Search Maricopa County Booking Reports
Booking reports in Maricopa County provide details about arrests and jail custody in Arizona's most populous county. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office maintains these records at their headquarters in Phoenix. You can search for inmate information online or request full booking reports through their public records unit. MCSO handles over 100,000 bookings each year at their Intake, Transfer, and Release facility. Records include booking numbers, charges, bond amounts, and custody status. Anyone can access booking reports from Maricopa County for arrests processed by the sheriff's office. Court records and case dispositions come from separate agencies like the Clerk of Superior Court.
Maricopa County Jail Quick Facts
Maricopa County Sheriff Office Records
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office keeps booking reports for all arrests they process. MCSO headquarters sits at 550 West Jackson Street in Phoenix. The Public Records Unit handles requests from Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. You can call their main line at (602) 876-1000 or reach the SIMS Hotline at (602) 876-0322 any time, day or night.
When you need a booking report from Maricopa County, gather basic info first. You will need the subject's full name and date of birth. A booking number helps if you have one. The date of the incident or arrest also speeds up the search. MCSO can look up records with just a name, but more details make it faster and cut down on errors when staff search their database for your request.
You can request Maricopa County booking reports online by sending an email to PublicRecords@mcso.maricopa.gov. Give them the names, dates of birth, booking numbers if known, and the dates of incidents you want to look up. MCSO staff will find the records and send you an invoice in the mail. Once you pay the invoice, they release the booking reports to the address you provide. This method works well when you are not near Phoenix or prefer to handle things from home without making a trip to the office.
The MCSO public records page at mcso.org explains what types of records you can get and how to ask for them. MCSO keeps arrest records, incident reports, booking records, and criminal history record checks for arrests they made. They do not keep court records or case outcomes. For those, you need to go to the Clerk of Superior Court or the court system in Maricopa County.
Free Inmate Lookup for Maricopa
MCSO offers a free online inmate search tool. Visit mcso.org/InmateInfo to look up current inmates. No account or login is needed. The search is open to anyone at no cost. You can search by booking number or by name and date of birth. Results show the inmate's booking number, name, sex, height, weight, charges, bond amount, and next court date.
After a federal court ruling in Houston v. Maricopa County in September 2024, MCSO stopped posting mugshots online. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that posting mugshots of arrestees violates their constitutional due process rights because it harms the presumption of innocence. You can still get mugshots by asking for them as part of a public records request, but they no longer appear in the online inmate search results for Maricopa County. The inmate search still shows all other booking details like charges and bond, just not the photos anymore.
This online tool only shows people currently in custody at Maricopa County jails. If someone has been released, their info will not show up in the search. For past bookings or full booking reports on people no longer in jail, you need to submit a formal public records request to MCSO. The online search is best for checking if someone is in custody right now and seeing their current status in the Maricopa County jail system.
Note: The SIMS Hotline at (602) 876-0322 can verify booking numbers and check custody status over the phone any time of day or night.
How to Get Booking Reports
Maricopa County offers several ways to get booking reports. The method you pick depends on how fast you need the records and whether you can visit in person. Each method has its own steps and wait times for getting your Maricopa County booking reports.
In-person requests let you visit MCSO headquarters at 550 W. Jackson Street in Phoenix. Go to the Public Records Unit during business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Bring the name, date of birth, and any booking numbers you have. Staff will search for the records and tell you the cost. You can pay with cash, money order, cashier's check, or business check. MCSO does not take personal checks, debit cards, or credit cards for in-person record requests. Once you pay, they will give you copies of the booking reports right away or tell you when to come back if the request needs more time to fill.
Mail requests work when you cannot visit in person. Send a letter to MCSO at 550 W. Jackson St., Phoenix, AZ 85003. Include the full names and dates of birth for the people whose records you need. Add booking numbers and incident dates if you have them. Write your return mailing address clearly so they know where to send the invoice and records. MCSO will process your request and mail you an invoice. After they get your payment, they send the booking reports to your address. This method takes longer than in-person or email requests since mail time adds days to the process on both ends.
