Lookup San Mateo County Inmate Records

San Mateo County inmate records begin with the sheriff's current jail roster, but a complete lookup often uses more than one official channel. The county jail roster search is for people in current local custody, while court records, CDCR prison records, federal custody records, immigration detention records, and VINE notifications answer different questions. To look up San Mateo County inmates, start with the sheriff locator, then use the jail phone line or records request path when the online roster does not show enough detail.

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San Mateo County Jail Roster Overview

The official online jail roster is the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Inmate Locator. It is linked from the sheriff's corrections pages and is designed for current in-custody searches. The search screen says to enter both first name and last name. The same screen includes a middle-name field, a gender dropdown, a phonetic-search checkbox, Clear, and Find Inmate controls.

The roster is not a full criminal-history database. The locator warns that information shown for arrested or in-custody people is the most recent known to the Sheriff's Office and may change as a person moves through the judicial process. It also warns that names may not appear in some circumstances because of law-enforcement disclosure exemptions. A failed San Mateo County jail roster search should therefore lead to the jail information phone line, the arresting agency, the court index, or a public-records request, not a final conclusion.

The sheriff's 2016 locator release said the tool provides facility location, pending charges, custody status, next court date, and bail amount. That release also said the phone fallback remains available for people without computer access. Current public pages still make the web locator the first search point, while the research confirms other official channels for court, state prison, federal prison, immigration custody, and custody notifications.


San Mateo County Roster Search Fields

The search form is distinctive because it asks for both first and last name instead of a booking number. The page does not advertise wildcard searching or a booking-number field. That means spelling and identity details matter, and the phonetic checkbox becomes useful when a family member knows the name by sound but not exact spelling.

The San Mateo inmate locator source shows the name fields and phonetic checkbox used for current custody lookup.

San Mateo County jail roster search fields for inmate records

The public search screen supports a focused roster lookup, but it does not replace a phone call when the name is common, recently booked, or possibly withheld.

FieldTypeRequiredUse in San Mateo County inmate records
Enter First NameTextThe page instruction says yesUse the person's legal first name when known.
Enter Middle NameTextNoAdd it to narrow a common name.
Enter Last NameTextThe page instruction says yesRequired with first name under the page instruction.
GenderDropdownNoOptions are All, Male, and Female.
Use phonetic searchCheckboxNoUse when first or last name spelling is uncertain.
CSRF tokenHiddenSystem requiredPrevents stale or automated form submissions.

Use the San Mateo County Inmate Roster

A strong San Mateo County inmate records search starts with the roster, then checks the appropriate fallback channel. A person booked at Maguire may be housed at Maguire, Maple Street, transitional housing, or another authorized placement after classification. A person sentenced to state prison leaves the county roster path and should be searched through CDCR instead.

  1. Open the official San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Inmate Locator.
  2. Enter both first and last name because the public instructions call for both.
  3. Add middle name or gender only if it helps distinguish common names.
  4. Use phonetic search if the spelling may vary.
  5. Read the result as current sheriff information, not a final court judgment.
  6. If no result appears, call the Maguire inmate information line or contact the arresting local agency.
  7. Use the court index after formal charges are filed, and CDCR/BOP/ICE for non-county custody.

Note: A no-result search is not proof that no arrest or custody exists because the county locator itself notes disclosure exemptions.


San Mateo County Inmate Profile Fields

The most defensible profile description comes from the sheriff's own locator release. It says a San Mateo County inmate record can include facility location, pending charges, custody status, next court date, and bail amount. The research did not capture a live public profile, so fields such as booking number, booking photo, housing pod, physical description, or release date should not be treated as confirmed roster fields.

Field or categoryWhat it shows
Facility locationThe jail or correctional location known to the Sheriff's Office.
Pending chargesJail booking charges that may differ from formal filed charges.
Custody statusThe person's status in county custody as known to the roster.
Next court dateA court appearance date known to the jail system.
Bail amountThe amount known to the sheriff, subject to court changes and holds.
MugshotNot confirmed in the captured live profile research.
Booking date or numberReleasable under California arrest-information law when no exception applies, but not confirmed as a public roster field.

Pending charges require caution. The jail label can be the charge known at booking, while the District Attorney later files, amends, reduces, or declines court charges. The formal court record belongs to the Superior Court pathway, not the jail roster alone.


San Mateo County Inmate Access Channels

Every San Mateo County inmate records search should match the person's custody stage. The county roster covers current sheriff custody. The 24-hour phone fallback historically published for Maguire was (650) 363-4000 ext. 6070, and the caller needed the inmate's name and correct date of birth. The general corrections number is (650) 599-3000. For public-record requests, the sheriff provides a webform, while attorneys, involved parties, and people seeking their own records are routed to the report/request process and sheriffs_recordsrequest@smcgov.org with ID or authorization.

