The lookup links to a free statewide custody tool. Try it this way:

1. Open the lookup page in any browser.
2. Put in the person's surname and given name, spelled as on their ID.
3. When several people match, use clues on the screen, like age or the holding facility, to choose.
4. Note the location and status you see.
5. Phone the jail to double-check before you travel or put money down.

Because the tool reaches across Virginia, it can also show a person who sits in a different locality's jail. No match? The next answer lists the likely reasons.

An empty screen does not prove release. Check this list:

• Booking is under way. Photos, fingerprints and paperwork eat up time.
• A paper summons. For a minor charge, an officer may give a slip with a hearing date and skip booking altogether.
• A quick release. The magistrate may have approved a bond or a signed promise, and the person walked out.
• Another jail. Someone picked up in a different locality sits in that area's jail.
• Prison or federal custody. The prison, federal and ICE answers below explain these.
• Another spelling. Try initials, a former surname or a hyphenated name.
• A child. Under-18s are not booked here.

Staff can settle it fast. Ring 434-977-6981 with the legal name and birthday ready.

Nearly every adult lands at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, 160 Peregory Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-977-6981. A regional jail authority runs it, so the Sheriff does not. Its mail-style address names Charlottesville, yet the building stands on that city's southern edge near Avon Street Extended.

• Three localities, one jail: the county, Charlottesville and Nelson County all book arrests there.
• Work release: the jail runs a program for people allowed out to work. Ask staff about who is eligible.
• Housing: the jail decides where each person sleeps, so ask by phone about the exact unit.

A person arrested far from home goes to the jail in the place of arrest. Jail staff here can say whether a move is planned. Children are handled in a later answer.

We cannot say the online lookup displays mugshots. You still have a route. Under Va. Code § 2.2-3706, Virginia's FOIA statute, police and sheriffs must release photos snapped when an adult is booked, unless doing so would hurt an open felony investigation.

• Call whoever made the arrest. County police: 434-296-5807. Sheriff's Office, 411 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902: 434-972-4001.
• Booking photos of minors are never public.
• ICE's own booking pictures need a request through the ICE records page.
• Other federal agencies seldom release mugshots to the public. The U.S. Marshals Service can break that habit, such as when a suspect is wanted and at large.

VINE costs nothing. It follows people through city and county jails, regional jails and state prisons, shows where one is held and also sends alerts.

• Register at vinelink.com or phone 800-467-4943, any hour.
• Pick call, text or email.
• Type in the person's name and confirm the match.

Treat an alert as a bonus. When a pickup time or someone's safety hangs on it, ring the jail too at 434-977-6981.

The first decision belongs to a magistrate, and that office answers at any hour. It sits at 1610 Avon Street Extended, Charlottesville, VA 22901, 434-977-0220. Virginia treats release as the default. Only strong reasons to fear flight or real danger allow a denial (Va. Code § 19.2-120).

• The magistrate picks among three kinds of release: a signed promise, an unsecured bond, or a secured bond.
• An unsecured bond costs nothing now. The person owes money only after a missed hearing.
• A secured bond needs cash, home equity or a bondsman.
• Terms may add limits. Examples are staying away from the victim, a curfew, drug screens or a GPS ankle monitor.
• If you hire a bondsman, the state limits the fee to between 10 and 15 percent, and that money does not come back.
• Anyone still held when the court next sits gets a bail review from a judge at the General District Court, 350 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4004.

Where and how to pay a bond is best asked of the jail at 434-977-6981. Our bail guide lays out the full process, and Virginia's bail laws cover the state rules.

The jail knows the booking charge. A court clerk confirms what was filed once a case opens.

• General District Court, which hears misdemeanors, traffic tickets and early felony hearings: 350 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4004.
• Circuit Court clerk, for felony trials: Albemarle County Courthouse, Court Square, 350 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4083.
• Virginia's Online Case Information System lets you look up records by name from General District Court (crime and traffic), adult criminal matters in family court, and every Circuit Court docket. Children's files are not in it.

The Commonwealth's Attorney chooses which charges to pursue. That office is at 410 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4093.

Speak up at the first court date, or earlier to the magistrate: the person cannot pay for counsel. The accused lists income and bills in a sworn statement, and the judge then decides if the court will pay (Va. Code § 19.2-159).

• The Charlottesville Public Defender serves this county and the city: 403 E. Market Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-951-6300.
• The clerk of the General District Court, 434-972-4004, can give out the financial form.
• Where the office cannot serve, the judge may appoint a private attorney from the Commission's list.

Hiring your own attorney is allowed too. Do it soon, because an attorney can explain what each hearing means.

Here are the jail's published rules:

• Visits happen in person, one 30-minute visit each month.
• No more than 3 visitors can come together.
• Visitors must appear on the person's approved list.
• Spots go to whoever arrives first.
• Video visits can be arranged through smartinmate.com.

The day depends on the person's housing group, and the schedule shifts. Phone 434-977-6981 before you drive over. Our visit guide offers first-timer advice.

