Yates County Jail Overview
Yates County Jail is operated by the Yates County Sheriff's Office as a county jail and local correctional facility. The State Commission of Correction county jail list identifies the jail at 227 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527, with the jail phone number 315-536-5175. It is inside the Yates County Public Safety Building, not a remote prison campus.
The jail holds pretrial detainees, people serving local jail sentences, state-ready or parole-hold categories when present, and federal board-ins shown in state population reports. It is not a DOCCS state prison, BOP prison, or ICE detention facility. Once a person is sentenced to state prison, the custody search normally moves from the Yates County Jail feed to New York DOCCS incarcerated lookup.
Yates County Jail Capacity
The county's April 30, 2026 Public Safety Facility information piece lists Yates County Jail at 60 beds. The NY DCJS monthly jail population report prepared June 1, 2026 lists the May 2026 Yates County Jail census at 32, with 33 in-house, 3 boarded out, 3 boarded in, 5 sentenced, 14 federal, 0 technical parole violators, 0 state readies, and 13 other unsentenced people. The annual DCJS trend report lists a 2025 annual average daily census of 32.
The county's facility planning materials focus less on raw crowding and more on the age and layout of the jail. Yates County describes the building as more than 50 years old, linear, and pre-existing or non-conforming under Commission of Correction audits. Repair work is hard because the jail runs 24/7 and repairs can affect custody movement, lockdowns, doors, locks, ventilation, and security controls.
Search Yates County Jail Records
The correct online system for Yates County Jail is the sheriff's Incarcerated Individuals Search. The feature is exposed through the official app/site manifest and public feed at the Yates inmate feed. It covers current local jail custody, not sentenced state-prison custody or complete court-case history.
- Open the Yates County Sheriff's Office site or app and choose Incarcerated Individuals Search.
- Search by last name first because entries use a LAST, FIRST display format.
- Use date-descending sort when looking for recent bookings or custody updates.
- Open the entry and note the inmate ID, booked date, custody status, and holding facility code.
- If the person is not listed, call 315-536-5175, use FOIL, or search DOCCS, BOP, ICE ODLS, or VINE based on the custody type.
The official Yates correctional facility page identifies the jail, address, phone, email, and visit scheduling windows.
The screenshot supports the local facility details used for custody routing, while the inmate feed supplies the current roster-style search.
Yates County Jail Contact
Use the jail number for custody, visiting, and jail-rule questions. The sheriff's main office handles broader sheriff business and civil office routing. Records that are not visible online can be requested through Yates County FOIL or the sheriff FOIL PDF.
Yates County Jail
227 Main Street
Penn Yan, NY 14527
315-536-5175
Jail custody, visiting, and rules line
Yates County Sheriff's Office
227 Main Street
Penn Yan, NY 14527
315-536-4438
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Visit Yates County Jail Inmates
Yates County Jail visit scheduling is handled by telephone or in person. The official correctional facility page lists Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Saturday visits and Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Sunday visits. Visitors may schedule only for themselves and household members, visits cannot be moved after scheduling, and visitors must check in no later than 15 minutes before the visit.
| Topic | Yates County Jail Rule |
|---|---|
| Saturday visit scheduling | Telephone or in person on Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. |
| Sunday visit scheduling | Telephone or in person on Saturday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. |
| Initial visit | Newly committed prisoner gets one 15-minute non-contact visit within the first 24 hours. |
| ID | Valid photo ID required; child ID can be a birth certificate. |
| Screening | Expect metal detector, hand wand, possible pat search, lockers, and contraband checks. |
The sheriff visitation rules page gives the visitor check-in, ID, dress, search, locker, and child-visit restrictions.
The rules are detailed, so visitors should verify their scheduled time and follow the current visitor-screening instructions before traveling.
Yates County Jail Mail and Money
Mail should be addressed to the incarcerated individual's name at Yates County Jail, 227 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. Books must come from a publisher or bookseller, hardcover books are not allowed, photo limits apply, and mail with staples, crayon, stickers, glue, glitter, paint, oversized cards, or musical cards can be returned. The current guide identifies Viapath/ConnectNetwork for phone service and MyCarePack for deposits and care packages.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail address | Incarcerated person's name, Yates County Jail, 227 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527 |
| Phone calls | Collect calls through Viapath/ConnectNetwork; no incoming calls or staff messages |
| Video visits | GTL/Viapath VisitMe at www.gtlvisitme.com |
| Lobby kiosk | $3.50 fee charged by the kiosk company; funds immediate |
| Online deposits | MyCarePack smart deposits; $4.95 online fee; funds immediate |
| Mailed funds | Money order or certified bank check; availability may take 5-7 days |
The sheriff commissary account page points families to MyCarePack for deposits.
The deposit options differ by speed and fee, so confirm custody before sending money or ordering a package.
Bail at Yates County Jail
The official Yates bail page says bail can be posted 24 hours a day for an incarcerated individual when the person is eligible for release. Accepted forms include cash, credit card when the card and photo ID are present, bank check made out to Yates County Sheriff, and bonds. A processing company may impose a surcharge for credit-card bail; the sheriff's office and jail do not set that company fee and cannot recommend bail bond companies.
| Payment Type | Local Handling Note |
|---|---|
| Cash | Accepted for eligible bail releases. |
| Credit card | Card and photo ID must be present; processor surcharge applies. |
| Bank check | Make payable to Yates County Sheriff. |
| Bond | Accepted, but jail staff cannot recommend a bonding company. |
| Hold or remand | Posting money may not release the person if another hold blocks release. |
Booking at Yates County Jail
After arrest, a person may be taken to Yates County Jail for intake. The local research supports a practical booking path: identity and record checks, search and property inventory, booking photo and fingerprint processing where applicable, medical and mental-health screening, classification, housing assignment, and initial phone access. Yates County does not publish a detailed intake form in the reviewed sources, so no hidden form fields should be assumed.
The jail guide includes specific custody details. Medical care is provided at community standard, mental health services are available, emergency or as-needed dental care can be provided, all incarcerated individuals are tested for tuberculosis, and optional HIV/AIDS testing is available on request. Property may be released only in full to a designated person. If someone is sent to state prison, property must be picked up within 10 days of transfer, and unclaimed property is disposed of after 30 days.
Yates County Public Safety Building
Yates County Jail is tied to the county's Public Safety Building planning process. The county says the current building is over 50 years old, has end-of-life mechanical systems, and uses a linear jail layout that limits modern correctional operations. It also says modern standards place more weight on classification, safety, programming, medical and mental health services, substance-use treatment, and reentry preparation.
In 2026, county materials described new construction as the recommended path because it avoids shutdowns, inmate relocation, and long phased work inside an operating jail. The county also noted that a broken lock, failed ventilation, or plumbing problem can become a security or life-safety issue inside a jail. These facility facts explain why a 60-bed jail with a May 2026 census of 32 can still face a major capital-planning decision.
Note: Confirm custody, visit scheduling, entrance rules, and payment instructions with Yates County Jail before traveling or sending funds.