The City of Tiffin hosts this lookup, and the Sheriff's corrections page links to it. Here is the routine:

1. Tap the jail lookup link from any phone, tablet or computer.
2. Wait for the screen to finish loading. It runs on JavaScript, so if you see only white space, reload or swap to a different browser.
3. Key in a last name. Long list? Type a first name as well. Nothing at all? Shorten the spelling.
4. Match the age and booking date to be sure it is them.
5. Jot down the booking number plus any bond figure.

Booking officers can also run the name for you at 419-448-5074.

An empty result rarely tells the whole story. Think through these reasons:

• Paperwork first. The record appears only once fingerprints, photos and forms wrap up.
• Quick release. Plenty of people walk out with a ticket, a schedule bond or a judge's signature-only release.
• Held next door. Getting picked up past the county line may mean a cell in Findlay, Fremont, Norwalk or Bucyrus.
• Moved up the chain. A prison term or a federal case sends people to state or federal custody.
• Under 18. Teens usually go to the youth center on State Route 100.
• Odd spelling. Search a birth name, a married name or the hyphenated form.

Officers at the jail can clear this up. Dial 419-448-5074.

Nearly every adult booked here goes to one building:

• The county jail, 3040 South State Route 100, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-448-5074. This is the county's lone adult jail. It first opened in May 1994. A 2007 addition brought a 60-bed direct supervision unit and a 40-bed dorm. A Community Work Crew program operates from the jail as well.

Fostoria straddles Hancock and Wood counties. People picked up by agencies past the county line could be booked at these neighbors:

• Hancock County Jail, 200 W. Crawford Street, Findlay, OH 45840, 419-424-7202
• Sandusky County Jail, 2323 Countryside Drive, Fremont, OH 43420, 419-332-2613 (Sheriff's Office)
• Huron County Jail, 255 Shady Lane Drive, Norwalk, OH 44857, 419-668-1996
• Crawford County Jail, 3613 Stetzer Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820, 419-562-7906

Photos on the online record can come and go. For mugshots, ask the department behind the arrest. Deputy arrests and jail records go through the Sheriff's Office at 419-447-3456.

• Under R.C. 149.43, the Public Records Act, many jail records are open to the public. Several Ohio sheriffs display booking photos online.
• Websites that demand a fee to pull down a booking photo break Ohio law (R.C. 2927.22). Victims of that scheme can sue for $10,000 or more.
• For a photo ICE took, file on its records request page.
• Booking shots made by FBI, DEA or other federal agents are withheld. U.S. Marshals are the rare exception and may release one during a fugitive search.

VINE comes free from the Ohio Attorney General. A quick lookup tells you whether a person is locked up, and which building holds them. Coverage spans county jails, Ohio prisons and DYS youth sites.

• Look a person up or register on VINELink, or dial 800-770-0192 at any hour.
• Pick your alert style: phone call, text message or email.
• Notices cover release, moving to another site, escape and death.
• Nobody signs you up. You have to enroll on your own.

Computer updates can trail real life, so double-check with the jail at 419-448-5074.

Under R.C. 2937.011, Ohio judges pick the mildest conditions that still get a person back to court and protect the community. Here is what that means:

• Misdemeanors. Each court has a set bail chart. A clerk or judge applies it, and if neither is available, the jailer can.
• Felonies. A judge or magistrate alone decides. Someone still in custody gets a bail hearing no later than two court days past the arrest.
• Bond types. A signed promise, 10 percent down in cash (90 percent returns when every condition is met), the full cash amount, real estate, or a surety bond. Municipal courts accept credit cards.
• Held without bond. For the most serious charges, release can be denied, but only after prosecutors meet a clear and convincing standard at a hearing.

State law limits bond posting to a courthouse, a municipal building or a jail. Phone 419-448-5074 to learn which window takes payment and when. Bondsmen need an Ohio Department of Insurance license (800-686-1526), must stick to the state-filed premium, and cannot demand a vehicle or property title. Our Seneca bail guide digs deeper, and the Ohio bail law overview sums up state rules.

