The Hennepin County Jail roster is the main public resource for checking whether an adult is currently being held in the county jail or was released recently. The jail is operated by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and is also known as the Adult Detention Center. For families, attorneys and others trying to locate someone after an arrest, the roster is usually the best starting point because it can show custody status, charges, bail and scheduled court dates. The Sheriff’s Office states that the roster is updated hourly. A jail entry, however, is a custody record and should not be treated as proof that a person has been convicted.
Hennepin County Jail Quick Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Official facility | Hennepin County Jail / Adult Detention Center |
| Operated by | Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office |
| Main address | 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415 |
| Jail information phone | 612-348-5112 |
| Roster update | Hourly |
| Main information shown | Current detainees, recent releases, charges, bail and court dates |
| Official website | https://www.hennepinsheriff.org/ |
The jail address and information number are published by the Sheriff’s Office.
What Information Does the Hennepin County Jail Roster Show?
The Sheriff’s Office states that its roster shows people currently in the county jail and people released during the previous seven days. It can also display charges, bail and scheduled court dates.
The direct roster search gives users several ways to narrow a search. Available fields include:
- Name
- Custody status
- Arresting agency
- Received-date range
- Released-date range
Search results can include the booking number, full name, age, custody status, arresting agency, received date and released date. The direct search also accepts partial search terms, which can be helpful when the exact spelling of a name is uncertain.
One useful distinction is that the Sheriff’s main roster page highlights current inmates and releases from the previous seven days, while the direct roster interface states that searchable records are retained for today and the previous 90 days.
How to Search the Hennepin County Jail Roster
For the most reliable information, use the official Sheriff’s Office roster rather than relying only on a third-party inmate-search website.
- Open the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Jail Roster page.
- Select the official jail roster search.
- Enter the person’s name. You can use a partial name if you are unsure of the exact spelling.
- Narrow a broad result using custody status, arresting agency, received date or released date.
- Compare the full name, age, booking number, agency and dates before deciding you have found the correct person.
- Open the matching record and review the available booking, charge, bail and court information.
- If the arrest occurred very recently, search again after the next roster update.
Understanding Booking and Custody Information
The main fields in a jail-roster result have different purposes.
- Booking number: Identifies a particular jail booking and can help separate people who have similar names.
- Custody status: Shows whether the person remains in custody or has been released from that booking.
- Received date: Indicates when the person entered Hennepin County jail custody.
- Released date: Indicates when that jail custody ended, if a release has taken place.
- Arresting agency: Shows the law-enforcement agency connected with the arrest.
- Charges and bail: Reflect information associated with the booking at that time. Charges, bail and court information can change as a case proceeds.
A release from jail does not mean the criminal case is over. Someone may leave jail after posting bail or following a court order while the underlying case continues.
What to Do If Someone Is Not Listed
A missing roster result does not necessarily mean that the person was not arrested.
The official search specifically warns that a person may still be going through intake and may not appear online until a booking number has been assigned.
Other possible reasons include:
- The person’s name was misspelled or entered differently.
- The arrest is too recent for the next hourly update.
- The person has already been released.
- Another law-enforcement agency or correctional facility has custody.
- The person is at the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility rather than the downtown jail.
- The booking is older than the period available through the online roster.
The Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth is separate from the Sheriff’s downtown jail and maintains its own resident roster. Hennepin County describes the ACF as a short-term correctional facility for adults convicted of felony, gross-misdemeanor and misdemeanor offenses.
Hennepin County Jail Address, Phone Number and Bail Information
The main jail contact details are:
- Facility: Hennepin County Jail / Adult Detention Center
- Address: 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415
- Jail information: 612-348-5112
For bail information by phone, the Sheriff’s Office advises callers to have the detainee’s full name and date of birth ready. Cash bail or bond may be posted 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Public Safety Facility.
Important points for anyone planning to post cash bail include:
- Have the case or warrant number when possible.
- Bring the exact bail amount in cash.
- The jail does not make change.
- There is no cash machine on site.
- Checks, debit cards and credit cards are not accepted for cash bail at the jail.
- A bonding agency must be contacted separately when using a bail bond.
Jail Roster vs. Court Records
The jail roster and court records serve different purposes.
The jail roster is best for questions such as whether someone was booked, whether the person remains in jail, and whether a release has been recorded.
Court records are more appropriate when you need to know what happened in the criminal case afterward.
The Minnesota Judicial Branch provides Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO), but there are important limitations. The court system states that pending criminal cases cannot be found through a defendant-name search before a conviction. For pre-conviction criminal information in Hennepin County, users may need to visit the courthouse or contact Hennepin County Criminal Court at 612-348-6000.
Important Points to Remember
- The jail roster is updated hourly, not instantly.
- A person still in intake may not appear until a booking number has been assigned.
- A booking or arrest does not prove guilt.
- Jail custody status and criminal-case status are different things.
- Charges, bail and scheduled court dates may change.
- Check official jail or court records before using the information for an important legal decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I confirm the right person when several people have the same name?
Compare the age, booking number, arresting agency, received date and custody status rather than relying only on the name. If you still cannot confidently identify the person, contact the jail before drawing conclusions from the record.
Q. Why is a person arrested recently not appearing on the roster?
The person may still be going through intake. The official roster states that someone may not appear until a booking number has been assigned, and the Sheriff’s public roster is updated hourly.
Q. Does release from Hennepin County Jail mean the charges were dropped?
No. A release only means that the person is no longer in that jail custody for the particular booking. The criminal case may continue after release. Court records should be checked for later case developments.
Q. What if I need an older booking record?
The direct roster says searchable records are maintained for today and the previous 90 days. If the booking falls outside that period, a data request to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office may be necessary.
Q. What should I do if the jail roster website is temporarily unavailable?
Try the official search again later. If you need an urgent custody check, contact the Hennepin County Jail at 612-348-5112 and have the person’s full name and date of birth available.
Q. Could someone be in Hennepin County custody but appear on another roster?
Yes. The Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth is separate from the downtown Hennepin County Jail and maintains its own resident roster. Checking the correct facility is important when someone does not appear in the Sheriff’s jail search.
