Live Oak Jail Overview
Live Oak County Jail is the operating jail facility identified for McMullen County inmate housing research. McMullen County itself is reported by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards population reports as a no-jail county, so there is no separate McMullen County Jail building or McMullen-hosted jail roster to search. The documented jail path runs through the Live Oak County Sheriff's Office in George West, while the McMullen County Sheriff remains the local arrest, warrant, incident, and location-routing contact for arrests made in McMullen County.
The facility is operated by the Live Oak County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Larry Busby. The official Live Oak page lists the sheriff and jail office at 200 Larry R. Busby Drive, George West, TX 78022, with phone 361-449-2271 and fax numbers 361-449-3035 or 361-449-2014. The separate Live Oak jail page states that the jail handles inmates from Live Oak and McMullen Counties, which is why Live Oak County Jail is the primary facility for McMullen County inmate lookup work.
The Live Oak County Jail is a county jail, not a Texas state prison and not a federal detention center. It may hold local pretrial detainees, county-sentenced inmates, warrant holds, and other county-level holds accepted by the jail and courts. Official sources did not publish a public breakdown by housing unit, sex, charge class, work release, medical unit, or mental-health unit, so those details should be confirmed by phone rather than assumed.
The official Live Oak sheriff page is shown in this captured source from the Live Oak County sheriff page.
The screenshot matters because it ties the jail contact path to an official county source and shows why VINELink and direct jail contact are used instead of an on-site Live Oak roster field list.
Live Oak Jail Population
Live Oak County Jail has a documented rated capacity of 96 inmates. The same capacity appears in the Live Oak jail material and in the TCJS June 1, 2026 current population workbook. On that date, TCJS listed the Live Oak jail population at 45 people, which is 46.9% of capacity. The numbers are facility totals for Live Oak County Jail, not a separate McMullen-only count. McMullen's own TCJS row is a no-jail row, with local jail capacity reported as zero.
The 2026 monthly trend shows that the Live Oak County Jail population fell after the first quarter and then held steady in May and June. Because Live Oak also houses McMullen County inmates, this trend is the best official facility-level capacity frame for McMullen jail housing. It does not identify which inmates came from Live Oak County versus McMullen County.
| Date | Capacity | Total Jail Population | Percent Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 1, 2026 | 96 | 62 | 64.6% |
| Feb. 1, 2026 | 96 | 61 | 63.5% |
| Mar. 1, 2026 | 96 | 61 | 63.5% |
| Apr. 1, 2026 | 96 | 43 | 44.8% |
| May 1, 2026 | 96 | 45 | 46.9% |
| Jun. 1, 2026 | 96 | 45 | 46.9% |
The TCJS source page used for the population workbooks is shown in this image from the TCJS population reports page.
Those reports are the better source for capacity and population counts than unofficial jail lists because TCJS is the state body that receives monthly county jail figures.
Live Oak Jail Inmate Lookup
The official Live Oak sheriff page links to VINELink for offender custody status. No Live Oak sheriff-hosted public roster field inventory was found in the research. That means there were no official local fields to document for booking number, booking date, housing unit, charge list, bond amount, mugshot, or release status. VINELink can help with custody status and notifications, but it should not be treated as a full booking sheet or a complete McMullen County jail record.
For a McMullen County arrest, start with the McMullen County Sheriff when the transport location is unclear. Sheriff Emmett Shelton's official McMullen page lists the sheriff's office at 401 Main Street, Tilden, TX 78072, with phone 361-274-3311. After the arrest location is confirmed, call Live Oak County Jail at 361-449-2271 or use VINELink if the person may have been booked into the Live Oak facility.
- Call McMullen County Sheriff at 361-274-3311 if the arrest happened in McMullen County or if the arresting agency is not clear.
- Call Live Oak County Jail at 361-449-2271 and ask whether the person is currently housed there, transferred, released, or held on another agency's detainer.
- Open VINELink, select Texas, then search by name or offender ID if one has already been provided by the jail or court.
- Use the result to confirm custody status and agency, then register for notifications only if the matching person is correct.
- For a sentenced state prisoner, use the TDCJ Inmate Search instead of the county jail path.
VINELink was captured in the project image set from the VINELink custody-status landing page.
Use VINELink as a status and notice tool, then verify booking papers, bond terms, and record copies with the jail, sheriff, clerk, or court that holds the source record.
| Lookup Channel | Use It For | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| McMullen County Sheriff | Arrest routing, local warrants, incident records, transport questions | Not the operating jail building |
| Live Oak County Jail | Current jail housing, release status, visit eligibility, mail and money questions | No public field-by-field roster found |
| VINELink | Custody status and notification registration | Not a full booking record or mugshot gallery |
| TDCJ | Sentenced Texas state prisoners after transfer | Not for most new McMullen arrests |
| BOP or ICE locator | Federal prison or immigration detention checks | Separate from county jail records |
Live Oak Jail Contact
Use the Live Oak County Jail contact line for current jail housing questions, visiting eligibility, inmate mail format, phone access, bond status, and whether a person is still in custody. Use the McMullen County Sheriff for local arrest questions, law-enforcement reports, warrant routing, and uncertainty about where a McMullen arrestee was taken. The two offices are not interchangeable, but both can be part of a McMullen County inmate search.
Live Oak County Jail
200 Larry R. Busby Drive
George West, TX 78022
361-449-2271
Fax: 361-449-3035 or 361-449-2014
Published jail lobby hours were not located. Call before travel.
McMullen County Sheriff
401 Main Street
P.O. Box 242
Tilden, TX 78072
361-274-3311
Use for McMullen arrest and location routing.
