Find San Diego County Sex Offenders

San Diego County sex offenders register at the Sheriff's Office located at 9621 Ridgehaven Court in San Diego. Registration services are available Tuesday through Thursday. Call 858-974-2822 for current hours and procedures. This large coastal county has a specialized SAFE Task Force that monitors high-risk offenders. Most offenders update once per year within five days of their birthday. Transients register every 30 days. Sexually violent predators report every 90 days. You can search for local offenders on the California Megan's Law website using a city name or street address. Results include photos, physical descriptions, and conviction details. San Diego County has multiple cities with their own police departments that handle registration. The tier system affects how long each person must register under California law.

Sheriff Criminal Registrations

The San Diego County Sheriff handles sex offender registration at 9621 Ridgehaven Court in San Diego. Registration services are available Tuesday through Thursday. Call 858-974-2822 for current procedures and hours. The office processes registrations for people who live in unincorporated areas or cities that use the sheriff for this service. Staff are trained in state registration laws and county policies.

First-time registrants report within five working days after release from custody. That deadline is set by state law. Missing it is a crime. The initial registration includes providing your address, employment details, vehicle information, and internet identifiers. The deputy takes a photo and verifies your ID. All data goes into the California Sex and Arson Registry.

Annual updates happen near your birthday. You have five working days before or after the date. Bring updated information about any changes. New address, new job, new car, new email accounts. All must be reported. The deputy enters the updates and takes a new photo. No fees apply to registration in California. State law prohibits charging for this service.

Transients without permanent addresses register every 30 days. They report where they are staying. Sexually violent predators register every 90 days regardless of housing status. The sheriff conducts compliance checks throughout the county. If someone moves without updating, the sheriff issues a warrant. Registration violations are prosecuted as crimes in San Diego County.

SAFE Task Force

San Diego County operates a specialized SAFE Task Force. That stands for Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement. This team monitors high-risk sex offenders in the county. They conduct compliance checks, investigate violations, and coordinate with other agencies. The SAFE Task Force works to protect the community by keeping close tabs on dangerous individuals. Deputies on this team are specially trained in sex offender supervision and enforcement.

The District Attorney's Office also has a sex offender monitoring program. Prosecutors work with law enforcement to track offenders and prosecute violations. This multi-agency approach helps keep the registry accurate and holds offenders accountable. If you have information about a registration violation, contact the sheriff or local police.

California Megan's Law

You can search for San Diego County sex offenders at meganslaw.ca.gov. Enter a city name like San Diego, Chula Vista, or Oceanside. Or type a street address. The map shows pins for each offender near that location. Click a pin to see the profile. It includes a photo, physical description, conviction information, and registration tier.

Most offenders have full addresses posted. Some only show a zip code. A few are marked undisclosed per court order. The law decides who gets listed and how much detail appears. Not every registered sex offender shows up on the public site. Some are excluded based on the type of crime or their age when convicted. But the most serious cases usually appear.

San Diego County has urban areas, suburbs, and beach communities. Offenders live throughout the county. The Megan's Law site covers all locations. You can search the whole county or focus on one city. The site also has special search options for schools and parks. It draws a radius around those places and lists offenders within that distance.

City Police Registration

Several cities in San Diego County have their own police departments that handle registration. San Diego Police Department has a registration unit at 1400 E Street. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Chula Vista Police Department handles registration at 315 Fourth Avenue. Call 619-691-5019 for appointments.

Oceanside Police Department handles registration at 3855 Mission Avenue. Call 760-435-4900. Escondido Police Department requires appointments at 1163 Centre City Parkway. Call 760-839-4766. Carlsbad Police Department handles registration at 2560 Orion Way. Call 760-931-2100.

If you live in one of these cities, check whether the city police or county sheriff handles your registration. Most incorporated cities have their own units. Unincorporated areas use the county sheriff. When in doubt, call the local police department and ask.

State DOJ Forms

The California Department of Justice runs the statewide sex offender registry. Visit oag.ca.gov/sex-offender-reg for policy information and forms. Offenders can download the Application for Exclusion from Internet Disclosure if they qualify. The DOJ reviews requests and issues decisions. Processing takes 30 to 90 days or longer depending on case volume.

Other forms include the Internet Identifier Registration Form for reporting new email or social media accounts. There is also a DOJ Online College Course Registration Form for offenders taking online classes. The DOJ publishes FAQs about Senate Bill 384, which created the tiered registration system in 2021.

Tier One offenders register for ten years. After that, they can petition the court to end their registration requirement. Tier Two offenders register for twenty years before they can petition. Tier Three offenders register for life with no option to petition unless they receive a pardon. The court decides whether to grant relief based on the facts of each case.

CDCR Inmate Search

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates CIRIS at ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov. This tool lets you look up someone in state prison. Enter a name or CDCR number. The system shows current custody status, location, admission date, and parole hearing dates. This helps if you want to know when someone will be released.

Once released, they have five working days to register with the local sheriff or police. CDCR also supervises sex offender parolees with GPS devices. All parolees wear ankle monitors. The Sex Offender Management Program combines supervision, treatment, and electronic tracking. Parole agents get alerts if someone enters a restricted area.

National Registry

The U.S. Department of Justice maintains a national search tool at nsopw.gov. This database covers all 50 states plus U.S. territories. Use it to check if someone registered in another state before moving to California. The national registry does not replace the California Megan's Law site but adds another layer of information.

Offenders who move between states must register in each new location. The national tool helps track these movements. If you are researching someone with a multi-state history, start here. Then check the California site for current local data in San Diego County.

Registration Statutes

Penal Code Section 290 requires sex offender registration. This law lists crimes that trigger the duty to register. Rape, lewd acts with minors, sexual battery, kidnapping for sexual purposes, indecent exposure, and possession of child pornography are all included. Anyone convicted of these offenses must register.

The three-tier system took effect on January 1, 2021. Senate Bill 384 created this structure. Lower-level offenses get Tier One with ten years of registration. Mid-level offenses get Tier Two with twenty years. The most serious crimes get Tier Three with lifetime registration.

Penal Code Section 290.46 requires the DOJ to publish sex offender information online. This statute creates the legal basis for the Megan's Law website. It also sets rules for what data can be disclosed. Some offenders are excluded from the public site even though they register with local law enforcement.

Update rules come from Penal Code Section 290.012. Most offenders update annually within five working days of their birthday. Sexually violent predators update every 90 days. Transients update every 30 days. Failing to update on time is a criminal offense. Penalties include jail time and fines.

Penal Code Section 290.45 governs public notification. This law allows law enforcement to disclose an offender's name, aliases, physical description, photo, date of birth, address, vehicle information, and crimes. Law enforcement can share this information when necessary for public safety.

Cities in San Diego County

San Diego County includes several large cities. San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido, and Carlsbad all have populations over 100,000. Other cities include El Cajon, Vista, San Marcos, and Encinitas. Sex offenders in these cities typically register with local police departments rather than the county sheriff.

Note: Only cities with populations over 100,000 have dedicated pages on this site.

Nearby Counties

San Diego County borders several other counties. To the north is Orange County and Riverside County. To the east is Imperial County. To the south is Mexico. To the west is the Pacific Ocean. Each county has its own registration system.