Polk County 72 Hour Booking
Polk County 72 hour booking records come from the Sheriff's Office in Bartow. This is one of the largest counties in Florida by land area, and the jail handles a steady stream of arrests. The booking data gets posted to the Sheriff's website and is updated about once an hour. You can search by name or booking number, or browse the full booking report for the last 72 hours. Polk County makes this data available at no cost to the public, and you can check it from any device with web access.
Polk County Quick Facts
Polk County 72 Hour Booking Portal
The Polk County Sheriff's Office runs the detention center and keeps all booking records. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 9000, Bartow, FL 33831. You can call (863) 534-4800 for general questions or (863) 519-2700 to reach the jail directly. The Sheriff handles arrests from deputies and also processes bookings from local police departments in cities like Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Bartow.
The inmate search tool lets you look up anyone currently in custody at the Polk County jail. It shows name, booking number, charges, and bond status. The 72 hour booking report lists everyone booked in the past three days. Both of these tools are free to use and available around the clock. Under Florida Statute 119.01, booking records in Polk County are public information. The data refreshes about once per hour, so it stays fairly current throughout the day.
| Address | P.O. Box 9000, Bartow, FL 33831 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (863) 534-4800 |
| Jail Line | (863) 519-2700 |
| Website | polksheriff.org |
Search Polk County Arrest Records
Looking up a booking in Polk County takes just a minute. Go to the Sheriff's Office apps page and click on inmate search. Put in the person's name and hit search. The system pulls matching records right away. You will see booking dates, charges, and bond amounts for each result. If the person is not listed, they may have been released or the system has not caught up yet.
The 72 hour booking report does not require a name. It shows all arrests from the past three days in one list. Recent bookings appear at the top. This is a good option when you want to browse all the recent arrest activity in Polk County. Data on this page refreshes every hour, which is faster than what many other Florida counties offer. Polk County also has a detention center page with more info about the jail itself.
Note: If an inmate is not listed, they may no longer be in custody or there could be a short delay in the update cycle.
What Polk County Booking Records Show
Each booking record in Polk County contains a set of core data points. The record shows the person's full name, a unique booking number, the date and time of booking, all charges filed, and the bond amount for each charge. This info goes public as soon as it hits the system. It is accessible under Florida Statute 119.07, which gives everyone the right to inspect and copy public records.
Booking records do not tell the whole story. They show what someone was arrested for, not whether they were convicted. Charges can change as the case moves through court. Bond amounts also shift based on hearings and judicial decisions. Some sensitive details may be held back from the public under Florida Statute 119.071(2)(c), which lets law enforcement withhold certain facts tied to active investigations. But the core booking data in Polk County stays open for anyone to view.
Be careful about third-party sites that charge fees for booking data. The official Polk County Sheriff's site is free. Avoid paying for records you can get at no cost.
Polk County Booking Photos
A mugshot is taken every time someone gets booked into the Polk County jail. These photos become part of the public record. Under Florida Statute 901.43, charging a fee to remove a booking photo from a website is against the law. This protects people from exploitation after an arrest.
Statewide criminal history records from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement may also include Polk County booking data. The FDLE's CCHInet system charges $24 for a formal check. The screenshot below shows the Florida Sheriffs Association jail system, which collects booking data from counties like Polk.
This system holds over 22 million records and refreshes every hour with new booking data from participating counties across Florida, including Polk County.
Polk County Bond and Bail Info
Bond amounts appear on the Polk County booking record next to each charge. Standard bonds apply to many common offenses. More serious charges may require a judge to set bond at a first appearance hearing. No bond means the person cannot be released until a court says otherwise.
To post bond in Polk County, you go to the jail in person or hire a licensed bail bond agent. A cash bond needs the full amount paid up front. Bail bond companies take about 10 percent as their fee, and that portion is not refundable. Call the Polk County jail at (863) 519-2700 for bond questions. Juvenile records stay sealed under Florida Statute 985.04 and are not part of the public booking report.
Polk County Records Beyond 72 Hours
Booking records older than three days are no longer on the 72 hour report. To get past records from Polk County, you can submit a public records request to the Sheriff's Office. The FDLE public records page covers how to request state-level records that go beyond what the local booking report offers. The Florida Department of Corrections tracks people who move from county jail to state prison.
The Florida Department of State jail directory also lists links to all county jail search portals. It is a good starting point if you need to look across multiple counties near Polk. Keep in mind that data sources change, so always verify what you find with the official Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Cities in Polk County
Polk County covers a large area with many cities and towns. Lakeland is the biggest city in the county by population. All arrests across Polk County go through the Sheriff's Office booking process, regardless of which city the arrest was made in.
Other cities in Polk County include Winter Haven, Bartow, Lake Wales, Haines City, Auburndale, and Davenport. All bookings from these places funnel through the county jail system.
Nearby Counties
Polk County borders eight other counties. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, check the county that covers that area. The location of the arrest decides which jail handles the booking.