Booking staff at 419-448-5074 can share the listed charge. Court files sit with these offices:

• Misdemeanors, traffic and first felony hearings: Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court, Tiffin location, Justice Center, 103 East Market Street, Suite 201, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-448-5418.
• Cases from Fostoria plus Jackson and Loudon townships: the Fostoria location, 213 S. Main Street, 2nd floor, Fostoria, OH 44830, 419-435-8139.
• Indicted felonies: Clerk of Courts, Justice Center, 103 East Market Street, Suite 101, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-0671.

Felony charging choices belong to the Prosecuting Attorney, 79 S. Washington Street, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-448-4444. Every office will want the legal name and date of birth.

Here, the judge appoints a private attorney for anyone who truly can't afford one. The process goes like this:

1. During the first hearing, the accused asks the court for appointed counsel.
2. A financial statement covering pay, savings and expenses gets filled in.
3. The court reviews it and rules on eligibility. An application fee of up to $25 might apply.

A person who sits in jail without a lawyer by the second bail hearing must be given one if they are poor. Statewide, the Office of the Ohio Public Defender guides this system from 250 East Broad Street, Suite 1400, Columbus, OH 43215, 614-466-5394. Paying for a private lawyer remains an option as well.

Every visit happens by video through Cidnet. Get ready this way:

• Open a Cidnet account well before visiting day.
• Connect from home, or sit at a lobby station inside 3040 South State Route 100, Tiffin, OH 44883.
• Sessions run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
• Blocks are 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
• Expect a single 30-minute session per person each visiting day.

Clothing rules and tech trouble go to 419-448-5074. Our jail visiting guide has general pointers.

Deposits buy chips, shampoo, paper and other items from the jail store. Families have two choices:

• Lobby kiosk: found inside 3040 South State Route 100, Tiffin, OH 44883.
• Web deposit: JailATM, the service named by the jail for families.

Fees and caps change, so check at 419-448-5074. Never tuck bills into a letter. Dig deeper with our money guide or the commissary guide.

Phone calls and email ride on the same system that runs video visits. Using them is your choice. With an account, you can stay in touch on days without a visit.

Jail conversations can be monitored, so hold off on case facts until a meeting with defense counsel. Ask 419-448-5074 about rates and setup. Our phone guide and jail email guide fill in the details.

Ring 419-448-5074 before an envelope goes out. Three questions save trouble:

1. What exact address goes on the front, and does a booking number belong on it?
2. Are photos, greeting cards or paperbacks okay?
3. Must letters be on plain white paper?

Put the full legal name on each envelope along with a return address. Our jail mail guide covers typical rules.

Personal items taken at booking are logged and held until release. To pick something up, or to learn how items come back when a person leaves, call 419-448-5074 ahead of time. Check whether a signed form is required, and which photo ID works. Then head to 3040 South State Route 100, Tiffin, OH 44883 with a photo ID.

Medical and mental health departments work inside the jail. Is your loved one hurt, ill or on regular medication? Call 419-448-5074, ask for the medical department, and list each pill or shot, the dose, and the prescriber's office number.

From inside, the person should also send a written medical request so the need is on file. Real emergencies go to 911. On the phone with Tiffin jail staff, name any fear of suicide or a mental breakdown directly.

Countywide warrants are served by sheriff's deputies, and Tiffin and Fostoria officers handle their own cities. To ask about an active warrant, call the Sheriff's Office at 419-447-3456 and ask for Records, Tiffin police at 419-447-2323, or Fostoria police at 419-435-8573. To check the case behind it, ask the municipal court clerk at 419-448-5418 for misdemeanors or, on a felony charge, call the Clerk of Courts at 419-447-0671. Clearing it starts with a lawyer, who can work with the issuing court to set a new hearing. Visit the Clerk of Courts at the Justice Center, 103 East Market Street, Suite 101, Tiffin, OH 44883.

