King County 24 Hour Booking
King County 24 Hour Booking records cover every person taken into the largest jail system in Washington State. The King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention runs two main facilities and keeps a live booking log for both. You can search the King County jail roster by name, date of birth, or booking number, and pull up current charges, bail, housing unit, and the next court date. This page walks through the JILS Subject Lookup Tool, the SCORE regional jail, and the public records path for any King County 24 hour booking search.
King County 24 Hour Booking Overview
King County Jail Inmate Lookup Service
The King County Subject Lookup Tool, also called JILS, is the official 24 hour booking search for the county. It is a real-time jail management system with a public web front end. An updated version lives at the Power Apps portal for the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. Both sites pull from the same data and show the same results.
JILS lets you search by last name, first name, date of birth, race, gender, facility, and booking number. You can also filter to people currently in custody. A partial name search works, which helps when the spelling is not clear. The system returns results for any booking within the last 365 days. A special 24-hour list shows, in order, every person booked during the past day.
Each result opens a record with a long list of fields. The page shows the full legal name, any aliases, the subject number, the booking number, the booking date and time, the arrest date, the arresting agency, the current charges, the charge status, the bail or bond for each charge, the housing unit, the court case number, the court assignment, the next court date, and a release date when one applies. That is more detail than most Washington counties share online.
The King County Sheriff's Office works with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention on jail services and records access for the county jail system.
Note: Booking photos in King County are not publicly shared through JILS, and medical and classification notes are confidential under state jail records law.
King County Jail Facilities
The county runs two main jails. The King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle is the primary adult jail. It sits at 500 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, and the phone number is (206) 296-1234. The reception desk closes briefly each day from 2:20 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. The facility houses adult male and female inmates at a range of classification levels.
The Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent is the second jail. Its address is 620 West James Street, Kent, WA 98032, and the main phone is also (206) 296-1234. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The MRJC houses both pre-trial and sentenced inmates and serves the south end of the county. Inquiries can also be sent to dcrjc.kcdc@kingcounty.gov.
Juvenile cases are handled separately at the Children and Family Justice Center. The phone number for juvenile inmate questions is (206) 263-9595. The juvenile system does not use JILS and has its own records process.
The King County Adult Jail Booking open data set is another useful source. It covers bookings from December 1, 2024 to the present and includes the booking number, the date, the charges, court info, and the release date. You can download the data as CSV or PDF.
SCORE Regional Jail in South King County
Several South King County cities do not use the county jail for their misdemeanor bookings. Instead they send people to the SCORE regional jail in Des Moines. SCORE stands for South Correctional Entity. The member cities are Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Maple Valley, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila.
The SCORE lookup shows recent bookings in the last 24 hours, recent releases, and the current inmate roster. You can search past bookings and releases too. SCORE handles short-term detention for misdemeanors. People with longer sentences or more serious charges may be transferred to the King County jail system.
How to Search King County 24 Hour Booking
Start with JILS. Type the last name first. Add a first name or date of birth to narrow the list. Check the "currently in custody" box if you only want live results. Pick a facility from the dropdown when you already know where the person was taken. The search is free and does not need an account.
If the person was booked by Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Maple Valley, Renton, SeaTac, or Tukwila police, try the SCORE site next. If neither tool shows a match, the person may be in a city jail like Seattle or in a neighbor county. Use the VINELink notification tool to set a free alert for any future custody change.
The JILS lookup is built on the jail register required by RCW 70.48.100, the core Washington law that keeps the 24 hour booking list public.
King County Public Records Requests
For older bookings or entries not shown in JILS, file a public records request. King County accepts requests through its public records portal. You can also mail or drop off a request at the Sheriff's Office at 516 Third Avenue, Room W-116, Seattle, WA 98104. The phone number for records inquiries is (206) 296-4155, and TTY relay is 711.
The county follows RCW 42.56, the Washington Public Records Act, and must respond within five business days. Copy fees are $0.15 per page as a standard rate. Some records are exempt under RCW 70.48.100, which is why booking photos and classification notes are not released through a routine request.
The Washington AG Open Government Resource Manual is a solid guide to the full process. For background on what counties can and cannot share, the MRSC jail services page is the go-to plain-language summary.
State Tools That Work With King County Data
When a King County case moves past the jail stage, several state tools help track it. The DOC Incarcerated Search finds anyone serving a state prison term. The Washington Odyssey Portal is the court case search. The Washington Courts case search covers district and municipal court files.
Conviction history is public under RCW 10.97. For a verified statewide check, the Washington State Patrol WATCH service is the official source.
Note: The JILS system is the main King County 24 hour booking tool, while SCORE, VINELink, and Odyssey fill in the gaps for city arrests and court outcomes.
King County Bail and Release Steps
Bail in King County is set at the first appearance in court, often the day after a 24 hour booking. The judge weighs the charge, ties to Seattle or the wider county, and any past failures to appear. A bail bond agent posts the bond at the jail, and the inmate is released after intake paperwork clears. Some low-level cases get a release on personal recognizance.
The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention coordinates with the King County District Court and Seattle Municipal Court for first appearances. Court dates show on JILS the next day. For free custody alerts, sign up at VINELink. The service covers the King County Correctional Facility, the Maleng Regional Justice Center, and the SCORE jail in Des Moines under RCW 70.48.100 standards.