Search Ouray County Busted Mugshots

Ouray County busted mugshots and arrest records are managed by the Ouray County Sheriff's Office in the town of Ouray, Colorado. This small mountain county sits in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. The sheriff handles all arrests and bookings within the county. Public records laws in Colorado give you the right to access arrest data and booking photos. This page covers how to find Ouray County mugshots, what databases to search, and how to file a records request with the sheriff's office.

Ouray County Sheriff Booking Records

The Ouray County Sheriff's Office is located in the town of Ouray. With a population of around 5,000, Ouray County is one of the smaller counties in Colorado. The sheriff's office serves as the primary law enforcement agency. When someone is arrested in Ouray County, booking takes place at the county jail. A mugshot is taken along with fingerprints and personal details. The booking record becomes part of the public record.

Because Ouray County is so small, the volume of arrests is low compared to places like Denver or El Paso County. The sheriff's office does not run a large online inmate search tool. To find out if someone is currently in the Ouray County jail, you will likely need to call the sheriff's office directly. The phone number is (970) 325-7272. Staff can confirm whether a person is in custody. They can also tell you what the charges are. If the person has already been released, the records still exist but you may need to make a formal request to see them.

Ouray County sits in a remote mountain area. The closest larger county is San Miguel County to the west and Hinsdale County to the east. Some arrests in the area may involve people passing through on Highway 550. The booking process is the same regardless of where the person lives.

Searching Ouray County Mugshots Online

The CBI Internet Criminal History Check is the most reliable online tool for finding Ouray County arrest records. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation maintains criminal history data from all law enforcement agencies in the state. You search by name and get results fast. The fee is $6 per search. Results include arrest dates, charges, and case outcomes for anyone with a Colorado criminal record, including people arrested in Ouray County.

This system has some limits. Sealed records do not show up. Juvenile arrests are excluded unless the person was tried as an adult. Traffic arrests for anyone under 16 are also left out. But for most adult arrest records in Ouray County, the CBI check is a good starting point. You pay with a credit or debit card and get your results on screen right away.

The Colorado Department of Corrections offender search is another free tool. It covers people who were sentenced to state prison. If someone convicted in Ouray County ended up in the state system, their photo and facility info will be in this database. You can search by name or DOC number.

Note: The CBI database covers all of Colorado, so even arrests from small counties like Ouray appear in search results.

Ouray County Records Request Process

To get a copy of an Ouray County mugshot or arrest report, put your request in writing. Send it to the Ouray County Sheriff's Office at 541 4th Street, Ouray, CO 81427. Include the full name of the person, a date of birth if you have it, and the approximate date of the arrest. Be specific about what records you want. Asking for "everything" will take longer and cost more than asking for one booking photo or one arrest report.

Under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, the sheriff has to respond within three business days. The first hour of research time is free. After that, the county can charge up to $41.37 per hour for staff time spent searching. Copies are $0.25 per page. For a single mugshot or short report, the cost should be low. You also need to sign a statement saying you will not use the records for the direct solicitation of business. This is a state requirement under the CCJRA statutes. It applies to all records requests in Ouray County and every other county in Colorado.

Ouray County Mugshot Access Laws

Colorado law is clear about arrest records. The CCJRA says that records of official action must be open. An official action includes an arrest, an indictment, filing of charges, disposition, and sentencing. So when the Ouray County Sheriff books someone and takes a mugshot, that data falls under the public access rules. Anyone can request it. You do not need a reason.

The Colorado Attorney General CORA page lays out the full process for open records requests across the state.

This resource covers the fees, deadlines, and rules that apply to records requests from Ouray County agencies.

There are some records the sheriff can choose to release or not release. Records that go beyond official actions, like internal investigation notes or witness statements, are handled at the sheriff's discretion. But the core arrest data and the booking photo are not discretionary. They are public records in Ouray County under state law. The CBI CCJRA information page explains these distinctions in more detail.

Note: Requests made after 3 p.m. are treated as received the next business day.

Sealing Records in Ouray County

If you were arrested in Ouray County and want your record sealed, Colorado has a process for that. Under C.R.S. 24-72-703, you can file a petition to seal your criminal record. The filing fee is $224. It can be waived for people with low income. Once sealed, Ouray County busted mugshots tied to that arrest will not show up in public searches anymore. Courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement can still see the sealed records, but the general public cannot.

Automatic sealing also applies in some cases. If you were arrested in Ouray County after January 1, 2022, and no charges were filed, the CBI should seal those records on its own after one year. Drug convictions may qualify under C.R.S. 24-72-704 as well. If a website is displaying your Ouray County mugshot after your record has been sealed, Colorado's HB 14-1047 makes it illegal for them to charge you for removal.

Ouray County Inmate Tracking Tools

VINELink is a free victim notification system that works across Colorado. You can use it to check on someone's custody status in Ouray County. Register for alerts and the system will contact you if the person is released or transferred. It works by phone, email, or text message. Anyone can sign up.

For very old records, the Colorado State Archives holds historical corrections data. This includes mugshots from past decades for inmates who served time in the state prison system. If you are looking for an Ouray County arrest from many years ago, the archives could be a useful resource. Records are organized by inmate number.

Cities in Ouray County

Ouray County includes the town of Ouray and the community of Ridgway. Neither meets the 25,000 population threshold for a separate page. The Ouray County Sheriff handles all arrest records and bookings for the entire county.

Nearby Counties

These counties surround Ouray County in the San Juan Mountains region. If you are unsure which county processed a booking, check with the arresting agency.