Ventura Booking Records Lookup
Booking records from the city of Ventura are public and available for search. The Ventura Police Department handles arrests in the city and processes bookings at the local level. Ventura is also the county seat of Ventura County, which means the main county jail is located here. That creates two booking pathways for the city. Someone arrested by Ventura PD may be booked at the city level, and people held for longer stays end up at the county jail right in town. Under Government Code 7923.610, all booking records must be public within 72 hours.
Ventura Booking Quick Facts
Ventura Booking in Ventura County
The city of Ventura sits in Ventura County along the coast between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. As the county seat, Ventura holds the main county government offices, the superior court, and the county jail. This means that people arrested anywhere in the county often end up being held in Ventura. The Ventura County Sheriff runs the jail and keeps the county booking log.
The Ventura Police Department is a separate agency from the sheriff. Ventura PD patrols the city and makes arrests within city limits. After arrest, people go through an initial booking. For short-term holds and misdemeanors, some people are processed and released at the city level. For felonies or longer holds, the person is taken to the county jail, which happens to be in the same city. This can create some confusion when searching for records. If someone was arrested in Ventura, you may need to check both the city and county systems.
Ventura PD Records Request
The Ventura Police Department has a records request process for people who need booking data and other police records. You can access the form through the Ventura PD records request page. This form lets you ask for booking records, arrest reports, and other police files. Fill it out with the person's name, the date of the incident, and what type of record you need.
The Ventura Police Department records request form at cityofventura.ca.gov lets the public file for booking records and other police documents.
The department has 10 days to respond under the California Public Records Act. For basic booking data like names, charges, and bail, there should be no issue getting the information. More detailed files, like full arrest reports, may have sections that are held back if a case is still open. There may be a small fee for printed copies. Certified copies for court use cost more.
For the fastest results, call the Ventura Police Department at (805) 339-4400. Staff can tell you if someone is currently in custody at the city level. For anything related to the county jail, you would contact the Ventura County Sheriff instead.
Ventura Booking Law
Government Code 7923.610 is the statute that makes booking records public in California. It applies to both the Ventura Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff. The law says agencies must release the person's full name, charges, bail amount, booking date and time, and the facility name. Neither agency can refuse to give out this basic data.
Penal Code 851.5 protects the rights of people being booked. Within three hours of booking, each person gets at least three free phone calls. Those calls go to a lawyer, bail bond agent, or family member. This applies at both the city and county level. No facility in Ventura can deny these calls.
Note: Booking records stay public even after the person is released. The records do not go away once someone gets out of custody.
Ventura County Jail
The main Ventura County jail is at 800 South Victoria Avenue in the city of Ventura. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office runs this facility. It handles bookings for people from across the county, not just the city of Ventura. Anyone arrested by the sheriff's department, the California Highway Patrol within the county, or any of the contract cities gets booked here.
The jail holds both pre-trial inmates and those serving short sentences. Booking at the county level follows the same basic steps as everywhere in California. Fingerprints, photo, personal details, and charges are all recorded. Bail is set using the Ventura County bail schedule. For people arrested by Ventura PD who need a longer hold, the transfer to this jail usually happens within a day.
The Ventura County Sheriff posts inmate information online. You can search by name to see if someone is currently in county custody. The tool also shows bail amounts and charges. It is free to use and available around the clock. This is the best place to check if you think someone was booked and is still being held.
How to Search Ventura Bookings
Finding a Ventura booking record depends on where the person ended up. Start with the Ventura County Sheriff's online inmate search. That covers the county jail, which is the most likely place for anyone held longer than a few hours. If the person was just arrested by Ventura PD and you think they might still be at the city level, call the police department.
- Ventura County Sheriff inmate search for county jail
- Ventura PD at (805) 339-4400 for city-level bookings
- Written records request for older booking data
- California DOJ for statewide criminal history
- Ventura County Superior Court for case records
Keep in mind that very recent arrests may not show up online for several hours. Booking and data entry take time. If you do not get a result on the first try, check again later. Most bookings appear in the system within 12 hours of the arrest.
Nearby City Booking Records
Other cities near Ventura have their own booking pages. Most are in Ventura County and feed into the same county jail system. Santa Maria is in the next county to the north.
Oxnard is the largest city in the county and has its own online booking log. Thousand Oaks contracts with the sheriff for all policing. Simi Valley runs its own police department and city jail.