Visitors should not drive to the McMullen County courthouse in Tilden for a jail visit unless the sheriff or court specifically says to go there. The jail address is in George West. The district attorney, clerk, court, sheriff, and jail may also be in different cities, so a short call can prevent a wrong stop.
Live Oak Jail Visits
No official Live Oak County Jail visitation schedule, visit length, visitor-list rule, video-visit vendor, dress code, child rule, or holiday schedule was located in the official sources reviewed. Because the jail handles McMullen County inmates but does not publish a McMullen-specific visit page, visits should be treated as call-first events. Bring a government-issued photo ID, but confirm accepted ID types, arrival time, visitor approval, and prohibited items directly with the jail before leaving.
| Day or Service | Published Schedule | How to Verify |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Not published | Call 361-449-2271 |
| Tuesday | Not published | Call 361-449-2271 |
| Wednesday | Not published | Call 361-449-2271 |
| Thursday | Not published | Call 361-449-2271 |
| Friday | Not published | Call 361-449-2271 |
| Weekend or holiday | Not published | Call before travel |
| Attorney visit | Not published | Attorney should call jail administration |
Ask the jail whether the person is eligible for visits, whether visits are in person or video, whether the inmate must submit a visitor list, and whether minors need extra paperwork. If the person has transferred to TDCJ, BOP, or ICE custody, county jail visit rules no longer control the visit.
Note: Confirm custody and visit rules with Live Oak County Jail before travel because no official public schedule was located.
Live Oak Jail Mail
Official sources did not locate a public Live Oak County Jail inmate mail format, commissary vendor, deposit kiosk, online money service, fee schedule, phone provider, or video provider. Do not send money, books, photos, packages, or legal mail until the jail confirms the required name format and delivery rule. A person may be listed by full legal name, booking number, or another jail identifier, and the wrong format can delay or return mail.
| Service | Published Detail | Call Before Using |
|---|---|---|
| Mail address format | Not located in official sources | Ask for inmate name and ID format, return address rule, legal mail rule, and whether postcards are required. |
| Phone or video calls | Provider not located | Ask how calls are funded, whether video visits exist, and whether the account is inmate-paid or family-paid. |
| Money deposit | Vendor and fees not located | Ask about kiosk, money order, online vendor, limits, refund rules, and lobby hours. |
| Commissary | Vendor not located | Ask whether deposits are accepted for commissary and whether holds block spending. |
County jail service rules are different from state prison and federal prison rules. TDCJ has its own inmate technology and visitation systems after a sentenced transfer. BOP and ICE use separate federal systems. For a person still in Live Oak County Jail, use the local jail phone line first.
Live Oak Jail Records
Booking records, arrest reports, jail commitment papers, transfer notes, and booking photos are requested from the office that holds or created the record. For a McMullen County arrest, the first written request may go to the McMullen County Sheriff if the arrest report or incident record is needed. If the booking record is held by Live Oak County Jail, ask the McMullen office for routing information and send the jail request to Live Oak County Sheriff's Office.
Texas Government Code Chapter 552, the Texas Public Information Act, provides the statewide public-record request process. It does not require Live Oak County or McMullen County to publish every jail record online. Texas Government Code Section 552.029 identifies certain inmate and death-in-custody information as public for covered facilities, but requestable does not always mean web-posted. Juvenile, medical, victim, security, and active-investigation material may be withheld or redacted.
- Identify the person by full name, date of birth if known, and arrest date or approximate date.
- State which record is needed, such as booking sheet, booking photo, arrest report, charge list, bond paperwork, or release record.
- Send the request to McMullen County Sheriff for McMullen arrest records or to Live Oak County Sheriff's Office for Live Oak jail booking records.
- Ask for fee, redaction, and delivery instructions before assuming a same-day response.
No official McMullen County or Live Oak County public mugshot gallery was located. A booking photo may exist as part of intake, but there is no official online gallery to inspect for McMullen inmates. For dismissed or expunged cases, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55A governs expunction, and any removal or nondisclosure question should be handled through court orders and the agency that maintains the record.
Live Oak Jail Booking
McMullen County booking can involve more than one agency. An arrest may start with a McMullen deputy or another law-enforcement officer, then the person may be transported to the Live Oak County Jail if jail housing is required. Intake can include identity checks, property inventory, fingerprints, a booking photo, medical and mental-health screening, charge and hold entry, and housing classification. Official sources did not publish Live Oak housing-unit names or pod assignments.
Bond information should be checked through the jail and the court or magistrate channel. A bond amount is not the same as release eligibility. Other holds can prevent release, including another county warrant, a bench warrant, a probation or parole hold, a TDCJ hold, a federal hold, an ICE detainer, or a judge's no-bond order. Payment methods and bond-desk hours were not located in official Live Oak sources, so call before traveling with funds.
- Booking
- Administrative intake after arrest, including identity, property, fingerprint, photo, and charge entry.
- Detainer
- A request or hold from another agency that can affect release or transfer.
- PR Bond
- A personal bond based on promise and conditions rather than posting the full cash amount.
- TDCJ Transfer
- Movement from county jail to state custody after a sentence or state jail commitment.
Live Oak Jail Context
Do not confuse the current Live Oak County Jail in George West with the historic Live Oak County Jail in Oakville. The Texas Historical Commission has a record for the old Oakville jail as a historic landmark, but that is not the operating jail used for McMullen County inmate housing. The active custody contact for Live Oak County Jail is the sheriff and jail office at Larry R. Busby Drive in George West.
No official recent jail construction, consent decree, overcrowding order, McMullen jail closure item, or Live Oak jail litigation page was found in the official research set. The main current operational fact is the no-jail structure for McMullen County and the contract or regional use of Live Oak County Jail. For broader custody searches, the McMullen County inmate records page has the full county, state, federal, and ICE lookup chain.