MN · Find someone in custody

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Minnesota?

Take a breath. You can find where your person is being held in Minnesota using official sources — here is exactly where to look and what to have ready.

State locator: Minnesota DOC Offender Locator
VINELink: Covers Minnesota
Last verified: 2026-07-23
Jurisdiction: Minnesota

Which system is holding them in Minnesota?

There is no single search that covers everyone. Match the situation to the right official locator — most families start with the first one.

If the arrest was recent

Start with the county jail

In Minnesota, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not in a state prison, so the DOC locator will not show a brand-new arrest.

Minnesota participates in the national VINE system (Minnesota VINE, phone 1-877-664-8463), a free way to search custody status and register for alerts, and it can include county jail inmates.

Some county sheriffs also post an online jail roster.

For a very recent booking or bail details, call the county jail's booking or records line, or the county's district court.

County jails are run by the sheriff in each Minnesota county; some post an online roster. Use the sheriff's roster or Minnesota VINE (1-877-664-8463), and call the jail's booking/records line for recent bookings and bail amounts.

Search VINELink (choose Minnesota)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Minnesota Department of Corrections runs an official public offender locator (page heading 'Locator', with 'Search Adults by Name' and 'Search Adults by MNDOC Offender ID').

It covers adults committed to the Minnesota DOC or under DOC supervision.

Search by name, date of birth, or MNDOC offender ID.

It may take several business days for a newly sentenced adult to appear.

This tool does NOT cover county jail inmates, so someone just arrested and held in a county jail will not be found here.

MN DOC phone: 651-361-7200.

Open the Minnesota inmate locator

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge means the person is in the federal system, not a Minnesota state or county facility. Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator by name or register number — it is separate from every state and county tool.

Search the Federal BOP locator

Finding your person in Minnesota, step by step

Work through these in order. Each step points to an official source — you do the searching there, on the government site.

Step 1

Figure out where the person is likely held

If they were arrested recently and not released, they are almost certainly in the COUNTY JAIL run by the sheriff where the arrest happened. If they were already sentenced to state prison or are under DOC supervision, they are in the Minnesota DOC system. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).
Official source
Step 2

For a recent arrest, check Minnesota VINE or the county sheriff's jail roster

Search Minnesota VINE by name (or call 1-877-664-8463), or look up the sheriff's online jail roster for the county where the arrest happened. VINE also lets you register for free custody-status alerts. If nothing shows yet, call the county jail's booking/records line to confirm custody and bail.
Official source
Step 3

For a sentenced or DOC-supervised person, search the Minnesota DOC locator

Use the Minnesota DOC Offender Locator (Public Viewer) and search by name, date of birth, or MNDOC offender ID. This covers people committed to the DOC or under DOC supervision, not county pretrial arrests.
Official source
Step 4

For a federal arrest, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

If the charge is federal, search the BOP inmate locator by name or register number instead of the state or county tools.
Official source

What you’ll need to search

You can start with just a name, but these make a match faster and surer.

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name.
Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
An MNDOC offender ID or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Use official, free sources — and a few things to watch for

Use only official sources: the Minnesota DOC Offender Locator for state prison / DOC supervision, Minnesota VINE or the county sheriff's roster for county jails, or a call to the county jail. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
The DOC locator does not cover county jail inmates, so it is not the tool for a brand-new county arrest.
Be wary of paid data-broker 'inmate search' and mugshot sites. They are not official, often charge fees, and may show stale, incomplete, or expunged records.
Custody data can lag. Someone booked within the last few hours may not appear online yet; if an official source shows nothing, call the county jail's booking or records line.
This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

If you need to bail them out in Minnesota

Finding the person comes first. Once you know where they are, this is how getting them out works in Minnesota.

Commercial bail available

In Minnesota, commercial bail exists. If a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash directly with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee. A judge may also release the person on their own recognizance or on set conditions, so ask the court or the jail what applies before paying anyone.

Minnesota guarantees a right to release on bail (Minn. Const. art. I, sec. 7), and under the criminal rules (Minn. R.

Crim.

6.02) a court setting release on a bailable offense generally must offer a money-bail amount the person can post with or without non-monetary conditions, and often a separate set of non-monetary release conditions.

Money bail can be satisfied by cash posted directly with the court or by a surety bond posted through a licensed commercial bail-bond agent for a fee.

Commercial bail bondsmen legally operate in Minnesota and are licensed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Release on personal recognizance (a signature bond) is also common for lower-level matters.

A surety bail bond carries a non-refundable premium charged by the bondsman, commonly around 10% of the bail amount. Cash bail posted directly with the court is returned at the end of the case, less any fees, if the person makes all required appearances.

The person’s rights. The person in custody has the right to talk to a lawyer about their case, and if they cannot afford one, the court can appoint a public defender.

Other official Minnesota contacts

County jails are run by the sheriff where the arrest happened — call that jail’s booking or records line for a very recent booking or the bail amount. These statewide sources can also help.

If there is also a warrant to deal with

Two companion guides pick up where this one leaves off — checking for a warrant, and resolving it on your own terms.

Check for a warrant in Minnesota Worried the person has an open warrant too? Check first, state by state. Resolve a warrant in Minnesota If they need to resolve a warrant, this walks through turning yourself in calmly.

Common questions about finding someone in Minnesota

How do I find someone who was just arrested in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not in a state prison, so the DOC locator will not show a brand-new arrest. Minnesota participates in the national VINE system (Minnesota VINE, phone 1-877-664-8463), a free way to search custody status and register for alerts, and it can include county jail inmates. Some county sheriffs also post an online jail roster. For a very recent booking or bail details, call the county jail's booking or records line, or the county's district court.

How do I find someone in state prison in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Department of Corrections runs an official public offender locator (page heading 'Locator', with 'Search Adults by Name' and 'Search Adults by MNDOC Offender ID'). It covers adults committed to the Minnesota DOC or under DOC supervision. Search by name, date of birth, or MNDOC offender ID. It may take several business days for a newly sentenced adult to appear. This tool does NOT cover county jail inmates, so someone just arrested and held in a county jail will not be found here. MN DOC phone: 651-361-7200.

Is there a free way to check if someone is in custody in Minnesota?

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Minnesota. Search by name for custody status and register for free alerts. County jail rosters and the state locator are also free and official.

What do I need to look someone up in Minnesota?

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name. Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. An MNDOC offender ID or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does Minnesota have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Minnesota: if a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee, and a judge may also grant own-recognizance or conditional release.

Sources & last verified

Everything here links out to official government or public-safety sources. We don’t store, search, or republish records.

Last verified 2026-07-23 · 11 sources