departments. Regardless of who makes the arrest, the booking happens at the same county jail. The inmate search tool shows which agency brought the person in, which is helpful if you need to follow up with the right department for more case details.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office website is shown below.

The site provides access to jail information, inmate search tools, and general contact details for the department.

Lake County Records and Florida Public Access Laws

Section 119.011 defines public records in Florida. The definition is broad. It covers any material made or received by an agency in connection with official business. Booking records, arrest logs, and inmate rosters all fit. Lake County must provide access to these records when asked.

There are exceptions. Juvenile records are not on the public roster. Sealed and expunged cases will not appear in the inmate search. Some victim information may be redacted under Section 119.071, which lists specific exemptions to the public records law. But for the vast majority of adult bookings in Lake County, the data is open and available to anyone.

Keep in mind that a booking record is not a conviction. It shows that a person was arrested and processed. What happens after that is up to the courts. Charges can be dropped. Cases go to trial. People are found not guilty. The booking record itself is just a snapshot of one moment in the legal process, and it should not be taken as proof that someone did anything wrong.

Lake County Jail Contact and Records Requests

The main office for the Lake County Sheriff is at 360 W Ruby St in Tavares. The general phone number is 352-343-2101. For jail-specific questions, including bond amounts and inmate status, use the jail line at 352-742-4000. That line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you want a formal copy of a booking record, you can submit a public records request to the sheriff's office. Under Florida law, agencies must respond to these requests promptly. There is no set time limit written into the statute, but the expectation is that they act without unreasonable delay. You can make the request in writing, by email, or in person at the sheriff's office.

The right to communicate after arrest is protected by Section 901.243 of the Florida Statutes. Anyone booked into the Lake County jail can make phone calls within a reasonable time after the booking process is done. This is a state-level right that applies across all 67 counties.

For statewide criminal history checks that go beyond Lake County, you can use the FDLE Criminal History portal. That search costs $24 per name as set by Section 943.053. It covers records from every county in Florida, not just Lake. For a quick check of recent Lake County bookings, though, the free sheriff's tool is the way to go.

Cities in Lake County

Lake County has a number of cities and towns, but none meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Major communities include Clermont, Leesburg, Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, and Lady Lake. All arrests in these areas go through the Lake County jail in Tavares, and booking records are searchable through the same sheriff's office tool.

Nearby Counties

Lake County borders several other Florida counties. If you are not sure where someone was booked, check the counties below. Each has its own jail system and booking records.