Minnesota 24 Hour Booking Records
Minnesota 24 hour booking records let you search for people booked into county jails across the state. Each of the 87 county sheriff offices keeps its own jail roster and booking log. Many of them post this data online so you can look it up from home. Under Minnesota law, arrest data is public. That means you can search for names, charges, booking dates, and bail amounts without filing a formal request. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension runs the state's central booking database, and local jails must send fingerprint data to the BCA within 24 hours of an arrest. You can start a search right here or go to any county page for local jail roster links.
Minnesota 24 Hour Booking Overview
Where to Find 24 Hour Booking Records in Minnesota
County sheriff offices run the jails in Minnesota. Each one keeps a record of every person booked into their facility. The sheriff must log the name, charges, booking date, and bail amount for each inmate. Most counties post this info on their website as a jail roster or in-custody list. Some update it every hour. Others post a daily report.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is the state agency that ties it all together. The BCA maintains a central criminal history database. When someone gets booked into any county jail in Minnesota, the sheriff's office must send fingerprint records and identification data to the BCA within 24 hours. This is the rule that gives 24 hour booking its name. The BCA uses this data to match arrest records with court dispositions. Law enforcement can access the full BCA database through the MyBCA portal, but the general public can use county jail rosters and the MN DOC Offender Locator for free lookups.
The Minnesota VINE system is another tool. VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. It lets you check if someone is in custody and sign up for alerts when their status changes. VINE covers county jails and state prisons across Minnesota. You can use it online or by phone, and it works around the clock in multiple languages.
Note: Jail rosters show people currently in custody or recently released. For older booking records, contact the county sheriff's office directly.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is the main state agency that handles criminal history records and 24 hour booking data in Minnesota. You can learn more about their work and find contact details on their official website.
The BCA office is at 1430 Maryland Avenue E. in St. Paul. You can call them at 651-793-7000 during business hours.
How Minnesota 24 Hour Booking Works
The 24 hour booking process in Minnesota starts at the jail door. When law enforcement brings someone in, the jail staff takes their fingerprints, photograph, and basic identification data. This happens for all felonies, gross misdemeanors, and certain targeted misdemeanors like DWI, domestic assault, and order for protection violations. Under Minnesota Statute 299C.10, the jail must enter all of this into a BCA-managed database within 24 hours of taking the fingerprints.
The booking record itself contains several pieces of data. It shows the person's full name, date of birth, physical description, and any known aliases. The record lists every charge, the arresting agency, and the date and time of booking. It also includes bail or bond amounts, court dates, and custody status. Under Minnesota Statute 13.82, most of this arrest data is classified as public, which means anyone can ask for it.
Not all data is public though. Active criminal investigation files stay confidential. Juvenile records have strict limits. And some personal details like home addresses may be withheld in certain cases. But the core booking data, including the name, age, sex, charges, and whether the person is still in custody, is available to anyone.
Minnesota Statute 299C.10 is the law that creates the 24 hour booking requirement. It spells out who must be fingerprinted and how fast the data must reach the BCA. You can read the full text on the Minnesota Revisor's Office website.
This statute applies to every jail and law enforcement agency in the state.
What 24 Hour Booking Data is Public in Minnesota
Minnesota has strong public records laws. The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act spells out exactly what arrest and booking data the public can access. Under Statute 13.82, subdivision 2, the following booking data is public at all times when it documents actions to arrest, incarcerate, or substantially deprive an adult of liberty.
Public booking data in Minnesota includes:
- Time, date, and place of the arrest
- Name, age, sex, and last known address of the person
- The charges and legal basis for the arrest
- Whether the person is in custody and where
- Bond or bail amounts set by the court
- Date and time of any release from custody
Booking photographs are also public under subdivision 26 of the same statute. A booking photo is any picture taken by law enforcement for identification at the time of an arrest. The sheriff can hold back a photo temporarily if releasing it would hurt an active investigation, but that is the only exception. Once the case goes inactive, all photos become public. Data on criminal convictions stays public for 15 years after the person finishes their sentence, per the Department of Corrections Offender Locator rules.
Statute 13.82 is the key law for public access to 24 hour booking data in Minnesota. It covers every law enforcement agency in the state, from city police to the BCA itself. Read the full statute on the Revisor's website.
This law applies to all 87 county sheriff departments plus municipal police, the State Patrol, and fire departments that carry out law enforcement duties.
Minnesota Jail Records and Booking Laws
Minnesota Statute 641.05 is the foundation for jail record keeping. It says every sheriff must maintain a permanent record of all persons committed to any jail under their charge, at the expense of the county. That record must include the name, committing authority, residence, date of commitment, and a description of the person if the charge is criminal. It also has to note when and how the person was released. A sheriff who fails to keep these records faces a gross misdemeanor charge.
There is more to it than just logging names and dates. Statute 641.05 also requires the sheriff to check every new intake against the BCA predatory offender registry. If someone on the registry comes through booking, the sheriff must notify the BCA right away. When that person gets released, the sheriff must collect a change of address form so the BCA knows where they will be living. This is how the state tracks registered offenders as they move in and out of jails.
