Erie County's downtown Buffalo jail, holding mostly people awaiting trial. The county calls it the second largest detention facility in New York State outside New York City, it has a capacity of 638, and it processes more than 20,000 people a year. It is one of two jails the Sheriff's Office runs, alongside a larger facility in Alden.
City
Buffalo
County
Erie County
State
NY
Facility Type
County jail, pretrial and maximum security
Gender
Male and female, plus adolescents adjudicated as adults
Capacity
638
Custody Levels
Mostly pretrial, with sentenced and federal detainees also held
Operator
Erie County Sheriff's Office, Jail Management Division
Address
40 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone
716-858-7638
Inmate Locator
Free Inmate Search ↗Five columns, two facility codes, and a timestamp that tells you how stale it is.
View ArticleTwo days, no appointments, and a metal detector you get three tries at.
View ArticleErie counts what is in the envelope and what is in the cell.
View ArticleA free lockbox in Missouri, and a cash window only this jail has.
View ArticleErie publishes a genuine roster, which most New York counties do not, but it arrives as a 19 page PDF rather than a search form. It gives five fields and no more: ICN number, name, date of birth, facility code and booking date. No charges, no bail, no release date, no housing unit. The footer carries the generation timestamp, which is the only way to judge how current it is.
See the full breakdownTuesdays and Wednesdays, on a walk-in basis. Erie publishes sign-up windows rather than appointment slots, so you arrive during a window and put your name down. Two hours of visiting time a week, no more than two visitors at once, and all visits are contact visits unless the county says otherwise. Orange clothing of any kind will stop you at the door.
See the full breakdownMail goes straight to 40 Delaware Avenue with no scanning vendor in between, so the paper you send is the paper they hold. Ten photographs is the cap and Polaroids are barred. Books and magazines come through the mail only but from any source, with a five book and two newspaper limit in the cell. Rejected items go back to the sender at the sender's cost.
See the full breakdownAccess Corrections handles online, phone and kiosk deposits, and the county publishes the fee bands: around six dollars online or by phone, around five at a kiosk, and nothing at all for a money order posted to the lockbox in St. Louis. The daily ceiling is $2,900. The Holding Center also has a cashier's window in the lobby, which the Alden facility does not.
See the full breakdown6 of 7 questions
Yes, and that puts Erie ahead of most New York counties. The Sheriff's Office publishes a roster as a downloadable PDF covering both jails, with an ICN number, name, date of birth, facility code and booking date for everyone in custody. The catch is that it is a flat document rather than a search box, so you use your reader's own find function.
Inmate SearchIt is the facility code for the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo. The other code you will see is ECCF, which is the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. They are different buildings about twenty five miles apart with different visiting schedules, so the code decides where you drive and where you write.
Inmate SearchTuesdays and Wednesdays. Erie County publishes sign-up windows rather than a booking system: you turn up during a window and put your name down. There is no appointment to make in advance and no visitor application to submit first.
VisitationThe person's name and ICN number on the first line, then Erie County Holding Center, 40 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14202. Mail goes directly to the building here. Erie uses no digital mail vendor and no out-of-state processing box, which is increasingly unusual in New York.
Mail & PhotosTen. More than ten photographs in one envelope is on the county's contraband list, as are Polaroids and any other instant photographs. Anything unacceptable is returned to sender at the sender's expense, so a single over-stuffed envelope costs you twice.
Mail & PhotosYes, and the rule is more generous than most. Printed material is accepted through the mail only, and the county says it may come from any source, so you are not restricted to an approved vendor list. Magazines must be the current month and in new condition, and no more than five books or magazines plus two newspapers may be in a cell at once.
Mail & PhotosBecause Erie County publishes nothing about voice calls. No vendor, no account setup, no rates, anywhere on the Sheriff's site. ICSolutions runs the county's video visitation, and it is tempting to assume it runs the phones too, but assuming is how wrong numbers get published. Call the Holding Center on 716-858-7638 and ask.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified September 17, 2026. Official source: www4.erie.gov/sheriff/jail-management-division ›