NeedFirst official channelFallback
Current county custodySan Mateo inmate locatorMaguire phone line or arresting agency.
Current court date or filed chargesMIDX court indexOdyssey Portal or Criminal Court Clerk.
Older or missing booking informationSheriff public records requestReport request process for own records or attorneys.
Sentenced state prisonCDCR CIRISCDCR Identification Unit.
Federal sentenced custodyBOP inmate locatorFederal court or U.S. Marshals context.
Immigration detentionICE ODLSICE field office or attorney channel.
Custody notificationsVINELinkJail or court direct confirmation.

San Mateo County Jail Facilities

The county jail records path often begins with Maguire because all bookings were stated to occur there. Maple Street is the newer correctional center with male and female housing, dedicated transitional housing, and program space. The Transitional Facilities and Alternative Sentencing Bureau matter because they affect custody placement, work furlough, and electronic monitoring. San Francisco County Jail #3 must be separated because it sits in San Bruno but belongs to San Francisco custody.

Maguire Correctional Facility

300 Bradford Street

Redwood City, CA 94063

(650) 599-3000

Maple Street Correctional Center

1300 Maple Street

Redwood City, CA 94063

(650) 599-3000

Alternative Sentencing Bureau

1300 Maple Street

Redwood City, CA 94063

(650) 599-3030


Booking Process in San Mateo County

The county's Maple Street opening materials state that all bookings are done at Maguire Correctional Facility. Booking can include identity confirmation, fingerprints, a booking photo if taken, warrant and hold checks, property handling, and search or security screening. Penal Code section 4030 sets statewide limits on certain booking searches, including limits on strip and body-cavity searches for many misdemeanor or infraction arrests unless legal conditions are met.

Medical and mental-health screening also matters in San Mateo County. The sheriff's 2024 public materials said about 70 percent of people booked into Maguire had alcohol or drug addiction, around 48 percent had a form of mental illness, and two-thirds left within five days. Those facts help explain why a San Mateo County inmate record can change fast as staff classify the person, the court reviews release, bail changes, or a transfer occurs.

After booking, the case can split into several records: the arresting-agency report, the jail booking record, the roster entry, the District Attorney charging decision, the Superior Court case, a VINE notification record, and possibly a CDCR, BOP, or ICE custody record. Each source answers a different question.


San Mateo County Jail Visitation

Visitation information is published by facility. The sheriff's Maguire page links MCF Visiting Information Rev. 11.07.23 in multiple languages. The Maple Street page links in-person personal visiting policy PDFs, MSCC Visiting Information Rev. 09.12.23, translations, and video visitation. The research did not extract the full PDF schedules, so exact visit slots should be checked in the current sheriff PDF before travel.

FacilityOfficial schedule sourceSan Mateo County inmate records note
Maguire Correctional FacilityMaguire visitation page and MCF PDFA December 2025 sheriff release said in-person visits resumed after elevator repair and were scheduled first-come, first-served beginning 6:30 a.m. the day before the intended visit.
Maple Street Correctional CenterMaple Street visitation page and MSCC PDFsPage references in-person policy material and video visitation.
San Francisco County Jail #3San Francisco Sheriff visitation processDo not use San Mateo jail visitation rules for this San Francisco-operated jail.

Mail and money rules are county-wide for San Mateo jail inmates. Personal mail goes through Smart Communications-San Mateo County Jail in Seminole, Florida, while commercial publications use the facility address. The sheriff commissary page names Keefe Commissary, states that both facilities have lobby kiosks, and says package orders are limited to one per month and not more than $100.00.

ServiceSan Mateo County rule
Personal mailSmart Communications-San Mateo County Jail, Attention inmate name-ID number, P.O. Box 9126, Seminole, FL 33775-9126.
Commercial publicationsPublisher-direct only, sent to Maguire or Maple Street with inmate name and ID number.
CommissaryKeefe Commissary is named by the sheriff.
Package orderOne per month, not to exceed $100.00.
Deposit feesNo fee table was captured; check vendor checkout or kiosk before payment.

San Mateo County Inmate Programs

San Mateo County inmate records often lead families to practical support after the roster confirms custody. The sheriff's inmate programs page lists cognitive behavioral, education, literacy, vocational, and activity-based programs. Local partners include Service League of San Mateo County, Five Keys Schools and Programs, Stanford Prison Education Project, Project READ, JobTrain, San Mateo County Office of Education, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, and Peninsula Humane Society.

The San Mateo inmate programs source shows the county's in-custody programming categories and partners.

San Mateo County inmate programs list for jail records and custody support

The program list supports the local custody picture because Maple Street was built with space for education, treatment, job training, culinary training, and other reentry work.

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