Sheriff Offices Across the United States: What They Do and Where to Find Them

A sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of a county in most of the United States. Our directory lists 4,723 sheriff offices, substations and jails, from the Taylor County Sheriffs Office in Abilene, Texas, to the Ulster County Sheriffs Office - Accord Substation in New York. Which office serves you depends on your address, not on the service you want.

Sheriffs usually handle four core jobs. They patrol unincorporated areas and answer calls outside city limits. They run the county jail. They provide security at the courthouse. They serve civil papers, such as subpoenas, eviction notices and small-claims summonses. Many offices also transport inmates, keep sex offender registrations current and run a records counter. Not every office does all of these, so a short phone call before you drive can save a wasted trip.

A sheriff is not the same as a city police chief. City police cover streets inside a municipality. The sheriff covers the whole county and often backs up smaller towns. In many rural counties, such as Norman County, Minnesota, or Gentry County, Missouri, the sheriff is the main full-time law enforcement agency. Residents deal with that one office for everything from a stolen trailer to a jail visit.

Who Runs a Sheriff's Office: County, State, City or Federal Government

In nearly every state, the sheriff is a county official elected by local voters, usually to a four-year term. That election matters. The sheriff answers to voters, not to the governor or the county board chair. The county commission or board of supervisors sets the budget, but it cannot direct an elected sheriff on how to run investigations or the jail.

There are important exceptions. Louisiana uses parishes instead of counties, so the Vermilion Parish Sheriffs Department in Abbeville is a parish office, and Louisiana sheriffs also collect property taxes. Virginia has independent cities that sit outside any county and elect their own sheriffs, who mostly handle courts, civil papers and the jail. Connecticut replaced county sheriffs with a state system in 2000. Hawaii and Rhode Island run sheriff divisions at the state level.

Federal agencies are a separate world. The U.S. Marshals Service, part of the Department of Justice, protects federal courts and tracks federal fugitives, but it does not take over local sheriff duties. State police and highway patrols handle state highways and statewide investigations. If your issue involves a county road, a county jail or a civil paper from a local court, the sheriff is usually the right door.

Real Sheriff Offices From Our Directory

Our listings show how much the setup varies from place to place. Here are several examples, with the addresses and phone numbers stored in our database:

  • Taylor County Sheriffs Office, 450 Pecan Street, Abilene, Texas, 325-674-1300.
  • Seminole County Sheriffs Office South Region - Altamonte Springs Office, 120 West Pineview Street, Altamonte Springs, Florida, 407-665-1410.
  • Orange County Sheriffs Department - Southern Patrol, 11 Journey, Aliso Viejo, California, 949-425-1800.
  • Stanly County Sheriffs Office, 223 South 2nd Street, Albemarle, North Carolina, 704-986-3714.
  • Dallas County Jail / Dallas County Sheriffs Office, 201 Nile Kinnick Drive North, Adel, Iowa, 515-993-5815.
  • Norman County Sheriff / Norman County Jail, 15 2nd Avenue East, Ada, Minnesota, 218-784-7114.
  • Gentry County Sheriff's Office, 200 West Clay Street, Albany, Missouri, 660-726-3721.

Notice the differences. The Seminole County and Orange County entries are regional offices or patrol stations, not necessarily the main headquarters. The Dallas County and Norman County entries combine the sheriff and the jail under one name. Notice the repeated place names too. Albany appears in Kentucky and in Missouri, and Washington County appears in Abingdon, Virginia, and in Akron, Colorado. Always confirm the state before you call or drive.

How Sheriff Rules, Services and Fees Differ Between States

State law decides what a sheriff must do, so two offices with the same title can offer quite different services. Concealed carry permits show this well. In California, the sheriff or a police chief is the licensing authority (see Sheriff in California). In Texas, the Department of Public Safety issues the License to Carry, as described on our Sheriff in Texas page. In Georgia, the probate court handles the weapons carry license. In Virginia, the circuit court handles concealed handgun permits. In Florida, a state agency, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, issues them.

Civil process is another area of difference. Serving a subpoena or eviction notice is a core sheriff task, but the fee comes from state statute or a county fee schedule, and it can vary by paper type and by how many people are served. Some offices want payment before service by check or money order. Others accept cards at the counter. Ask for the current fee and the accepted payment types before you go.

Foreclosure sales are a third example. In Illinois and Indiana, the sheriff conducts many court-ordered property sales. In other states a court-appointed commissioner or a trustee does the job. Jail rules differ as well. Visiting hours, commissary deposits, inmate mail and bond payments are set by each jail, even when the county is next door to another one.

