This is a private reference site, not a Howard County government office. It cannot confirm custody, release anyone, post bond, schedule a visit, or retrieve an official booking record. For those actions, use the official office that controls the jail, court, police, or public-record file.
Official Howard County Contacts
Howard County local jail operations are handled by the Department of Corrections at the Jessup detention campus. Use the numbers below for current jail and booking questions.
Howard County Department of Corrections7301 Waterloo Road
Jessup, MD 20794
Main phone: 410-313-5200
Central Booking: 410-313-5300
For PREA or urgent safety concerns involving an incarcerated person, call 410-313-5200 and press 0 to reach the Shift Leader.
Public Information Act Requests
Howard County's PIA process is the documented route for county public records that are not posted online. Maryland's Public Information Act appears in the General Provisions Article, including definitions in Section 4-101 and the general inspection right in Section 4-201. County pages state that custodians must grant or deny a request within 30 days and provide notice within 10 working days if more time is needed.
Howard County PIA RequestsEmail: piarecords@howardcountymd.gov
Department of County Administration
Attn: Patrick Pope, Assistant CAO
3430 Court House Drive
Ellicott City, MD 21043 Howard County Police Records
Email: therecordssection@howardcountymd.gov
Howard County Police Department
Attn: Records Section
3410 Court House Drive
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Where to Look First
Pick the source based on the kind of record or custody stage involved.
- For someone currently in the local county jail system, start with jail inmate records, Central Booking at 410-313-5300, or the Detention Center at 410-313-5200.
- For booking photographs, read the jail roster mugshots page before assuming a public mugshot gallery exists.
- For charges filed after a Howard County arrest, use court records after a jail arrest and Maryland Judiciary Case Search.
- For facility-specific details, use the Detention Center, Central Booking, Jessup Correctional Institution, and Patuxent Institution pages linked in the footer.
- For a sentenced state prisoner, use the Maryland DPSCS incarcerated individual locator rather than the county jail path.
- For federal or immigration custody, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator, U.S. Marshals District of Maryland resources, or ICE ODLS as appropriate.