Access Rice County Booking Reports
Rice County booking reports document arrests and jail intakes at the 76-bed Sheriff's facility in Faribault. This guide covers how to find those records, what data appears for each booking, and how to supplement county-level information with statewide Minnesota tools.
Rice County Booking Reports
Rice County Jail and Booking Reports
The Rice County jail facility in Faribault holds up to 76 inmates as of the expansion completed in late 2024. It's one of the larger facilities in this part of southern Minnesota. The Sheriff's Office at 118 3rd Street North processes all county bookings and maintains the official records.
Rice County's website at co.rice.mn.us is the official source for department contacts and county government information. The Sheriff's section of the site covers jail information, records, and contacts. The screenshot below shows the county's main web portal.
Rice County does not currently publish a live public jail roster. To confirm custody or get booking information, contact the Sheriff's Office by phone. For formal records beyond basic status, a written data practices request is the right approach.
Contacting the Rice County Sheriff
The Sheriff's Office in Faribault is the primary point of contact for booking records, custody checks, and data practices requests. Faribault is about 50 miles south of the Twin Cities, making Rice County one of the closer southern Minnesota counties to the metro area.
| Address | 118 3rd Street N, Faribault, MN 55021 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (507) 334-4391 |
| Website | co.rice.mn.us |
Note: Don't confuse the city of Faribault (county seat of Rice County) with Faribault County to the southwest. They share a name but are separate jurisdictions with separate law enforcement agencies. Rice County and Faribault County are distinct counties with different Sheriff's offices.
When you call the Rice County Sheriff, have a name and approximate date ready. Staff can confirm if someone is currently in custody and when they were booked. More detailed requests may need to go through the written data practices process.
What Rice County Booking Reports Include
Each booking at the Rice County jail generates a standard set of records. The booking report includes the full name of the person booked, their age, the date and exact time of intake, the arresting agency, charges, and case number. The expanded 76-bed facility means the county can hold more people, which makes keeping up with current booking data more important.
Rice County sees a mix of local arrests from the Faribault Police Department, the Sheriff's own deputies, and occasionally other agencies passing through or working cases in the county. All of these can result in a booking at the county jail. The arresting agency field in the booking record tells you who made the arrest.
The county's proximity to the Twin Cities metro means it sees some cases involving people traveling on I-35. DWI, traffic violations, drug possession, and failure to appear are common across the board. Domestic assault and property crimes are also typical charge types in Rice County booking records.
Booking charges are not convictions. A booking record shows the reason for arrest. Cases are later reviewed by prosecutors and courts, and outcomes can vary widely from the initial booking charge. Always look at court records if you need the full outcome of a case.
Statewide Resources for Rice County Booking Reports
Rice County is in the Third Judicial District. The statewide court portal at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us covers all cases filed in the district. It's free to use and searchable by name or case number. After a booking, if charges are filed, the case will appear on the court portal with full filing and hearing history.
The BCA criminal history search at dps.mn.gov is the statewide arrest and conviction database. Rice County arrests entered into the state system appear there. Public name searches require a small fee. This is the most comprehensive search option for Minnesota arrest records across all counties.
The Minnesota DOC offender locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us tracks people in state prison and supervised release programs. It doesn't include county jail holds. VINE at vinelink.com or 1-877-664-8463 offers free custody status alerts for county jails and state facilities in Minnesota.
Aggregators like minnesotajailroster.com may include Rice County data when it's available from the county. These are unofficial sources and may lag behind real-time county records. Always verify through co.rice.mn.us or by calling the Sheriff's Office for current information.
Minnesota Data Practices Act in Rice County
Your right to booking records in Rice County flows from Minnesota Statute Chapter 13, the Data Practices Act. Arrest data is public under Minnesota Statute 13.82. The Rice County Sheriff's Office is required to provide basic booking records when asked. That's a legal obligation, not a favor.
To request records, submit a written request to the Sheriff's Office. Your request should name the person, give an approximate date, and include your contact information. The county must respond within five business days to tell you whether the data exists and what it will cost, if anything, to produce.
Some records won't be released. Investigative files for open cases, victim data, and juvenile records are restricted under state law. Minnesota Statute 13.87 sets the rules for criminal history data held by law enforcement. If Rice County denies a request, get the reason in writing. You can appeal to the Minnesota Department of Administration if you believe the denial was improper.
Jail Expansion and Capacity Context
Rice County's jail expanded to 76 beds in November 2024. This is relevant for booking records because a larger facility means more booking activity. The expansion was completed to address overcrowding that had required the county to house inmates in facilities outside Rice County. With the expanded capacity, more bookings are now processed locally.
A larger facility also means more comprehensive local booking records. Before the expansion, some Rice County inmates were held elsewhere, which could complicate records searches. The current 76-bed facility handles the county's needs locally, making the Rice County Sheriff's Office the single source for current booking data.
Nearby Counties
Rice County is in south-central Minnesota with several neighboring counties in the region. Each county maintains its own booking records and jail access process.