Erie County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster, New York court records and New York prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Buffalo.
Checking the registry instead? Erie County sex offender registry
Erie County inmate search: who is in the Erie County jail. One name search reaches the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster and every other record type below.
Erie County is home to about 946,147 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), down 0.8% since the 2020 census: 5% of New York’s residents, the 8th most populous of its 62 counties. People arrested here are booked into the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the Erie County jail, in a New York state prison or in federal custody.
- Erie County jail bookingsThe Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster: who was booked, when, and on what charges
- New York court recordsthe statewide court source: case, charge and disposition
- New York prison recordsthe Department of Corrections: people serving a state sentence
- New York sex offender registryregistration, offense and address; one of the 58 registries in the search
- Federal custodyFederal Bureau of Prisons inmates
Erie County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility. It is an arrest-stage record: it says the person was booked on a date, on the charges written down at booking, and whether bond was set. It never says the person was convicted.
Most official rosters list only the people held now, so an entry usually comes down after release.
What a Erie County booking record shows
Erie County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility
Shows that someone was arrested in Erie County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster.
Filed in the County Court
Prosecutors decide what to charge. A felony goes to the County Court; a misdemeanor to the city, town or village court. The charge filed can differ from the charge at booking.
Disposition in the court file
Conviction, dismissal or acquittal is in the court record, kept by the court clerk. New York court records in the search carry it where the court publishes it.
An arrest record alone never proves a crime. Read the guide to arrest records for how bookings, charges and dispositions differ, and why a dismissed charge can still appear.
Erie County arrest records by city. Buffalo, Lackawanna and Kenmore and 3 more.
Erie County has 6 cities and towns of 10,000 people or more. Someone arrested by a city police department in Buffalo or Lackawanna is usually booked into the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility, unless the city runs a jail of its own, so a search of the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster covers arrests across the county.
City populations: US Census Bureau, 2023 estimates. Linked cities have a sex offender page with a map and a search by address.
Erie County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In New York, felony cases from Erie County are heard in the County Court, and misdemeanors in the city, town or village court. The court clerk keeps the case files, which is where a disposition, a sentence and later sealing or expungement orders are recorded.
New York’s statewide court source is part of a name search here, so a result can show how a case ended, not only that it began.
Finding a Erie County case yourself
- Get the full name and a date of birth; a case number, if you have one, is faster still.
- Ask the court clerk for Erie County, in Buffalo, by name and date of birth or by case number.
- For a certified copy of a judgment, ask the court clerk; certified copies usually carry a small fee.
Erie County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility when someone is booked. Where Erie County publishes it, it appears on the official roster, usually only while the person is held.
OffenderSearch does not show or sell booking photos, and never charges to remove anything. A photo on a commercial mugshot site is not a conviction, and several states restrict sites that charge to take one down.
Erie County sex offender registry. About 1,284 on our index have an address in Erie County.
The registry is a separate public record from arrests and court cases: it lists people required to register after a sex offense conviction, usually with an address. The count near an address is free.
Sex offenders in Erie County cities
Erie County criminal background check: search by name.
- Type a first and last name, and add an age or date of birth so the right person rises to the top.
- Tick “Also check criminal records” on the look-up page to add criminal records to the registry check (it uses 2 searches).
- 25 searches are free with a personal account. No card.
Not a consumer report. Hiring or renting? Use an FCRA-regulated check; see what an employer’s check shows.
Erie County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the Erie County jail?
Search the person's name here: the search covers the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster, New York state prisons, and federal custody, and each result names the facility. Adding an age or date of birth tells people with the same name apart.
Where are Erie County court records kept?
Felony cases from Erie County are heard in the County Court, and the court clerk keeps the case files. Misdemeanors go to the city, town or village court.
Does New York publish a statewide warrant list?
Not one that is part of our search. To check for a warrant in Erie County, ask the sheriff's office or the court clerk; a name search here still covers the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility roster and New York court records.
Is an arrest in Erie County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the Erie County Holding Center / Correctional Facility records an arrest and the charges at that moment. Whether the person was convicted is decided in the County Court (for a misdemeanor, the city, town or village court), and only the court record shows the outcome. Court records in the search carry that outcome where the court publishes it.
Does OffenderSearch show Erie County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where Erie County publishes a photo, it is on the sheriff's official roster. No law requires anyone to pay a website to remove a booking photo, and several states restrict sites that charge for it.
How many registered sex offenders live in Erie County?
About 1,284 on our index have an address in Erie County. The Erie County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a Erie County criminal record search to hire someone or rent to them?
No. A search here is not a consumer report. A hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision needs an FCRA-regulated report from a consumer reporting agency, with the person's written consent.