The Sheriff's own FAQ page still answers this question with a vendor Dallas County no longer uses. Create your phone account in minutes.
Create your phone account in minutes
Dallas County contracts inmate phone service to Smart Communications. Accounts are set up at smartinmate.com or by calling 727-349-1561. This is worth stating carefully, because the Sheriff’s Department’s own frequently asked questions page still answers the question “How do I set up an Inmate Telephone Account?” with a completely different company and a different website. That answer is contradicted by the December 2025 inmate handbook and by three other county pages. A family following the county’s FAQ would put money with a company that no longer serves this jail.
The December 2025 handbook states it plainly: Dallas County Jail contracts the inmate phones through Smart Communications, and families set up an account by calling 727-349-1561 or going to smartinmate.com.
Three other county pages agree: the inmate telephone page, the phone, tablet and mail update page, and the handbook itself, which carries a revision date of December 17, 2025 and was approved by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards on December 30, 2025.
One page does not. The Sheriff’s how-do-I page still answers the telephone account question with a different vendor, a debitcalls.com address, and two different phone numbers. It is a stale answer sitting on a live page, and it is the page a search engine is most likely to surface for that exact question. If you have already funded an account somewhere other than Smart Communications, that is why.
Smart Communications runs two kinds of account, and which one you want depends on how you expect calls to work.
Prepaid Collect is tied to the receiving phone number. Money on it pays for calls to that number, and it moves with the number rather than with the person inside.
Prepaid Debit, sometimes called a PIN account, belongs to the person in custody. They can call any approved number from it.
Deposits carry no minimum, with a maximum of $50.00 per payment. Prepaid balances are refundable on request, and the vendor begins refund efforts after 180 days of inactivity.
Smart Communications states that its rates vary by facility and are shown only on the deposit screen once a facility is selected. Dallas County publishes no rate either.
There is a published ceiling, and it is easy to mistake for a price. The vendor’s FCC rate filing, posted January 2026, sets maximum interstate rates by facility size. Dallas County’s average daily population of around 6,222 puts it in the large jails tier, where the caps after April 6, 2026 are 10 cents a minute for audio and 19 cents for video. Those are regulatory ceilings applying to the vendor nationally, not the rate Dallas County negotiated. The real number could be lower, and the only place it appears is the deposit screen.
Blocked call types include 800, 900, 911 and 976 numbers, third-number-billed calls, and calls billed to a credit card.
Each housing unit has collect phones on the wall, and tablets can place calls as well. Tablets also carry books, periodicals, legal and educational material, music, games and films, with paid content sold as one-time use.
One thing to understand about tablets: access is a behaviour privilege, and a floor officer can switch it off for a day at their discretion. So a quiet day with no calls is not necessarily a sign that something has gone wrong with your account.
Smart Communications terminals throughout the jail carry video relay service interpretation, which is set up at intake. TTY and TDD phones are also available, requested by kite. The ADA coordinator can be reached at 214-653-7970.
The trust fund account, which is funded through Access Corrections and the kiosks, pays for commissary. Phone calls are funded directly with Smart Communications. The two do not connect.
Our send money guide covers the trust fund side, including the list of payment types Dallas County refuses.
6 of 8 questions
Smart Communications. Set up an account at smartinmate.com or call 727-349-1561. This is confirmed by the inmate handbook revised in December 2025 and approved by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, and by three separate county pages.
Phone CallsSmart Communications is right. The Sheriff's how-do-I page still answers the telephone account question with a retired vendor and a debitcalls.com address. That page is contradicted by the December 2025 handbook, the inmate telephone page, and the phone, tablet and mail update page. If you have already put money somewhere else, contact that company about a refund and set up with Smart Communications instead.
Phone CallsNot published. Smart Communications shows rates only on the deposit screen once you select the facility, and Dallas County publishes nothing. The vendor's FCC filing sets a ceiling of 10 cents a minute for audio at a jail of this size after April 2026, but that is a legal maximum rather than the price being charged here.
Phone CallsA Prepaid Collect account is tied to your phone number and pays for calls to it. A Prepaid Debit or PIN account belongs to the person in custody and lets them call any approved number. Deposits have no minimum and a $50.00 maximum per payment, and balances are refundable on request.
Phone CallsYes. Tablets can place calls alongside the collect phones on the housing unit wall. Be aware that tablet access is treated as a behaviour privilege and a floor officer can switch it off for a day, so a gap in calls is not always an account problem.
Phone CallsCalls to 800, 900, 911 and 976 numbers are blocked, and so are third-number-billed calls and calls billed to a credit card.
Phone CallsVideo relay service interpretation is available on Smart Communications terminals throughout the jail and is set up at intake. TTY and TDD phones are also available and are requested by submitting a kite. The ADA coordinator is on 214-653-7970.
Phone CallsNo, those are separate. The trust fund pays for commissary and is funded through Access Corrections or a lobby kiosk. Phone calls are funded directly with Smart Communications at smartinmate.com.
Phone CallsThe lookup needs race and sex, and only the detail record names the tower.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified September 7, 2026.