Hennepin County Booking Reports
Hennepin County Booking Reports are public records created each time someone is booked into the county jail in Minneapolis. This page explains how to search the live jail roster, what data the records contain, which laws govern access, and where to find related arrest and court records across the county.
Hennepin County Booking Reports
Hennepin County Jail Booking Reports Online
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office runs a live jail roster at jailroster.hennepin.us that refreshes every hour. That means if someone was booked early in the morning, you can likely find them by midday. This is one of the more current rosters in Minnesota, and it covers everyone held at the main jail at 401 South 4th Avenue in Minneapolis as well as related facilities.
You can search by name, custody status, arresting agency, date range, or booking number. Each booking record shows the full name, booking number, age, inmate number, custody status, housing location, the date and time the person arrived at the jail, the arresting agency, and the release date and time if they've been let go. The hourly refresh makes this one of the more reliable tools for tracking recent arrests in Minnesota's largest county.
No login is needed. Anyone can use the roster. If you need records older than what the live system shows, contact the Sheriff's Office directly or search court records through Minnesota Court Records Online.
Note: The Hennepin County jail roster updates every hour, so a new booking may not appear right away depending on when you check.
Sheriff's Office Contact Details
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office handles all jail bookings and maintains the custody records. For questions about a specific record or to request documents not available online, use the contact info below.
| Office | Hennepin County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Main Address | 350 South 5th Street, Room 30, Minneapolis, MN 55415 |
| Public Safety Facility | 401 South 4th Avenue, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN |
| Main Phone | (612) 543-3515 |
| Jail Phone | (612) 348-5112 |
| Sheriff Website | hennepinsheriff.org |
| Jail Roster | jailroster.hennepin.us |
For jail-related calls after hours, use the jail line at (612) 348-5112. The online roster is often faster for checking recent bookings than a phone call, but staff can help with records requests and other inquiries during business hours.
What the Booking Reports Contain
Each entry in the Hennepin County jail roster captures a specific set of data. Knowing what fields are included helps you search more effectively and understand what you'll see when a result comes up.
Standard fields in a Hennepin booking record include full name, booking number, age, inmate number, custody status (in custody or released), housing location within the jail, date and time received, the arresting agency, and release date and time if applicable. You can filter by custody status or arresting agency to narrow your search. The booking number is a unique identifier tied to a single jail stay and can help you track the same record across systems.
Booking records are not the same as criminal records. A booking shows someone was taken into custody. It says nothing about guilt or how a case turned out. Many people booked into the Hennepin jail are released without charges or are acquitted. For charge outcomes and case dispositions, use Minnesota Court Records Online, which covers the 4th Judicial District courts that handle Hennepin County cases.
Note: A booking record does not indicate guilt and should not be treated as proof of a criminal conviction or final legal outcome.
Warrant Records in Hennepin County
Active warrants are separate from Booking Reports but often lead to them. When someone with a warrant is arrested, that arrest creates a booking entry. The Sheriff's Office publishes warrant information at hennepinsheriff.org/en/jail-warrants/warrants, where you can search for people with outstanding warrants in Hennepin County.
Both warrant data and arrest data are public under Minnesota law. Section 13.82 of the Minnesota Statutes classifies arrest data as public government data. That means the Sheriff is required to release booking information, including names, dates, charges, and arresting agencies, to anyone who requests it.
Minnesota Law Governing Public Access
Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act, found at Minnesota Statutes chapter 13, sets the rules for what government data is public. Section 13.82 specifically covers law enforcement data. It requires that arrest data, including the name of the person arrested, the time and place of arrest, the agency that made the arrest, and the charges, be treated as public data. There are exceptions for ongoing investigations and certain protected classes, but most booking data falls squarely in the public category.
Section 13.87 covers criminal history data. Criminal histories held by the BCA are not automatically available to everyone. The BCA Criminal History search lets you request a background check, but that's a separate process from viewing a jail roster. The roster shows current and recent custody. The BCA check shows statewide conviction history. Court records show case outcomes. Using all three together gives the most complete picture of a person's involvement with the justice system.
Sending Money to Someone in Jail
Two methods are accepted for putting money in an inmate account at the Hennepin County jail. In person, you can use Cobra Cashier Kiosks at the facility, which accept cash. For remote deposits, use MoneyGram. When sending through MoneyGram, enter SSC Inmate Funding as the company name and 7950 as the code. Other services are not accepted at this location.
Victim Notification Through VINE
VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) is a free service for tracking inmate custody status and getting alerts when it changes. Register for Hennepin County VINE notifications by calling 1-877-MN-4-VINE or by visiting vinelink.com. Alerts go out by phone, email, or text when someone is released, transferred, or has a status change. The service runs 24 hours a day and is open to anyone who needs to monitor someone's custody status.
Other Minnesota Record Sources
The Hennepin jail roster covers county-level custody. For people held in state prison, use the Minnesota DOC Offender Locator. Someone held pre-trial in Hennepin County will not appear in the DOC system. But if they were convicted and sent to a state facility, the DOC locator is the right place to look.
Third-party aggregator sites like Minnesota Jail Roster and Inmate Search MN compile data from multiple counties and can help if you're unsure where someone was booked. These are not official government tools, so verify anything you find against the official county roster before acting on it.
Cities in Hennepin County
Hennepin County includes several large cities. Arrests made by city police departments in any of these places typically result in bookings at the county jail. Pages for qualifying cities are linked below.
Nearby Counties
Arrests near county lines may involve agencies from adjacent counties. Each bordering county has its own jail roster and booking records process.