Booking fees are handled under Minnesota Statute 641.12. Counties can charge a fee for boarding and lodging prisoners, but the fee cannot go above the actual cost. Some counties charge around $25 per booking. If all charges get dismissed or the person is found not guilty, they can ask for a refund of the booking fee.
The BCA also watches for gaps in the system. Under Minnesota Statute 299C.111, the BCA superintendent must notify the right agency whenever a court disposition record comes in that can't be matched to an arrest record. These unmatched records go into what the BCA calls "suspense files." The goal is to link every arrest to its court outcome so the criminal history system stays accurate and complete.
Statute 641.05 is the law that requires every Minnesota sheriff to keep permanent jail booking records. It covers the basics of what data must be logged for each inmate. See the full text on the official state website.
Sheriffs who refuse to follow this law can be charged with a gross misdemeanor.
How to Search Minnesota 24 Hour Booking Records
There are a few ways to search for 24 hour booking records in Minnesota. The fastest is to go straight to the county jail roster online. Most counties post their in-custody list on the sheriff's office website. You can search by name, and the results show charges, booking date, bail amount, and custody status. Hennepin County updates their roster every hour. Dakota County has a full online inmate search tool. Washington County posts a daily booking report broken down by day of the week.
If you want to search state-level records, the MN DOC Offender Locator covers people in state prison. It is free to use and shows offense details, conviction court, sentence info, facility location, and expected release date. The search works by name or MNDOC ID number. This tool covers state corrections, not county jails, but it fills in the picture for people who have moved from jail to prison.
The Minnesota Court Records Online system covers the court side of things. It shows charges filed, case status, and hearing dates across all 87 counties. Court records are separate from jail booking records, but they often match up since an arrest leads to charges which lead to a court case.
For historical records going back decades, the Minnesota Historical Society maintains archived jail registers and prisoner commitment records at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. These records are useful for genealogy research or looking into cases from the distant past.
The VINE system lets anyone check on an inmate's custody status and sign up for release alerts. It covers all Minnesota county jails and state prisons. Visit the VINE website to search.
VINE is available 24 hours a day in multiple languages.
Minnesota County Jails and 24 Hour Booking
All 87 counties in Minnesota run their own jail through the county sheriff's office. The Minnesota Sheriffs' Association represents every sheriff in the state and helps set standards for jail operations. Each jail must meet the rules in Minnesota Rules Chapter 2911, and the Department of Corrections inspects them every year to make sure they comply.
Jail size varies a lot across the state. Hennepin County runs the biggest operation with a daily population of 600 to 800 inmates across two facilities in downtown Minneapolis. The Adult Detention Center at 401 South 4th Avenue handles maximum security and pre-trial detainees. The Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth houses sentenced inmates at lower security levels. On the other end, small rural counties like Kittson, Traverse, and Lake of the Woods may hold just a handful of inmates at any given time.
Some counties have put real effort into their online booking tools. Carver County publishes daily PDF rosters sorted by day of the week. Isanti County posts photos, booking numbers, intake dates, and charges for every person in custody, with updates every hour. Morrison County runs a 148-bed facility and lists all current inmates with mugshots and bond info on their website. Dakota County built a full search tool where you can look up inmates by name and see charges, bond amounts, court case numbers, and release times.
Note: Booking data may take a few hours to appear on online rosters. People in the intake process might not show up until they receive a booking number.
The Minnesota Sheriffs' Association is the professional group for all 87 county sheriffs. They provide training, develop standards, and advocate for jail operations statewide. Visit their website for more information.
The sheriff is a constitutional office in Minnesota under Article VII, Section 4 of the state constitution.
Minnesota 24 Hour Booking Data Retention
Minnesota has rules about how long booking records get kept. Arrest reports must be stored for at least 6 years from the date of the arrest. Booking information stays on file for 6 to 10 years depending on the type of case. Mugshot photographs are held for a minimum of 6 years, and many agencies keep them longer. Fingerprint records go to the BCA and are maintained permanently as part of the state criminal history system.
Active criminal investigation data stays confidential for as long as the investigation is open or until the statute of limitations runs out. Once an investigation goes inactive, the data becomes public unless releasing it would compromise another case. Under Statute 13.82, an investigation is considered inactive when prosecutors decide not to pursue it, or when the statute of limitations expires, or when all appeals have been exhausted.
The MN DOC Offender Locator is a free tool for looking up people in state prisons. It shows conviction details, facility location, and projected release date. Search the Offender Locator here.
There is no fee to use this search tool. It covers people currently in state custody and those who have been released in recent years.
Browse Minnesota 24 Hour Booking by County
Each county sheriff's office runs its own jail and keeps 24 hour booking records. Pick a county below for local jail roster links, contact info, and booking details.
24 Hour Booking in Major Minnesota Cities
City police departments make arrests, but bookings go through the county jail. Pick a city below to find out which county jail handles bookings for that area.