Bay County, Florida Inmate Search

Members of the public conduct inmate searches to determine whether a particular individual has been confined in a jail facility or correctional institution. The search itself can be conducted at the local, state, or federal level, depending on the law enforcement agency that arrested a person or investigated the criminal matter, or on the sentence of incarceration issued by the court.

In Bay County, Florida, inmate searches are performed through the local Sheriff’s Office. This department is responsible for the operations of the county jail-where all arrestees are transported following an arrest-and maintains the associated inmate records. Inmate inquiries often yield an inmate’s charges, booking date, and custody status.

Notwithstanding, a person arrested in Bay County may not be immediately transported to the county jail or transferred there at all. For example, a suspect may be taken to the local station of the arresting or investigating department for initial questioning or paperwork. This temporary hold lasts until the investigation is completed or legal time limits expire, at which point the suspect will either be released (without charges) or charged and then transferred to the Bay County Jail for formal booking. In some other instances, the suspect might be a juvenile, who is typically processed through a separate system. Either way, individuals can always get in touch with the arresting or investigating agency-such as the Panama City or Lynn Haven Police Departments, which serve the county’s major population centers-for immediate inquiries about an arrested person’s custody status.

At the state level, inmate searches are conducted through the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC), which manages the state’s prisons. At the federal level, such inquiries are handled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

How to Find an Inmate in Bay County Jail

The Jail Division of the local Sheriff’s Office manages the Bay County Jail. For public inquiries regarding inmates, individuals may contact this department directly. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office provides an online jail roster to locate inmates at the Bay County Jail, and the office accepts Public Records Requests for records in its custody. The physical addresses for both the Bay County Jail and the Sheriff’s Office are listed below.

Bay County Jail

5700 Star Lane

Panama City, FL 32404

Bay County Sheriff’s Office

3421 North Highway 77

Panama City, FL 32405

How to Use the Bay County Jail Roster

Bay County’s jail roster is accessible on the official website of the local Sheriff’s Office. Individuals can access this roster as follows:

• On an internet browser, input https://bayso.org/ into the address bar.
• Hover over Jail/Visitation in the top menu and select "Inmate Search" under Inmate Services. (If using a phone browser, the menu is featured as a hamburger icon (‰¡) on the top right corner of the page. Upon tapping the icon, click on Jail/Visitation, and then "Inmate Search" under Inmate Services.)
• After the Inmate Search interface loads, enter a last and first name (middle name is optional), then tap "Search." This action displays records matching the user’s search criteria.

What Information is Included in the Bay County Inmate Roster

The content displayed after a search on Bay County’s inmate/jail roster is public-facing, meaning that all records viewable to the searcher are only those considered open for review under Florida’s Public Records Law (Title X, Chapter 119, FS). Such information includes

• The front picture ("mugshot") of the inmate.
• Booking Information: The date and time the inmate was formally booked into the jail, and the booking number (administrative identifier) assigned to track the individual through that specific period of incarceration.
• Inmate Information: Full name, commissary number, race, and sex.
• Charges: A listing of all charges filed against the individual, including counts, descriptions, and bond amounts.

Confidential information, such as an inmate’s Social Security number and health data, is not exposed on the jail roster.

Contact Details for Bay County Jail or Sheriff’s Office

For individuals who wish to contact the Bay County Jail or Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the table below provides key contact details.

Agency	Physical Address	Phone Number
Bay County Jail	5700 Star Lane Panama City, FL 32404	Main Line: (850) 785-5245 Secondary Line: (850) 215-5140
Bay County Sheriff’s Office	3421 North Highway 77 Panama City, FL 32405	(850) 747-4700

Jail Facility Overview in Bay County

The Bay County Jail is a minimum to maximum security facility located in Panama City, Florida. This facility is designed to house both adult females and males charged with various crimes, as well as youthful offenders who have been transferred to the adult legal system or sentenced under the Florida Youthful Offender Act to less than a year in jail (FS 958.04(2)(b)). The Bay County Jail has a rated capacity of 1,134 inmates and an average daily population of approximately 1,100.

Standard juvenile offenders, on the other hand, are booked into the Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center. This facility serves the counties of Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington as a 30-bed, hardware-secure facility for youth detained by the circuit court. The population includes youth awaiting adjudication, disposition, or placement in a commitment facility.

Agency	Office and Mail Address	Phone Number	Office Hours	Email
Bay County Jail	5700 Star Lane Panama City, FL 32404	Main Line: (850) 785-5245	24 hours a day, seven days a week	Bay County Jail does not have a dedicated email address. Inquiries about an inmate in custody can be made to the facility via phone.
Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center	450 East 11th Street Panama City, FL 32401	(850) 691-4200	24 hours a day, seven days a week	Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center has no dedicated email address. Inquiries about a juvenile in custody can be made via phone. The center’s fax number is (850) 873-7099.