Funds on the account buy snacks, toiletries and similar items. The jail accepts deposits in these ways:

• The kiosk in the lobby at 160 Peregory Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22902.
• By phone, or online at accesscorrections.com.
• Through smartinmate.com, for phone and tablet deposits.
• Money orders and cashier's checks go to the ACRJ Finance Department at the jail's street address.

Cash and personal checks are refused. For limits, call 434-977-6981. Deposits are explained in the money guide, and what the money buys is in the commissary guide.

The jail chooses the services and the rates. The company behind video visits, smartinmate.com, also takes phone and tablet deposits. To get the details, ring 434-977-6981 and ask:

• How does the person place a call to me?
• What is the price per call, and how do I add funds?
• Do tablets or text messages exist here?

Expect recording on most calls, so avoid chatting about the case on these lines. More help: phone guide, email and text guide.

Do not write to the street address. Everything goes to a processing center in Florida, in four lines:

1. Line 1: the person's first and last name, then the jail ID
2. Line 2: Mail Processing Center (put c/o in front of it)
3. Line 3: PO Box 9197
4. Line 4: Seminole, FL 33775-9197

• Phone 434-977-6981 and ask for the mail ID number.
• Outside sellers may not send books, magazines or packages.
• Skip cash and personal checks.

Our mail guide has more help with letters and cards.

The jail holds whatever was logged at booking. The person has to complete a Property Release Form. Only the single name listed on it can collect the items, and that individual signs for them. Ring 434-977-6981 to learn pickup hours and what to carry. A photo ID is smart.

The jail sits at 160 Peregory Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22902.

Phone the jail at 434-977-6981 and ask for whoever handles medical care. State the person's name, the illness or injury, and each medicine with its amount. A doctor's number helps if you have it.

Tell your person to put in a written request for care too. A life-threatening emergency means 911. Mention a mental health crisis early in the call.

The Sheriff's Office, 411 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4001, and county police, 434-296-5807, serve warrants. Phone either one and ask if a warrant exists. Court records help too: dial the General District Court clerk, 434-972-4004, or use Virginia's online case system. Hire or call a lawyer before you turn up anywhere. Then ask the issuing court's clerk how to get the matter heard. For felony records, contact the Circuit Court clerk at Court Square, 350 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4083.

Ask the court that owns the case. Clerks work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• General District Court, 350 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4004: misdemeanors, traffic, bail reviews and first felony hearings.
• Circuit Court clerk, Court Square, 350 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4083: felony trials, plus appeals from district court.
• Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, 411 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-979-7165: children and family-member cases.

Names can be searched online too. Open the court guide to see how each hearing fits in.

The Western District of Virginia hears this county's federal cases. The Charlottesville courthouse is at 255 W. Main Street, Room 304, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-296-9284.

1. The first federal hearing is about detention. A judge then rules on custody or release using 18 U.S.C. § 3142.
2. The Marshals Service picks the cell until trial, and that is often a bed rented from a local jail. Ask its office at 255 West Main Street, Suite 204, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-293-8692.
3. Federal defenders work at 401 E. Market Street, Suite 106, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-220-3380.
4. After a sentence is imposed, switch to the BOP inmate locator.

Here is the order:

1. ICE begins with a detainer, Form I-247A, that goes to the jail holding the person.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), a jail may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. ICE collects the person. Virginia and D.C. belong to the Washington Field Office, 14797 Murdock Street, Chantilly, VA 20151, 703-633-2100.
4. The ICE Online Detainee Locator needs the person's full name and birth country. Knowing the A-number lets you skip that.

A governor's directive from February 2026 tells state agencies to cancel any 287(g) pacts with ICE. It names state agencies only. Ask the jail how it handles a detainer.

Someone sentenced to state time can wait in local cells until the Department of Corrections has a free bed. Next comes an intake center, where staff decide on the right prison.

• Look the person up in the state's inmate and supervisee locator, using a name or DOC number. The data refreshes daily.
• The department's main line is 804-674-3000.
• For visiting and mailing rules at each prison, open our guide to Virginia state prisons.

Minors are housed apart from adults. A magistrate, intake officer or judge may order a child held, and that happens at the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center, 195 Peregory Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-951-9340.

The hearing takes place at the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, 411 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-979-7165. Intake questions go to the court service unit, 401-407 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-979-7191. These files stay off the public online search.

Several agencies make arrests here:

• County police, 1600 5th Street, Suite D, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-296-5807. This is the main patrol force, and it also patrols Scottsville.
• Sheriff's Office, 411 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-972-4001. Deputies guard the courts and serve papers and warrants. For custody questions, call the jail at 434-977-6981.
• Scottsville Police Department, 105 Main Street, Scottsville, VA 24590. Use the county police number above.
• University of Virginia Police can arrest here too. Ask the jail where the person is held.
• Virginia State Police, Division Three, 240 Third Division Loop, Appomattox, VA 24522, 434-352-7128. Troopers from this division serve the county.