Find Ontario County Booking Releases

Ontario County booking releases are handled through the county jail in Canandaigua, which serves as the county seat. The sheriff's office runs the corrections division and keeps all booking and release records for the facility. With 286 beds and a daily population of 200 to 250 inmates, Ontario County stays busy processing people in and out. If you need to find out about a booking release from this county, you can search online through the sheriff's office, call the corrections division, or file a formal records request. This page breaks down every option available to you.

Ontario County Booking Releases Online

The Ontario County Sheriff's Office has an incarcerated individual locator on their website. You can search by name, date of birth, or inmate ID number. The results show the person's full name, booking date, current charges, housing location, bond information, and expected release date when available. The system only covers people currently in custody at the Ontario County Jail.

Below is a screenshot from the NYS DOCCS website which provides statewide inmate lookup for individuals transferred to state facilities from Ontario County.

For inmates transferred from the Ontario County Jail to state prison, the DOCCS lookup tool shows current facility, custody status, and release information.

The jail is located at 3045 County Complex Drive in Canandaigua, NY 14424. The corrections division phone number is (585) 396-4689. Hours for phone inquiries are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM. If the online locator does not show who you are looking for, call the corrections division directly. They can check recent releases and tell you if someone was moved to another facility.

Ontario County also runs a work release facility at the same address as the main jail. It houses minimum-security inmates who leave for jobs during the day and return at night. Booking release records for work release inmates come through the same sheriff's office system.

Searching Ontario County Booking Releases

The sheriff's main office at 74 Ontario Street in Canandaigua handles general questions. Their number is (585) 396-4560. If you need booking release data that is not online, this is a good starting point. The staff can tell you whether to contact the corrections division or the records unit depending on what you need.

For custody status alerts, register with the VINE notification system. It is free and covers Ontario County. You pick the facility and the inmate, and the system sends updates when something changes. This includes booking releases, transfers, and escapes. VINE works by phone, email, or text. It runs around the clock, which makes it helpful for time-sensitive situations.

If someone has been transferred to a state facility, use the DOCCS inmate lookup tool. It covers all 44 state correctional facilities. The county jail records and state prison records sit in different systems. You may need to check both to find someone who started in Ontario County custody and later moved to the state system.

Note: About 55 to 60% of Ontario County jail inmates are pretrial detainees, so many booking releases happen when bail gets posted or cases get resolved.

Ontario County Booking Release Records Requests

FOIL requests for Ontario County booking releases go to the sheriff's office records division at 74 Ontario Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Write a clear request describing exactly what records you need. Include the person's name, dates, and type of records. You can submit by mail, in person, or email through the county system. The phone number for the records division is (585) 396-4560.

Under New York's Freedom of Information Law, the sheriff's office must acknowledge your request within five business days. Full responses come within 20 business days for most requests. Standard copy fees apply, and fee waivers are available when the records serve the public interest. Exempt records include medical files, security documents, and information connected to active investigations. Appeals go to the sheriff or the Committee on Open Government.

Ontario County meets all standards set by the NYS Commission of Correction. The commission oversees county jails statewide and publishes data on populations and compliance. Their reports can supplement booking release information if you are doing research on Ontario County jail trends.

Court Records in Ontario County

The Ontario County Courthouse is in Canandaigua. The county clerk maintains criminal and civil records. You can use public terminals at the courthouse or request copies. Court records show case outcomes that connect to booking releases. The county court handles felonies. Town and village courts take misdemeanors. Family Court and Surrogate's Court handle their own specialized matters.

For online access, the NYS Unified Court System WebCrims portal lets you search criminal cases across the state, including Ontario County. This helps fill in why someone was released from the jail. Whether bail was posted, charges were dropped, or a sentence was served, court records give you the answer. The Division of Criminal Justice Services can provide state-level criminal history data as well.

Nearby Counties

Ontario County is in the Finger Lakes region and shares borders with six other counties. If a booking release is not in the Ontario County system, the person may have been processed in one of these neighboring jurisdictions.