Lewis County Jail Roster Search
The Lewis County jail roster is the public log of people booked into the county jail in Chehalis. You can search the jail roster to find a person held by the Lewis County Sheriff's Office right now. Each entry shows the booking date, the current charges, and the custody status. This page walks you through how to search the Lewis County jail roster, what the sheriff's site holds, and who to call when the online roster is not showing a person you know was just arrested.
Lewis County Jail Overview
Lewis County Jail Roster Lookup
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail in Chehalis. The jail holds pre-trial detainees and sentenced inmates serving short terms. The Lewis County jail roster is the online face of the jail register. Basic booking info is open to the public under state law.
Type the person's last name on the sheriff's site and scan the results. The Lewis County jail roster will show the name, the book date, the current charges, and the housing location. If the person is not on the list, the booking may not be posted yet. Call the sheriff's records desk for a live custody check.
Pair the Lewis County jail roster with the Odyssey court portal to pull the court side. Odyssey covers district and municipal court cases by name. Tie the jail roster entry to the docket to see the next hearing date and the judge.
Note: The Lewis County jail roster does not include juvenile bookings. Juvenile records are closed under state law.
What the Lewis County Jail Roster Holds
Under RCW 70.48.100, every Washington jail must keep a public register. The Lewis County jail is bound by that rule. The register logs each booking, the charge, the hold reason, and the release. The Lewis County jail roster pulls the open parts of that register for public view.
A standard Lewis County jail roster entry will show:
- Inmate name and age
- Booking date and time
- Charges at intake
- Bond or bail amount
- Housing facility
- Next court date
Parts of the full file stay closed. Medical records, mental health notes, and security plans are all out. The sheriff's office keeps the full file and only shares it with criminal justice agencies, the courts, or the inmate with written consent. That is the rule under the state Public Records Act.
For older Lewis County jail roster data that has dropped off the live page, you will need a public records request. The full booking report and the release log can be pulled from the sheriff's records division.
Lewis County Public Records Requests
Under RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act, Lewis County has five business days to reply to a records request. You get the record, a denial, or a time estimate. You do not need to give a reason. You do not need to live in Lewis County. Send the request to the sheriff's records division or use the county portal at lewiscountywa.gov/records.
Ask for the booking report, the charge list, and the release info. Put the inmate name, the date of the booking, and the booking number if you have it. Medical records go through a separate process under HIPAA and state privacy rules.
The lead-in to state jail roster tools runs through the Washington DOC page.
Use the state tool once a person has moved out of the Lewis County jail roster and into a state prison after sentencing.
Custody Alerts and Victim Services
The VINE system covers Lewis County. Sign up at vinelink.com for free alerts when an inmate is booked, moved, or released. VINE is run with help from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The service sends alerts by call, text, or email.
The Washington DOC Incarcerated Search covers people held in state prisons after sentencing. The DOC was set up under RCW 72.09 and runs the state-level supervision of adults released to the community. The DOC also runs a Search Resources page that links to state and federal jail roster tools.
For a full Washington conviction history, use the WATCH service from the State Patrol.
Note: VINE alerts are confidential. The inmate does not see that you signed up for the alerts.
Federal Inmates from Lewis County
Some people arrested in Lewis County end up in federal custody. They will not be on the Lewis County jail roster. For federal inmates, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator at bop.gov/inmateloc. For people held by ICE, use the ICE Detainee Locator.
Locating a Lewis County Inmate Moved to Prison
People booked into the Lewis County Jail in Chehalis often face short holds. A plea or a short sentence may keep them in the county bed. A long sentence moves them to state prison. Once that move happens, the Lewis County jail roster will show the name as released even though the person is still locked up. That can throw off family members who keep checking the local list.
The fix is the Washington DOC Incarcerated Search. Type the name or the DOC number. The tool lists the current facility, the earliest release date, and the custody level. Moves between DOC beds can happen at any time, so check back. The DOC system runs on state law under RCW 72.09.
For federal moves out of Lewis County, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator. For a free alert when a person on the Lewis County jail roster is moved or let out, sign up with VINE. One alert can save hours of re-checks.