Pierce County 72 Hour Booking Records
Pierce County 72 hour booking records track every person held at the Pierce County Corrections Bureau in Tacoma over the last few days. The county runs the LINX system, an online tool that lets the public search the jail roster and recent bookings by name. Anyone can use it. You do not need a login. The roster covers arrests by the Sheriff, Tacoma Police, Lakewood Police, Puyallup Police, and other contract cities. This page shows you how to search Pierce County booking records, where to find them, and what each entry tells you.
Pierce County Booking Overview
Pierce County LINX Booking System
LINX stands for Legal Information Network Exchange. It is the online portal Pierce County uses to share court and jail data with the public. The system covers Superior Court cases, the live jail roster, and links out to municipal court records. You reach it at linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us. The page is free. Searches are case insensitive. You can use partial names with the percent sign as a wildcard. For example, "Sm%" returns Smith, Smyth, and Smart.
To run a subject search you enter a first and last name. Date of birth is optional but it helps narrow the results. The hits come back in a table that shows a Subject ID, name, date of birth, gender, race, and how many times that person has been booked. Click a name to open the full subject page. From there you see aliases, physical description, every past booking, and any related court cases. Pierce County built LINX so reporters, family members, and the general public can pull this info without making a phone call.
Lead in image with a link to the Pierce County LINX search page.
The LINX search form lets you look up a subject by name and pull every booking on file along with the related court cases.
Note: The LINX system is the official Pierce County tool for jail roster and Superior Court searches and access is free with no account required.
Pierce County Jail Roster Search
The live jail roster lives at linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us/linxweb/Booking. It shows everyone currently held at the Pierce County Jail. You can search by name or by booking ID. The roster updates hourly. Each row shows the inmate name, booking date, charge, warrant type, charging agency, court jurisdiction, court date, sentence date or bail, sentence or fine, and release date. That is the full set of public release fields under RCW 70.48.100.
The roster covers bookings from many agencies. The Pierce County Sheriff brings in the most. Tacoma Police, Lakewood Police, Puyallup Police, Federal Way Police, University Place, and Gig Harbor all book into the same facility. So do smaller contract cities. If a person was arrested anywhere in Pierce County, they likely show up here within hours of intake.
Lead in to the second image with a link to the Pierce County website.
The Pierce County government site links out to the Sheriff, Corrections Bureau, and the LINX online search tool.
Pierce County Corrections Bureau
The Pierce County Corrections Bureau runs the main jail at 910 Tacoma Avenue South in Tacoma. The facility holds about 1,200 inmates of all classification levels. A new jail is under construction and is set to open by 2026. For records calls go to 253-798-4620. For general jail info call 253-798-4590. The Sheriff's main office sits next door at 930 Tacoma Avenue South. You can reach the Sheriff at 253-798-7530.
The booking process at intake creates the record you see online. Staff log the arrest, take prints, run a warrant check, and assign a booking number. From that point on the case file lives in LINX. Most of the booking entry is public under state law. But booking photos and the bulk of the inmate file are confidential under RCW 70.48.100. Those records can only go to the inmate, to a third party with a signed release, or by court order.
Public Records Requests in Pierce County
If you need more than what shows on the public roster you have to file a records request. The Pierce County Sheriff's Public Disclosure Unit handles these. The address is 3602 Pacific Avenue S. #100, Tacoma WA 98418. The phone is 253-798-4800. The fax is 253-798-7366. You can email SHRpublicrecords@piercecountywa.gov. The Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 sets the rules for what they must release and how fast.
Within five business days the unit must take one of four steps. They must give you the records, send a written estimate of when they will, ask for clarification, or deny the request and cite the legal exemption. That clock starts the day they get your request. Big requests can take longer if records have to be pulled from many files. Pierce County will close out a request if you do not pay or pick up the records within 30 days of notice.
Fees follow the state schedule. Paper copies cost $0.15 per page. Electronic copies cost $0.10 per gigabyte. Body worn camera video costs $0.63 per minute of redaction time. CDs and USB drives are billed at device cost plus postage. You pay by check or money order made out to Pierce County. Personal checks are not taken. Payment must clear before any records go out. The first 100 pages of a Sheriff records request are free.
Note: Booking photos in Pierce County are not released to the public under state law and only the data fields listed in RCW 70.48.100 may be shared without consent.
What Appears on a Booking Record
Each LINX booking entry tracks a single trip through the Pierce County jail. The booking section shows the booking number, date and time, arresting agency, booking agency, facility, and the release date if the person is out. It also tracks days in custody and the housing unit. The charges section lists each statute or city ordinance, the charge text, severity (felony, gross misdemeanor, misdemeanor, or traffic), bail amount, hold type, warrant number, court jurisdiction, and case number.
The cases section pulls in any related court files. You see the case number, court type (Superior, District, or Municipal), filing date, charge text, status, next hearing, and any sentencing info. The aliases section lists name variations, maiden names, and known false IDs. State law under RCW 10.97, the Criminal Records Privacy Act, governs which parts of the criminal history can be shared and which must stay sealed.
Related Pierce County Search Tools
LINX is not the only way to look up cases tied to a 72 hour booking. The statewide Washington Courts Odyssey Portal covers many of the lower courts. The Find My Court Date tool lets you pull a hearing schedule by name or case number. For state prison status use the DOC Incarcerated Search. For active state warrants check the DOC Warrant Search.
For statewide jail booking data look at the WASPC JBRS system. South Sound 911 is the records coordinator for Sheriff incident reports, CAD reports, traffic citations, and 911 audio. Their site is at southsound911.org. 911 audio is only kept about 90 days so move fast if you need it. For federal cases out of the Tacoma courthouse use PACER.
Cities in Pierce County
Pierce County booking covers arrests from many cities. Each police force books into the main jail in Tacoma.
Other cities served by the Pierce County Corrections Bureau include Federal Way, University Place, Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake, Sumner, and Fife. All bookings flow through the LINX system regardless of which agency made the arrest.