Each court keeps its own calendar. Reach the one handling the case:

• Municipal court, Tiffin location: 103 East Market Street, Suite 201, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-448-5418.
• Municipal court, Fostoria location: 213 S. Main Street, 2nd floor, Fostoria, OH 44830, 419-435-8139. Clerk hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and court sits Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Common Pleas Court I: 103 East Market Street, Suite 401, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-2982.
• Common Pleas Court II: 103 East Market Street, Suite 301, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-448-1302.
• Clerk of Courts, for felony records: 103 East Market Street, Suite 101, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-0671.

For what each hearing means, read our Seneca court guide.

U.S. charges from Tiffin, Fostoria and nearby towns belong to the Northern District of Ohio, which sits in Toledo. Its building is the Ashley U.S. Courthouse, 1716 Spielbusch Avenue, Toledo, OH 43604, 419-213-5500.

1. Within days, a detention hearing before a federal magistrate settles on supervised release or pretrial jail (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Until trial, the U.S. Marshals choose a bed for each federal prisoner, frequently inside a contract county jail. Their Toledo office can say which one: 1716 Spielbusch Avenue, Suite 313A, Toledo, OH 43604, 419-376-3094.
3. Defendants short on money can get the Federal Public Defender, 617 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604, 419-259-7370.
4. After sentencing, enter a register number or name in the BOP inmate locator.

Immigration cases tend to unfold in four steps:

1. Agents send a detainer, Form I-247A, asking the Tiffin jail to delay a release.
2. Staff may keep them for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)). That gap gives agents a chance to pick them up.
3. Detroit hosts the ICE field office over Ohio, 985 Michigan Avenue, Suite 207, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-771-6601. Closest Ohio branch: 675 Brooksedge Boulevard, Westerville, OH 43081, 614-948-4100.
4. Track them on the ICE Online Detainee Locator by A-number. Without one, use the name and the country of birth.

No signed Ohio law adds detainer rules on top of this. Curious about a 287(g) agreement for this Sheriff? Call 419-447-3456.

A prison sentence moves custody to ODRC (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction). Staff at a state reception center screen and classify each new arrival. A permanent placement follows. Some people sit in the county jail a little while before the bus comes.

• Use the ODRC offender lookup and enter a name.
• For prison visits, mail and deposits, check our Ohio prisons page.

When the move will happen is something the jail can answer at 419-448-5074.

Juveniles never share space with adults at the Tiffin jail. A Common Pleas division, the Juvenile Court, hears youth charges from its Justice Center office, 103 East Market Street, Suite 5101, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-4912.

A held teen is most likely at the Seneca County Youth Center, 3120 S. State Route 100, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-7852. A judge has 72 hours at most to hold a detention hearing (Juv.R. 7), and a court day arriving earlier moves it up. If the judge orders no detention, the child goes home to a parent. Juvenile files stay confidential.

Eight towns keep their own departments. Deputies patrol the townships and every spot without one.

• Sheriff's Office, 3040 S. State Route 100, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-3456
• Tiffin Police, 51 E. Market Street, Tiffin, OH 44883, 419-447-2323
• Fostoria Police, 213 S. Main Street, Fostoria, OH 44830, 419-435-8573
• Attica Police, 20 S. Main Street, Attica, OH 44807, 419-426-3621
• Bettsville Police, 308 Emma Street, Bettsville, OH 44815, 419-986-5748
• Bloomville Police, 10 Beeghly Ave., Bloomville, OH 44818, 419-983-2100
• Green Springs Police, 120 Catherine Street, Green Springs, OH 44836, 419-639-2211
• New Riegel Police, 6823 W. TR 94, New Riegel, OH 44853, 419-595-3026
• Republic Police, 219 Washington Street, Republic, OH 44867, 419-585-5981

Highway crashes and traffic stops often involve state troopers. Pick the right post from the Ohio State Highway Patrol post finder. Any of these agencies can book a person into the jail on State Route 100.