Pinellas County Booking Search

Pinellas County 24 hour booking records come from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, headquartered in Largo. The PCSO runs a public inmate booking search that covers people currently in custody and those released within the last 30 days. Anyone can use this tool to check recent arrests and jail bookings at no cost. Florida law treats booking data as open public records, so the sheriff's office makes this information available online around the clock for anyone who wants to look it up.

Pinellas County Inmate Booking Search Tool

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office provides a free inmate booking search on its website. This tool shows booking records for people who are currently in the county jail and for those who have been released within the past 30 days. That 30-day window gives you a good range for checking recent arrest activity in Pinellas County. Once that window passes, you need to go through the Records Request Portal for older data.

Each booking entry on the portal shows the person's name, charges, booking date, and bond information. The sheriff's office notes that this data is "for informational purposes only." It reflects what happened at the time of booking. For the final outcome of a case, you need to contact the Pinellas Clerk of Circuit Court. The booking record tells you someone was arrested and what they were charged with, but the court handles everything after that point.

Multiple law enforcement agencies operate in Pinellas County. St. Petersburg Police, Clearwater Police, Largo Police, and the sheriff's office all bring arrests to the same jail. The booking search covers all of these agencies. This means one search gives you results from across the whole county, not just one city or department.

How to Search Pinellas County Arrest Records

Visit the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office website and find the inmate booking link. You can also go straight to the search tool at the URL listed above. Type in a name to search. No account is needed. No login. The tool works on phones and computers. It is free to use.

For records older than 30 days, you will need to submit a request through the sheriff's Records Request Portal. This is a separate process. The online booking search only covers the current 30-day window. Older records are still public under Florida law, but they require a formal request to access. There may be a small fee for copies depending on the format you need.

The sheriff's office also provides direct links to the FDLE Criminal History portal for people who want a statewide search. That system costs $24 per check, as set by Section 943.053. It is a broader tool that pulls records from all 67 counties. But for just Pinellas County, the free booking search is the fastest route.

Florida's public records law under Section 119.07 requires agencies to provide access to public records. Booking data is not exempt from this requirement. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office must make it available when asked, whether through the online tool or through a formal records request.

The Pinellas County inmate booking tool shows current inmates and those released within the past 30 days.

Pinellas County Jail Booking Process

The Pinellas County jail is at 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo. That is the central booking location for the county. When someone is arrested anywhere in Pinellas County, the officer transports them to this facility. The booking process involves recording the person's identity, taking a photograph, collecting fingerprints, and logging all charges. A bond amount is set. The data then enters the public system and appears on the online search tool.

Under Section 901.243 of Florida law, people who are booked have the right to make phone calls within a reasonable time. This applies at the Pinellas County jail just as it does at every other county jail in the state. It is a basic right that the facility must honor during the intake process.

Section 119.011 defines what counts as a public record in Florida. Booking records are documents made by a government agency in the course of its duties. They clearly qualify. This is why the sheriff's office posts them online and responds to formal requests for older data.

Pinellas County Records and Public Access

Florida has some of the broadest public records laws in the country. Booking data from the Pinellas County jail is open to all. You do not need to be a county resident. You do not need to give a reason for looking. The data is there. You can access it.

Certain records are exempt. Sealed and expunged records will not appear. Juvenile cases are handled separately and stay out of the adult booking search. These exemptions fall under Section 119.071 of the Florida Statutes. But for standard adult bookings, the data is public and available.

Keep in mind that technical difficulties may sometimes cause updates to be delayed on the portal. The sheriff's office acknowledges this possibility. If you do not see a recent booking, it may just be a lag in the system. Call the jail at 727-464-6415 for the most current info. The FDLE website also offers statewide resources for criminal history checks that supplement what you find at the county level.

An arrest does not equal a conviction. The booking record shows an arrest and charges. Courts decide outcomes. If charges are dropped, the booking entry still exists, but it does not mean guilt. Always check with the Pinellas Clerk of Circuit Court for the final disposition of any case.

Cities in Pinellas County

Pinellas County is one of the most densely populated counties in Florida. St. Petersburg is the largest city. Clearwater is the county seat. All arrests from these cities go through the Pinellas County jail in Largo.

Other communities in Pinellas County include Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor, and Seminole. These areas do not have their own booking pages, but all arrests are processed at the county facility on Ulmerton Road.

Nearby Counties

Pinellas County sits on a peninsula and borders a few neighboring counties. If you are not sure where someone was booked, check these nearby counties as well.