Choosing the Right State Page and Avoiding Common Mistakes

How to pick the right state page

Start with the state and county where the event happened or where the person lives, not where you live now. Civil papers are normally served at the address of the person receiving them. A jail inquiry goes to the county holding the inmate. Texas, Georgia, Florida and California have the most listings, and each state page leads you down to county and city. Kentucky works the same way. For example, the Clinton County Sheriffs Office sits at 100 S North Cross Street in Albany, 606-387-5111, and you can reach it from our Sheriff in Kentucky page.

What to bring

Bring a government photo ID, the case number or document you are dealing with, and extra copies of any papers to be served. Know the full address, including the county and any apartment number. Bring payment in the form the office accepts. For records requests, have the date, location and names involved. If you are visiting a jail, ask about dress code and what items are allowed before you arrive.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most frequent error is calling the sheriff for something only the city police cover, or the reverse. Check whether the address is inside city limits. Another is going to a substation when the records, civil or jail function sits at the main office. People also assume that fees and permit rules from another state apply locally. They do not. Finally, be careful with third-party websites that charge to pass along your request. Contact the sheriff's office directly, and call 911 for any emergency, never the office's regular number.

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Using Sheriff Listings Across the United States

Each entry in our directory points to a real county office, so use the details as a starting point and confirm them by phone. Listings range from large suburban agencies, like the Orange County Sheriffs Department - Southern Patrol in Aliso Viejo, to small courthouse offices, like the Edwards County Sheriffs Department in Albion, Illinois, at 618-445-2721. Many small offices staff the front counter only during business hours, while the jail and dispatch run around the clock. Call ahead for civil papers, records and fingerprinting. Have your county name ready, because many states share county names. If your search starts in a large state, Illinois, Missouri or Indiana pages work the same way as Texas ones: choose the state, then the city or county.

Sheriff Questions in the United States

No. A sheriff is a county-level officer, usually elected, who covers the whole county, runs the jail and serves court papers. City police cover only their municipality and typically do not run a long-term jail. In small towns the two may cooperate closely, and in rural counties the sheriff may be the only agency. If you are unsure, check whether your address is inside city limits, then call the non-emergency number for the likely agency.

Call 911 for any emergency: a crime in progress, an injury or an immediate danger. Use the office number for everything else, such as reports of past thefts, records requests, civil papers or jail questions. For example, the Taylor County Sheriffs Office in Abilene, Texas, lists 325-674-1300, and the Stanly County Sheriffs Office in Albemarle, North Carolina, lists 704-986-3714. Confirm that the number you dial is for the county where you actually are.

Contact the sheriff in the county where the person lives or works, not where the case was filed. Bring the original or required copies, the exact address, a description or work schedule if you have one, and payment. Fees and rules come from state law and county schedules, so ask for the current amount. Some offices accept papers by mail with a check, while others require a visit. Keep the return of service the office gives you for the court.

Start with the county where the arrest likely happened. Many sheriffs run the jail and answer by phone around the clock. Examples in our directory include the Dallas County Jail in Adel, Iowa, at 515-993-5815, and the Wilcox County Jail in Abbeville, Georgia, at 229-467-2331. Have the full legal name and date of birth ready. Visiting hours, bond payment methods and mail rules differ by jail, so ask before you go.

No. It depends on the state. In California, the sheriff or a police chief is the licensing authority for concealed carry. In Texas, the Department of Public Safety issues the license. In Georgia, the probate court does, and in Virginia, the circuit court does. Florida uses a state agency. Before you visit a sheriff for a permit, check your state's rule so you do not bring paperwork to the wrong office.

Larger counties spread deputies across substations, regional offices and patrol stations. Our database includes the Summit County Sheriffs Department - 2 Coventry Office on Portage Lakes Drive in Akron, Ohio, at 330-644-2206, and the Ulster County Sheriffs Office - Accord Substation on Main Street in Accord, New York, at 845-626-2233. A substation may not handle records, civil papers or jail matters, so confirm which location offers the service you need.

In almost every state, county voters elect the sheriff, typically for four years. Louisiana parish sheriffs, such as the one in Vermilion Parish, are elected too. For a complaint, begin with the office's internal affairs or administrative staff and ask for the written process. If that fails, you can contact the county board, the state attorney general, or your state's law enforcement oversight agency, depending on local rules. You can also raise concerns at the next election.