Find Union County Booking Reports

Union County booking reports are handled by the Sheriff's Office in Lake Butler, Florida. This small north Florida county processes all arrests at its jail on Northwest 1st Street. The sheriff's office keeps records of every person booked into the facility, and those records are open to the public. You can look up inmate data, check charges, and view bond amounts. Union County is also home to several state prison facilities, though those fall under the Florida Department of Corrections rather than the local sheriff.

Union County Sheriff Arrest Records

The Union County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and keeps all booking records. The main office sits at 50 Northwest 1st Street in Lake Butler. Call 386.496.2501 to ask about jail bookings or a specific arrest report. Every local arrest in Union County gets processed at this facility.

Each booking report includes the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, and bond details. A mugshot and physical description are taken too. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, these records are public. The law says that all state, county, and municipal records must be open for inspection and copying by any person. This covers booking reports, arrest logs, and mugshots at the Union County jail. You do not need to explain your reason for requesting them.

You can visit the Union County Sheriff's Office website for contact details and general information about the department. The site has basic information about the jail and how to reach the records unit.

Search Union County Booking Data

To look up booking reports in Union County, call the sheriff's office at 386.496.2501. Staff can search by name or booking number. You can also go to the office in Lake Butler during regular hours. Bring your ID if you plan to request copies of records.

Florida law requires the custodian of public records to let any person inspect and copy records at a reasonable time and under reasonable conditions. This means the sheriff's office must provide access to Union County booking reports when asked. Fees for copies follow state guidelines. Staff can tell you the cost per page when you call or visit.

The screenshot below shows the Union County Sheriff's Office website, which is the starting point for local booking record requests.

The Union County Sheriff's website provides contact information and basic details about the jail and corrections division. For state-level inmate searches, the Florida Department of Corrections search tool covers all state prison databases at once. This is especially relevant in Union County since the county hosts multiple state prison facilities, including the Reception and Medical Center and Union Correctional Institution.

Note: State prison inmates housed in Union County facilities are not in the local sheriff's jail system. Use the FDC search for those records.

Union County Jail Booking Process

The booking process in Union County follows the same steps as every other Florida county. When someone gets arrested, they are taken to the jail in Lake Butler. Officers record their name, date of birth, and physical details. A booking photo is taken, and fingerprints are captured.

Florida Statute Chapter 943 requires that fingerprints, palm prints, and facial images of all adults charged with felonies or misdemeanors be captured and submitted electronically to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This law applies to every booking at the Union County jail. The charges are entered next, each with a bond amount. Once the data is in the system, the booking report becomes a public record. Union County sees fewer bookings than larger counties, but the legal requirements and process are identical to what you find in major metro areas.

Booking Report Laws in Union County

Florida's public records law makes booking reports open to all. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes covers this. The law defines public records broadly, including documents, photographs, and electronic data made in connection with official business. Booking reports in Union County are public from the time they are entered into the system.

Certain records are restricted. Juvenile booking records stay confidential unless the person is charged with a felony. 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 for-profit websites to demand payment to remove booking photos. A person can request removal in writing, and the site must comply within 10 days. The civil penalty is $1,000 per day for noncompliance, rising to $5,000 per day if the photo gets republished. This protects people whose Union County mugshots end up on third-party websites.

Note: Requests to seal or expunge a record in Union County go through the 8th Judicial Circuit Court.

State Resources for Union County

The Florida Department of State publishes a directory of all 67 county jails. This includes contact details and links to inmate search tools for each county. It is helpful if you need to check records in Union County and neighboring counties at the same time.

The FDLE Sexual Offender and Predator search can be used alongside Union County booking reports. You can reach the FDLE at (850) 410-7000 for criminal history questions. The Florida Statutes portal has the full text of all laws that govern booking records, arrest procedures, and public records access across the state.

Cities in Union County

Lake Butler is the county seat and only incorporated city in Union County. Raiford and Worthington Springs are small unincorporated communities in the area. No city in Union County has its own jail. All booking reports are processed through the Union County Sheriff's Office in Lake Butler. Local police bring all arrestees to the county jail for booking.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Union County. If an arrest happened near a county line, the booking report may be in a neighboring county's system instead. Check the county where the arrest took place for the correct records.