Tallahassee Booking Reports Database
Tallahassee booking reports are kept by the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Tallahassee is the state capital and the county seat of Leon County, with about 205,000 residents. The Leon County Sheriff runs the jail and processes all bookings in the area. Tallahassee Police Department handles most law enforcement in the city, but arrests go to the county jail for booking. The sheriff's office has an inmate search on their website where you can look up current inmates and their booking data.
Tallahassee Quick Facts
How to Find Tallahassee Booking Records
The Leon County Sheriff's Office is at 535 Appleyard Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304. This is the office that handles booking records for the city. You can call 850.606.3500 to ask about specific records or to check if someone has been booked into the Leon County jail. The sheriff also has an online inmate search on their website.
Tallahassee has two main law enforcement agencies: the Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Sheriff's Office. The police department handles most patrol and investigation work in the city. But when it comes to the jail and booking, that is the sheriff's job. No matter which agency makes the arrest, the person gets booked at the Leon County jail. That is where the booking report gets created.
Under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, booking reports are public records. Anyone can ask to see them. The law says that providing access to public records is a duty of each agency. You do not need to be a resident of Tallahassee or Leon County to request these records. You do not need to explain why you want them.
Tallahassee and State Government Records
Because Tallahassee is the state capital, several state agencies are based here. This can be useful if you need records beyond what the county offers. The Florida Legislature is in Tallahassee, and the statutes they pass govern how booking records work across the state.
The Florida Department of Corrections has its central office at 501 South Calhoun Street in Tallahassee. Their phone number is (850) 488-7052. If someone from Tallahassee gets sent to state prison, their records move to this department. You can search the state inmate database online. It covers all state prisons and gets refreshed each week.
The Florida Department of Corrections contact page shown above lists all the ways to reach them. For public records requests, call (850) 717-9774. The Office of Citizen Services helps people who need information about inmates in state custody. Since this office is right in Tallahassee, local residents can even go in person if they need to.
Booking Process in Tallahassee
When someone is arrested in Tallahassee, the booking process follows state law. The person goes to the Leon County jail. At the jail, they get fingerprinted and photographed. Their charges go into the system. A booking report is created with all of this data.
Chapter 943 of the Florida Statutes requires that fingerprints and facial images be captured for every adult charged with a felony or misdemeanor. This data gets sent to the FDLE's criminal justice information system. So every booking in Tallahassee feeds into the statewide network. The FDLE uses this data for crime reporting and statistical analysis.
After booking, the person waits for a first appearance hearing. At that hearing, a judge reviews the charges and sets bond. If the person can pay bond, they leave jail with conditions. If not, they stay until their case is resolved. The booking report stays in the system no matter what happens.
Public Records Law and Tallahassee
Florida's public records law is one of the broadest in the nation. Chapter 119 defines public records to include "all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material" made or received by any agency. Booking reports fall under this definition.
The custodian of records at the Leon County Sheriff's Office must let you inspect booking records at any reasonable time. They can charge a fee for copies. Exempt info gets blacked out, but the rest must be given to you. This includes the booking photo, which is also a public record.
Speaking of booking photos, Section 901.43 of the Florida Statutes makes it against the law for websites to charge for mugshot removal. The civil penalty is $1,000 per day for noncompliance and $5,000 per day for republishing. Keep proof of any removal request you send.
The screenshot above shows the full text of Chapter 119 on the Florida Legislature's website. This is the law that guarantees your right to access booking reports in Tallahassee and every other city in the state.
Note: Juvenile booking records are not public in Florida, even in Tallahassee.
Statewide Jail Directory
The Florida Department of State keeps a directory of all 67 county jails. Each listing has an address, phone number, and link to the county's inmate search. This is a useful backup if you need to check booking records in counties besides Leon. The Department of State is also located in Tallahassee at the R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street.
Leon County Booking Reports
Tallahassee is in Leon County. The county sheriff handles all jail bookings for the city. For the full county page with details on the jail, contact info, and related resources, visit the Leon County booking reports page.
Nearby Florida Cities
Tallahassee is in the panhandle region of Florida. These are some of the nearest qualifying cities.
- Jacksonville (Duval County)
- Gainesville (Alachua County)