San Francisco County Jail in San Francisco, CA

County Jail #2 (Intake, Release, and Main City Facility): 425 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

County Jail #2 Phone (weekdays 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.): (415) 554-7225

County Jail #2 Phone (all other times): (415) 553-1444

County Jail #3 (San Bruno Facility): 1 Moreland Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066

County Jail #3 Phone: (650) 266-7500

Operated by: San Francisco Sheriff’s Department

The San Francisco County Jail isn’t a single building — it’s a system operated by the Sheriff’s Department across two custodial jails plus an Intake and Release Center. Anyone arrested in San Francisco is booked at the Intake and Release Center at 425 7th Street, then housed at one of the two active jails based on classification.

County Jail #2 at 425 7th Street has a rated capacity of 392 beds and houses all genders, including medical and psychiatric custodies.

County Jail #3 at 1 Moreland Drive in San Bruno (a 768-bed facility opened in 2005, formerly known as County Jail #5) is the system’s largest facility and houses male inmates. The older jails on the 6th and 7th floors of the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street are no longer used for housing — County Jail #3 on the 6th floor is a records-only unit, and County Jail #4 closed.

If a Loved One Has Just Been Booked

To confirm someone is in custody, use the Sheriff’s “Find a Person in Jail” online roster. You can search by name or SF Number (a permanent ID within the SF system). If you don’t have internet access, call County Jail #2 at (415) 554-7225 during business hours or (415) 553-1444 after hours and weekends.

A few things worth knowing in those first hours:

• Bookings can take several hours to appear in the system after arrest.
• All inmate phone calls are recorded. Don’t discuss what happened over the jail phone.
• Arraignment typically happens within 48 hours of arrest, excluding weekends and holidays. Criminal cases are heard at the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street.

Bail and Release

Bail amounts are set according to the published San Francisco bail schedule established by the Superior Court. There are three main paths to release:

• Cash bail — full amount paid up front, with the receipt delivered to the facility holding the inmate
• Bail bond — a licensed bondsman posts the full bail in exchange for a non-refundable premium, typically 10%
• OR release — release without payment, granted by a judge at arraignment based on community ties, employment, and criminal history

Bail can be posted 24 hours a day at the property window in County Jail #2 (425 7th Street). The bail receipt must be delivered to the facility where your loved one is housed in order to complete the release.

Visiting Someone in the San Francisco Jail System

On-site visiting happens at the facility where the inmate is housed — either County Jail #2 at 425 7th Street in San Francisco or County Jail #3 at 1 Moreland Drive in San Bruno. Schedule visits the day before through the Sheriff’s online portal, or confirm rules by calling County Jail #2 at (415) 554-7225 or County Jail #3 at (650) 266-7500.

A few things to know:

• All visits must be scheduled in advance.
• Arrive 30 minutes before the appointment for check-in and security screening.
• Bring valid, unexpired government photo ID.
• Limited lockers are available in the lobby for personal items — phones, bags, and other prohibited items cannot enter the visiting area.
• County Jail #2 has no public parking lot; plan to use BART, Muni, or street parking.
• County Jail #3 in San Bruno is accessible by SamTrans bus #141 from the San Bruno BART station, or by car off Moreland Drive.

If your loved one has been booked into the San Francisco County Jail system, our team is available around the clock. The sooner we’re involved, the more options we have. Learn how we defend Bay Area criminal cases.

Contact us for a confidential case evaluation.