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Bay County Jail

Here’s how to send (deposit) money to an inmate in the Bay County Jail:

• Money Orders: Individuals can deposit money to an inmate’s account via money order delivered in person at the jail facility or by mail to 5700 Star Lane, Panama City, FL 32404. Each money order should be made payable to the specific inmate (the inmate’s name and control identification number are needed). Senders must also include their name and address.
• In-Person Deposit (Kiosk): Funds can be added to an inmate’s account at a kiosk in the Bay County Jail lobby. This machine accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash, though a service fee will be applied to every transaction.

Money deposited into inmate accounts is credited within 24 hours. To learn more about depositing funds online, individuals can contact the Bay County Jail or consult the agency’s website for instructions.

Inmate Search by Jail Facility

A convenient way to find an inmate in the Bay County Jail is to access the facility’s online Inmate Search application (or jail roster). As described earlier, this web-based application can be searched with a person’s first and last name to find pertinent information about their detention.

Regarding finding information about a juvenile detained at the Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center, no such tool is available online. Under Florida law, juvenile records are generally classified as "nonpublic," meaning they are exempt from standard public disclosure policies. Nonetheless, inquiries can be made to the center, but the inquirer must be an entity authorized by statute to receive that information. A case in point is a juvenile’s parent or legal guardian.

Facility Name	Availability of Public Inmate Roster	How to Access Information	Limitations/Notes
Bay County Jail	Yes	Use the facility’s Inmate Search application (or jail roster)	No confidential information is disclosed.
Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center	No	Contact the center. Photo ID is required.	Typically, only authorized persons have access to juvenile records in Florida.

An important exception lies in FS 985.04, which applies where a juvenile is arrested for an offense that would be deemed a felony if committed by an adult. Although the Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center does not offer a searchable inmate roster in these cases, the arresting law enforcement agency is permitted to provide certain details to the public/media upon request. These details include the juvenile’s name, photograph, address, and the crime or arrest report.

Bay County Visitation Rules and Schedules

Visits to inmates housed at the Bay County Jail can be scheduled by family members or friends via online video through an approved vendor’s website or mobile app. Account registration is mandatory, and each user must upload a photograph of their driver’s license and indicate the inmate(s) they would like to visit. Individuals who have been released from incarceration within the last 90 days are disqualified from scheduling visits to a Bay County Jail inmate, and video visitation privileges are denied to inmates who have a court-issued no-contact order.

Remote video visits are 30 minutes long and offered weekly, with available timeslots in the morning, afternoon, and evening as detailed on the visitation service platform. The cost is 25 cents per minute. Visitors can pay this fee using a debit or credit card, or the inmate may cover the cost if they have sufficient funds in their account. In addition to video calls, visitors can send photos to an inmate for 50 cents per photo, e-cards for 25 cents each, and text messages for 25 cents each.

All visitors are expected to comply with jail visitation policies, including wearing appropriate clothing, avoiding foul or lewd language, and ensuring their vehicle is safely parked if calling from inside a motor vehicle. The complete Bay County Jail visitation rules, including the link to the vendor’s website, are provided on the Sheriff’s Inmate Visitation page.

Professional and legal visits with a Bay County inmate are subject to separate rules. For detailed instructions, one should refer to the Sheriff’s Attorney Visitation Guidelines page.

Mailing and Commissary Information

Inmates at the Bay County Jail can receive mail and commissary items from friends and family members.

Mail Items

Regarding mailed items, the jail facility generally accepts routine letters and family pictures. All mail is digitally scanned for the inmate’s access, and original copies are discarded. Mail should be addressed as follows:

Inmate Name, Housing Assignment, and Booking, Control, or Commissary Number

5700 Star Lane

Panama City, FL 32405

Senders should note these rules that apply to incoming mail at the Bay County Jail facility:

• The jail rejects mail deemed a threat to the facility, staff, or other inmates, as well as any mail of a sexual nature, that encourages violence, or provides instructions on making contraband.
• The jail considers acceptance of all other items, including paperback religious materials shipped directly from the manufacturer, on a case-by-case basis.

Commissary Items

Friends and family can arrange for gift packages or meals to be delivered to inmates at the Bay County Jail through a contracted third-party vendor. Orders can be placed either online via the vendor’s website or by phone. An inmate’s last name or commissary number is needed to complete each transaction. Senders should be aware of facility spending limits and that an inmate’s ability to receive packages may be temporarily suspended due to factors such as disciplinary status, dorm restrictions, or facility lockdowns.

For a complete list of approved commissary items and the vendor’s contact information (website and phone number), individuals can review the Sheriff’s Inmate Commissary Services webpage.

Note: A Bay County inmate’s commissary number can be found by accessing the jail’s online Inmate Search tool, and facility spending limits can be determined by contacting the vendor’s customer support team.