Alachua County Booking Reports
Alachua County booking reports are filed and held by the Sheriff's Office in Gainesville. This north-central Florida county processes hundreds of jail bookings each month through its main detention center. You can look up arrest records and current inmate data through the sheriff's online search tool. The Alachua County Sheriff's Office posts booking information so the public can check who has been brought into the jail. Searching is free and open to all. Records include the charge, bond amount, and booking date for each person held at the facility.
Alachua County Quick Facts
Alachua County Sheriff Booking Records
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and handles all booking records for the area. Sheriff Chad D. Scott leads the department. The main office sits at 3333 NE 39th Avenue in Gainesville. You can call 352.491.4444 for general questions about jail bookings or arrest reports. This is the sole law enforcement agency that manages the county detention facility, so all local arrests end up here.
When a person is arrested in Alachua County, their booking report gets logged into the jail system. That report includes the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, and bond details. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, these records are public. Any person can ask to see them. The law says that all state, county, and municipal records must be open for inspection by any person. This right covers booking reports, arrest logs, and mugshots held in Alachua County.
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office website is the main hub for jail and arrest data. From there you can reach the inmate search tool and get contact details for the corrections division.
| Address | 3333 NE 39th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32609 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 352.491.4444 |
| Website | acso.us |
| Inmate Search | acso.us/inmate-search |
Search Alachua County Arrest Records
The quickest way to find booking reports in Alachua County is the online inmate search. Visit the Alachua County inmate search page and type in a name. Results show current inmates with their charges and booking dates. The tool is free to use. No account is needed.
If you cannot find what you need online, call the jail at 352.491.4444. Staff can look up booking records by name or booking number. You can also visit in person at the Gainesville office during business hours. Bring a valid ID. Ask for the records division if you need copies of a specific arrest report or booking sheet from Alachua County. Under Florida law, the custodian of public records must let any person inspect and copy records at any reasonable time. Fees for copies are set by state guidelines, and the sheriff's office can tell you the exact cost per page when you call or visit.
The screenshot below shows the Florida Department of Corrections statewide inmate search portal, which you can use to look up anyone transferred from the Alachua County jail to a state prison facility.
The Florida Department of Corrections search tool checks all state prison databases at once. This is helpful when someone has moved out of the Alachua County jail into the state corrections system. Data refreshes weekly, with release dates and location changes updated nightly.
Note: The statewide search covers state prison inmates only, not people currently held at the Alachua County jail.
Alachua County Jail Booking Process
When someone gets arrested in Alachua County, the booking process starts at the county jail in Gainesville. Officers record the person's name, date of birth, and physical details. A booking photo is taken. Fingerprints are captured and sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as required by Florida Statute Chapter 943. That law requires fingerprints, palm prints, and facial images of all adults charged with felonies or misdemeanors to be captured and submitted electronically.
The charges are entered into the system next. Each charge has a bond amount set by the court or by a standard bond schedule. The booking report becomes available to the public shortly after the data goes into the system. Most Alachua County booking reports show up in the online search tool within a few hours of the arrest. Some may take longer if the jail is busy or if there are holds from other agencies.
Booking Report Access Laws in Alachua County
Florida has strong public records laws. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes makes booking reports open to all. You do not need to give a reason to view them. The law defines public records as all documents, papers, photographs, and data made or received in connection with official business by any agency. Booking reports fall under this definition in Alachua County and across the state.
There are some limits. Juvenile records are confidential unless the person is charged with a felony-level offense. Medical and mental health records from the jail are not public. Sealed or expunged records cannot be viewed by the general public. Under Florida Statute 901.43, it is illegal for websites to demand payment to remove a person's booking photo. If a for-profit site posts your mugshot, you can send a written request for removal. They must take it down within 10 days or face a civil penalty of $1,000 per day. That penalty goes up to $5,000 per day if they put the photo back up after removing it. This law protects people whose Alachua County booking photos end up on third-party sites.
Alachua County State-Level Resources
Besides the sheriff's local search tool, several state agencies hold records that tie to Alachua County bookings. The Florida Department of State maintains a master list of all 67 county jails with links to inmate search pages. This is a good starting point if you need to check booking records across multiple Florida counties at once.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs the Sexual Offender and Predator search database. This tool can be used alongside Alachua County booking reports to check if someone has a registered offender status. The FDLE also manages criminal history records for the state. You can reach them at (850) 410-7000 for questions about criminal background checks tied to booking records in Alachua County.
Note: FDLE criminal history checks require a formal request and may involve a processing fee separate from local booking report requests.
Cities in Alachua County
Gainesville is the county seat and by far the largest city in Alachua County. All arrests made within the county go through the Alachua County Sheriff's Office for booking. City police departments in the area bring arrestees to the county jail for processing.
Other communities in Alachua County include Alachua, Archer, Hawthorne, High Springs, Micanopy, Newberry, and Waldo. None of these cities operate their own jail. All booking reports are processed through the county system in Gainesville.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Alachua County. If an arrest happens near the county line, check the neighboring county's booking records as well. The arresting agency determines which county processes the booking report.