Search the Columbia County Detention Facility Roster

Columbia County Detention Facility Overview

The Columbia County Detention Facility is run by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. It sits at 389 NW Quinten St. in Lake City. The jail takes in people arrested by local police and people sentenced by the Columbia County courts. Most of the people held here are pre-trial, which means they are waiting for their case to move through court and have not been found guilty yet. Others are serving short county terms. Some low-risk inmates take part in a work release program and leave to work during the day. Once an inmate is sentenced to state prison, the staff prepares the paperwork and the person moves to the Florida Department of Corrections.

The jail has 340 beds. It holds men and women under minimum, medium, and maximum custody. Custody level is the security tier set for each person based on their charges and behavior. A captain commands the Detention Division, backed by two lieutenants and four shifts of detention officers. The jail runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office posts a public overview of the jail on its detention facility page, which lays out the command structure, intake, and inmate services.

That page confirms the 340-bed count, the 1987 build date, and the custody levels used to assign housing inside the jail.

Columbia County Jail Capacity and Population

The grounded figure for the Columbia County Detention Facility is its bed count. The Sheriff's Office lists 340 beds after a new housing section opened in 2022. A current daily population count for the jail is not published by the Sheriff's Office, and a public dashboard was not located. Because of that, the live headcount cannot be stated as a fact here. Older third-party listings sometimes show a 256-bed figure, but that number is out of date. Treat 340 as the official current capacity.

For an up-to-date count of who is in custody right now, the roster is the best public tool, and the jail's information line can confirm a single person's status by name.

How to Look Up an Inmate at the Columbia County Detention Facility

Current and recent inmates are listed on the county jail roster, the SmartWEB JAIL View inmate search. The roster is free, and basic searches need no login. You can search people in custody now, people released lately, or both at once. Use this system for the county jail. Do not use it for someone already sent to state prison.

1. Open the SmartWEB JAIL View inmate search page.
2. Type at least one search term: a last name, a first name, or a date of birth. For a common name, use both the last and first name.
3. Leave "Search For" set to "Current Inmates Only" for someone you think is in the jail now. Switch it to "Released" or "Both" to check a recent release.
4. Click Submit, then open the matching record to view charges, bond, booking date, and custody status.

If no record shows up, the booking may still be processing, the name may be spelled another way, or the person may have moved to another system. When that happens, call the jail directly or check the Florida Department of Corrections for a sentenced prisoner. For older bookings that have dropped off the roster, a public records request to the Sheriff's Office is the right channel.

Columbia County Detention Facility Address and Contact

The jail answers an information line around the clock. Call it to confirm whether someone is in custody, to get an inmate number for mail or money, or when a name is not showing on the roster yet. The Sheriff's Office headquarters is a separate building, so route jail business to the detention address below, not to the main office on US Highway 90.

Note: Confirm an inmate's current custody and the day's visitation rules by phone before you travel, since a person may have been released, moved, or held on another agency's order.

Visiting Someone at the Columbia County Detention Facility

The jail switched its visitation and phone vendors in 2025. Starting June 24, 2025, the Columbia County Detention Facility began moving from Securus to Smart Communications. The change was set to take 60 to 90 days, with short service gaps along the way. Family and friends now set up a video, phone, or email account at SmartInmate.com. Each inmate has a tablet for video visits, calls, email, and messages. The Sheriff's Office posted the details on its inmate visitation and telephone page.

Funds left on the old Securus account do not carry over to the new vendor, so the Sheriff's Office asked people to keep balances low during the move.

The notice confirms the vendor switch and the warning that account funds will not transfer, which is the key thing to know before adding money.

Mail, Phone, and Money at the Columbia County Jail

Mail to the Columbia County Detention Facility is not delivered the usual way. All personal mail is processed off-site for safety, then scanned into the inmate's tablet account. The inmate reads the scan, not the paper letter. Every envelope must carry the inmate's full name and inmate number. If you do not have the number, call the jail to get it.

Money for commissary can be added a few ways. The lobby kiosk takes cash, debit, or credit, and cash is the cheapest option. Funds usually post within about 15 minutes. You can also deposit online or by phone using the inmate's ID number.

Note: Mail goes to a Pinellas Park post office box, not to the Lake City jail address, so use the off-site format to keep letters from being returned.

Booking and Intake at the Columbia County Jail

Booking is where local custody begins. Officers bring an arrested person to the jail, and the staff records the charges, statute, bond, and booking date. At intake, the jail charges a one-time $15 subsistence fee that is non-refundable. This fee is applied each time a person is received. After booking, the record can appear on the SmartWEB roster with the charge, bond, and case details.

People who can post bond may be released before long custody begins. Those who cannot bond out stay for first appearance. First appearance is a short court hearing held every day at the jail by Zoom, within 24 hours of arrest. A judge reads the charges and sets the bond amount. Bond is the money or promise that lets a person leave while their case is open.

Medical staff screen new inmates. The jail has one registered nurse, four licensed practical nurses, and two area doctors under contract for medical and mental-health care. Classification then sets each person's custody level and housing, tracks sentence and gain time, and prepares the commitment packet for anyone headed to state prison. Three meals a day come from Summit Services under a dietitian-approved menu. For a full walk-through of how a record moves from arrest to court, the jail inmate records page covers the roster and search steps in more depth.

About the Columbia County Detention Facility

The jail was first built in 1987. In 2022 a new housing section opened to replace older units and raise the count to 340 beds. The facility is one of the largest parts of the Sheriff's Office and works closely with the courts, the State Attorney, and the Public Defender. Sheriff Wallace F. "Wallie" Kitchings, a lifelong Lake City resident, was elected in 2024 and leads the agency that runs the jail. Captain Robert Dees was named Jail Administrator in 2025.

You can read more about the agency's leader on the official meet the sheriff page.

The bio outlines Kitchings' long local law-enforcement career, from patrol deputy through chief deputy, before his 2024 election as sheriff.

Inmate programs round out the jail's day-to-day work. The facility offers a law library, a general library, religious services, visitation, and continued education for juveniles. Work release lets approved low-risk inmates hold a community job while finishing a sentence, which can help pay restitution and support families. Inmates send kiosk requests to staff about food service, PIN resets, and other needs. Medical care is described as meeting Florida Model Jail Standards and is inspected each year.