Find an inmate in North Dakota

Which system is holding them in North Dakota?

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 local jail

Use the responsible county sheriff for a recent local arrest. DOCR inmate and victim-service records do not establish all county bookings.

Find North Dakota sheriff contacts

Find your county sheriff in the North Dakota POST agency directory, then follow its custody-assistance instructions.

A directory is not a person-search form.

Search North Dakota participating-agency custody — Official DOCR victim-status service is for adult state correctional custody. County booking participation has not been established by this source.

Service instructions reviewed 2026-10-05. This is an agency information or participation route; a working local person-search form is not confirmed.

If nothing appears, contact the arresting agency or the responsible jail to ask how to confirm booking. A missing record does not prove release, and an agency may limit what it can disclose.

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the correctional locator

For a state-prison sentence, use the North Dakota correctional locator.

A short jail sentence may still be served in a local or regional jail.

A sentence alone does not establish the housing location; confirm with the responsible agency.

People currently incarcerated in North Dakota state correctional facilities

Open North Dakota custody search

Last name or starting letters

Official agency instructions and assistance

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Search controls reached; individual results not tested.

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge does not tell you which building holds the person. The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for federal pretrial detention and may use local, state, private, or federal facilities. Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator, but a missing result does not establish that the person is not detained. For a recent federal arrest, contact the arresting agency or the relevant U.S. Marshals district office to ask about the appropriate custody-information process. USMS is a contact route, not a public person locator, and disclosure of a location is not guaranteed.

Search the Federal BOP locator U.S. Marshals district directory

Other kinds of custody

Immigration detention has a separate official ICE detainee locator. It does not search for people under 18, and a missing result does not prove release; use the official ICE field-office contacts. Search by A-number and country of birth, or the name/country/date-of-birth information requested by the service. Access and disclosure can be restricted.

Juvenile and tribal custody may have different agencies, privacy rules, and search limits. This guide does not provide a comprehensive juvenile or tribal locator. Contact the arresting agency or responsible juvenile or tribal authority to confirm the correct process.

For federal pretrial detention, use the U.S. Marshals district directory. Federal responsibility can include housing in a local jail.

Find your area in North Dakota

Find the area where the arrest happened. County and city matches identify geography; confirm custody using the responsible agency’s assistance. A place may span several areas.

City and town matches use the 2026 Census places and active municipal subdivisions, with exact county memberships. Custody arrangements are researched separately. Municipal police holding and jail transfers may differ from the county route.

53 counties

Finding your person in North Dakota, 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

Match the custody system

Use the responsible county sheriff for a recent local arrest. DOCR inmate and victim-service records do not establish all county bookings. Find your county sheriff in the North Dakota POST agency directory, then follow its custody-assistance instructions.
Official source
Step 2

Use the relevant state custody resource

People currently incarcerated in North Dakota state correctional facilities Last name or starting letters
Official source
Step 3

Confirm missing or uncertain records

Contact the arresting agency or responsible jail. New bookings, transfers, excluded populations and offline agencies may not appear online. A missing result does not establish release.
Official source
Step 4

Check federal or immigration custody separately

Use BOP for BOP records, a U.S. Marshals district contact for federal pretrial questions, and ICE ODLS/ERO contacts for immigration. These systems have different coverage and disclosure limits.
Official source

What you’ll need to search

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

Last name or starting letters
The exact name or agency identifier requested by that service. Date of birth is useful where the service offers it; it is not required by every tool.
The arrest location and responsible agency, if known. Check whether the roster is current custody or historical bookings.

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

Use free agency resources or an explicitly agency-endorsed public service. Do not pay a records broker to run these public searches.
A county filter in a state-prison search is not proof that it includes every county-jail booking.
Check participating agencies and outage notices. Use an agency contact when records are missing or unavailable.
Do not infer release or housing location from a missing record, a facility listing or geographic proximity.

If you need to bail them out in North Dakota

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

Commercial bail available

Release depends on the court’s order. A payment is not required in every case. If a secured bond is ordered, ask the court which options are permitted; a private commercial bond service has separate fees and conditions. Confirm the process before paying anyone.

The court decides release and any conditions.

Ask the court or the responsible jail which forms of payment, if any, the order permits, how payments are made, and what refund or forfeiture conditions apply.

Fees for a private commercial service are separate from court deposits.

Do not assume that payment guarantees release.

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 North Dakota contacts

For a recent local arrest, check the arresting jurisdiction’s official jail roster or custody-notification service. Housing may be at a municipal, county, regional, or contracted facility. If no record appears, ask the arresting agency or jail how to confirm the booking; do not infer the destination from distance or a facility listing. 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 North Dakota Worried the person has an open warrant too? Check first, state by state. Resolve a warrant in North Dakota If they need to resolve a warrant, this walks through turning yourself in calmly.

Common questions about finding someone in North Dakota

How do I find someone who was just arrested in North Dakota?

Public custody information for participating agencies only. Not every jail participates, and offline agencies may not report current bookings. Select Name or ID Number and use the displayed criteria. Review the agency and current custody status on any result, and check service notices/offline agencies. If nothing appears, contact the responsible local agency.

How do I find someone in state prison in North Dakota?

People currently incarcerated in North Dakota state correctional facilities Last name or starting letters

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

Public custody searches are free. Official DOCR victim-status service is for adult state correctional custody. County booking participation has not been established by this source. Check the responsible agency and its current participation. A missing record does not establish release. Avoid paid inmate-search and mugshot sites.

What do I need to look someone up in North Dakota?

Last name or starting letters The exact name or agency identifier requested by that service. Date of birth is useful where the service offers it; it is not required by every tool. The arrest location and responsible agency, if known. Check whether the roster is current custody or historical bookings.

How do I check release conditions and costs in North Dakota?

Ask the court or responsible jail for the release order and permitted options. Court deposits and private service fees are different, conditions vary, and payment does not guarantee release.

Sources & review dates

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

Guidance research date 2026-07-23 · 15 sources · Custody-routing review 2026-10-05

How do I find someone in jail or prison in North Dakota?