Phone requests have limits. You can call the SIMS Hotline at (602) 876-0322 to check if someone is in custody, verify a booking number, or get bond amounts. This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But you cannot get actual booking reports over the phone. Staff can give you basic info and help you confirm details before you submit a formal written request, which saves time if you are not sure of the exact spelling of a name or need to check a date before asking for records from Maricopa County.
Maricopa Booking Report Fees
Maricopa County charges for copies of booking reports. The fee is about $0.25 per page, which follows the standard Arizona Revised Statutes rate for public records. Small requests may cost just a few dollars. Larger case files with many pages will cost more based on the total page count.
Vehicle accident reports have a set fee of $5.00 through the BuyCrash.com portal. Victims of crime get one free copy of incident reports per Arizona Revised Statutes § 39-127. You must show you are the victim to claim this free copy. All other requesters pay the standard per-page fee for booking reports and arrest records in Maricopa County.
Payment options include cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and business checks. MCSO does not accept personal checks. They also do not take debit cards or credit cards for public records requests. Bring exact payment or a check from a business account when you visit in person. For mail requests, send a money order or cashier's check after you get the invoice from MCSO with the total amount due for your Maricopa County booking report request.
Public Records Laws in Arizona
Arizona law requires most records to be open. Arizona Revised Statutes § 39-121 states that public records shall be open to inspection by any person at all times during office hours. This is the main public records law in Arizona. It gives you the right to see and get copies of booking reports from Maricopa County.
Under A.R.S. § 41-1750, the Arizona Department of Public Safety runs the Central State Repository. All criminal justice agencies in Arizona, including MCSO, must report arrest and disposition info to DPS. The statute requires booking agencies to take fingerprints and submit them with arrest details. This creates a statewide record system, but for specific booking info from a Maricopa County arrest, you still need to contact MCSO directly since DPS does not retain local incident details from county jails.
Some limits exist on what can be released. Agencies may redact personal financial account numbers or details that could harm an ongoing investigation. But in general, booking reports and arrest records are public documents. You do not need to give a reason for your request. You do not have to be involved in the case. Anyone can ask for and receive booking reports from Maricopa County under Arizona's public records laws.
Court Case Files and Disposition Info
Booking reports show the arrest. Court records show what happened next. The Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court keeps case files, minute entries, and final dispositions. Their office sits at 620 West Jackson Street in Phoenix. You can call them at (602) 372-5375 during business hours from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The clerk offers online case searches through several portals. You can check ECR Online, view minute entries, or look up case dockets from their website at clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov. These systems let you find case info from home. Copy fees are $0.50 per page. Certification adds $35.00 if you need an official certified copy of a court document from Maricopa County.
Court records differ from booking reports. MCSO shows who got arrested and what the initial charges were. The clerk shows the court proceedings, hearings, motions, and final outcome. For a complete picture of a criminal case in Maricopa County, you often need both the booking report from the sheriff and the case file from the clerk. Each agency keeps its own set of records under Arizona law.
Victim Notification in Maricopa County
Arizona participates in the VINE system. VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. This free service lets victims register to get alerts when an offender's custody status changes. You can sign up at vinelink.com or call the toll-free VINE hotline.
When you register with VINE, you get updates if the person is released from jail. The system sends alerts by phone, email, or text. You can check an offender's status any time through the VINE website or hotline. Maricopa County uses this system as part of a statewide effort through the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. It helps victims stay informed about custody changes without having to call the jail or sheriff's office repeatedly to check on booking status.
Major Cities in Maricopa County
Maricopa County holds many large cities. Each city has its own police department that makes arrests. When city police book someone, that person typically goes to a Maricopa County jail run by MCSO. The cities below are part of Maricopa County and have booking info available through the county system.
Nearby Arizona Counties
Other counties near Maricopa have their own jail systems and booking records. If an arrest happened outside Maricopa County, contact the sheriff in that county for booking reports.