Search Colorado Recent Bookings
Recent bookings in Colorado are public records that show who was arrested and taken to jail. You can search for this information through county sheriff offices across the state. Each of the 64 counties maintains its own booking reports and inmate rosters. Many sheriff departments post daily arrest logs on their websites. Some provide real-time inmate search tools. You can look up booking records by name, date, or booking number to find out if someone is currently in custody or was recently arrested in Colorado.
Colorado Booking Records Quick Facts
Colorado Jail and Booking Resources
Colorado has several statewide systems for finding arrest and booking information. County sheriffs run local jails and maintain booking records. State agencies provide tools to search for inmates in state facilities. Online portals let you look up recent arrests from home.
The Colorado Department of Corrections runs the state prison system but does not handle county jail bookings. CDOC maintains an online offender search for people serving time in state prison. If you need recent booking information, check with the county sheriff instead. County jails hold people who are waiting for trial or serving short terms. These facilities update their rosters daily.
Each county sheriff office in Colorado keeps a daily log of all people booked into jail. This requirement comes from state law under C.R.S. 17-26-118. The log must show the name, date of entrance, date of birth, charges, and bond amount for each person. These logs are public records that anyone can view during normal business hours.
The CDOC Offender Search tool helps you find inmates in state prison facilities across Colorado. You can search by name, DOC number, or other details. This system updates regularly but only covers state prisons. For county jail bookings, visit the sheriff website for the county where the arrest happened. Most large counties now offer online inmate search tools that work in real time.
Many sheriff offices use the VINE system for custody notifications. VINE lets you check if someone is in custody anywhere in Colorado. You can also sign up to get alerts when an inmate is released. This free service covers most county jails in the state. Visit the county sheriff website to access their VINE portal or call the VINE hotline for status updates.
Criminal History and Arrest Records
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation keeps the state's central database of criminal history records. CBI stores arrest records based on fingerprints sent in by local law enforcement. This system shows a person's full criminal history in Colorado. You can request a criminal history check through the CBI website.
The CBI Internet Criminal History Check system lets you search for arrest records online. The service charges a fee for each search result you download. You need the person's full name and date of birth. Keep in mind that CBI records only include arrests supported by fingerprints. Recent bookings may not show up right away if prints have not been processed yet.
Note: CBI criminal history checks take time to process and may not reflect arrests from the last few days.
Find Booking Information Through Court Records
Court dockets often show recent arrests and booking details. The Colorado Judicial Branch provides a statewide docket search tool. You can look up cases by county, name, or date range. Court records show arraignments, bond hearings, and case status for people who were recently arrested.
When someone gets booked into jail, they usually appear in court within 48 hours for an initial hearing. This hearing sets bond and reviews the charges. Court dockets list these hearings by date and time. You can search the docket to see if a recently arrested person has a court date coming up. Many counties post daily court calendars online. These calendars help you track cases after a booking takes place.
Criminal justice records in Colorado fall under two main laws. The Colorado Open Records Act, known as CORA, covers most public records at the state and local level. CORA is found in C.R.S. 24-72-201 and requires agencies to respond to records requests within three working days. The Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, or CCJRA, governs records kept by law enforcement, courts, and jails. This law is in C.R.S. 24-72-301 and sets rules for what records must be released to the public.
Booking records count as official action records under CCJRA. These records must be released to anyone who asks. The law requires that booking information include the person's name, date of birth, arrest date and location, charges filed, and bond amount. Sheriff offices cannot withhold this information unless releasing it would harm an active investigation or violate someone's privacy rights in a specific way.
County Sheriff Booking Reports
Most Colorado counties now post booking reports online. These reports list everyone arrested in the last 24 hours or last week. Sheriff websites update these lists throughout the day.
Large counties like Adams County and Jefferson County offer full inmate search portals. You can search by name to see if someone is in custody right now. The search results show charges, booking date, bond amount, and upcoming court dates. Some systems update every 15 minutes so the information stays current.
Larimer County provides a detailed inmate search page. You can also view their daily booking report to see everyone arrested in the last day. The county posts lists of recent releases as well. This makes it easy to find out when someone left custody. Weld County has a daily arrests database that goes back many years. You can search by name or date to pull up old booking records from the county.
Some counties post booking reports but do not offer name search tools. Boulder County publishes a daily listing of people booked in the last seven days. You have to scroll through the list or use your browser's find function to locate a specific name. Mesa County posts booking summaries and daily activity logs for the last 30 days. These reports comply with state open records laws.
El Paso County provides an online inmate search at the sheriff's office website. El Paso is one of the largest counties in Colorado and handles a high volume of bookings each day. Their system lets you search by name or view current inmates by housing unit. Pueblo County requires a records request form to get booking information. You must sign a statement that you will not use the records for commercial purposes. This rule comes from C.R.S. 24-72-305.5, which limits how mug shots and booking photos can be used.
How to Get Copies of Booking Records
You can request booking records by mail, email, or in person at the county sheriff's office. Most agencies use a standard records request form. Fill out the form with the person's name and date of arrest if you know it. Some counties charge a small fee to copy records. The fee usually covers the first ten pages and then adds a per-page charge after that.
Under CORA, agencies must respond within three working days. They can extend this deadline by seven more days if they need extra time to gather the records. Many sheriff offices respond faster than the legal deadline, especially for simple booking record requests. If the agency denies your request, they must explain why in writing.
For mug shots, you may need to sign a statement saying you will not use the photo for profit. Colorado law requires this statement to prevent websites from charging people to remove their booking photos. The pecuniary gain statement is a short form that most sheriff offices provide when you ask for mug shots or booking photos.
Browse Recent Bookings by County
Each county sheriff in Colorado manages local jail bookings. Select a county below to find their inmate search tools, booking reports, and contact information.
Recent Bookings in Major Cities
Find booking information for Colorado's largest cities. Arrests in these cities are processed through the county sheriff's office where the arrest took place.