Find Costilla County Booking Reports

Costilla County booking reports are held by the sheriff's office in San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado, located at the southern end of the San Luis Valley along the New Mexico border. Costilla County is one of the smallest and most remote counties in the state. The sheriff's office handles all jail bookings and keeps arrest records on file. Anyone can request these records under Colorado law. Below is a guide to how the process works, where to search, and what fees to expect when requesting booking information from Costilla County.

Costilla County Sheriff Records

Every arrest in Costilla County leads to a booking at the county jail in San Luis. The sheriff's office runs the jail and creates booking records for each person brought in. The process includes fingerprints, a photograph, and a written record of the arrest details. These records are public.

To get booking information, call the Costilla County Sheriff's Office at 719-672-3302. Ask about the person by name. If you have a date of birth or the approximate date of arrest, give that to the staff as well. It helps them find the record faster. You can also go to the office in San Luis to make a request. The county is small enough that the staff can usually handle requests fairly quickly.

Costilla County does not operate an online inmate lookup system. Phone and in-person inquiries are the primary way to access booking data here.

Note: If you are calling from out of the area, keep in mind that San Luis is in a remote part of southern Colorado. Phone service to the sheriff's office is the most practical option for people who cannot drive there.

Statewide Booking Search Tools

Two Colorado systems can help you find booking-related information for Costilla County without calling the sheriff. The CBI Internet Criminal History Check costs $6.00 and searches arrest records from every county in the state. Enter a name and get results that cover bookings, charges, and case outcomes from across Colorado. If someone was arrested in Costilla County, their booking data should be in the CBI system.

The VINE system is free and focused on current custody. Search by name to see if someone is in the Costilla County jail right now. VINE also lets you register for notifications. You pick how you want to be alerted, whether that is by phone, text, or email, and then you get a message any time the inmate's status changes. The toll-free VINE line is 1-888-263-8463.

The CDOC Offender Search at doc.state.co.us covers state prison inmates. If someone was booked in Costilla County and later sentenced to state prison, you can find their prison record there. It does not cover county jail bookings.

Costilla County Booking Report Access Rights

Colorado's Criminal Justice Records Act makes booking reports public. Under C.R.S. 24-72-301, records of official actions, which include arrests, must be available for inspection. You do not have to explain why you want the records. The Costilla County Sheriff must respond to requests within 3 working days, with the option to extend by 7 more days if needed.

The CBI records check pulls data from all Colorado counties, making it useful for Costilla County searches.

The CBI website provides access to criminal history checks that include booking data from Costilla County and the rest of the state.

Under C.R.S. 24-72-302, arrest records must include the person's name, date of birth, the arresting agency, the date and place, and the charges filed. Costilla County booking reports follow this format.

Costilla County Records Request Costs

Fees for records requests are set by Colorado law. The first hour of research and retrieval is free. After that, agencies can charge up to $33.58 per hour. Copies cost $0.25 per page. For a simple request covering one booking report, the free first hour is usually enough. Larger or more complicated requests could cost more.

You must sign a statement agreeing not to use the records for direct solicitation of business for monetary gain. That is a requirement under the CCJRA that covers all criminal justice records in Colorado. The Costilla County Sheriff may ask you to fill out a short form before releasing any documents.

Note: Ask for a cost estimate before the staff starts a large search. That way you know what to expect.

Booking Photos and Sealed Records

Booking photos taken at the Costilla County jail are public records that you can request from the sheriff. Colorado law under C.R.S. 24-72-305.5 does restrict how those photos can be used. Publishing mugshots on a website and charging for their removal is a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000. Requesting them for personal use through the sheriff's office is fine.

Record sealing can take booking records off the table. The CBI automatically seals arrest records when no charges are filed within a year of the arrest, for arrests after January 1, 2022. Courts can also seal records by petition. A sealed Costilla County booking record will not appear in any search, and the sheriff cannot release it.

Nearby Counties

Costilla County sits at the southern tip of the San Luis Valley. These counties border it and each handle their own booking records.