Steele County Booking Reports and Jail Roster
Steele County Booking Reports are public records maintained by the Steele County Sheriff's Office in Owatonna, Minnesota. The Sheriff's Office runs a 154-bed jail and makes booking data available to the public under Minnesota's Data Practices Act. This page explains how to access Steele County Booking Reports, what the records contain, and where to find supplemental statewide resources.
Steele County Booking Reports
Steele County Sheriff's Office and Booking Records
The Steele County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement and jail operations for the county from its headquarters at 204 E Pearl Street in Owatonna. The jail holds 154 people and makes Steele County Booking Reports available to the public. The county website at steelecountymn.gov is the starting point for records requests and general Sheriff's Office information.
A PDF jail roster is available online and lists people currently in custody along with their charges. This is the most direct way to check current Steele County Booking Reports without calling the office. The roster is updated on a regular basis and reflects the current population of the jail. Call 507-444-3800 to speak with the office about specific booking records or to confirm the status of someone who may have been released since the last roster update.
| Address | 204 E Pearl Street, Owatonna, MN 55060 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 507-444-3800 |
| Jail Capacity | 154 beds |
| Roster Format | PDF (updated regularly) |
| County Website | steelecountymn.gov |
| Judicial District | 3rd |
Reading Steele County Booking Reports
The jail roster and individual booking reports show who is in custody, what charges they face, and when they were booked. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, this core data is public. The Sheriff must release the name, charges, booking date and time, and the arresting agency for any person in custody. This cannot be refused.
Booking records capture conditions at the time of arrest. They do not update as a case moves through the courts. A charge that appears on a booking report might later be dismissed or reduced. A person might be found not guilty at trial. The jail's records will not show those outcomes. For up-to-date case information, search the court record through Minnesota Court Records Online. Steele County cases go through the Third Judicial District, and court records there are free to view.
Note: If the PDF roster shows a person as in custody, call the office at 507-444-3800 to confirm before acting on that information. PDF rosters may lag behind real-time status changes by a few hours or more.
Data Practices Rights in Steele County
Minnesota law gives the public strong rights when it comes to arrest data. Section 13.82 of the Minnesota Statutes classifies basic booking information as public. The Steele County Sheriff cannot withhold names, charges, booking times, or the identity of the arresting unit.
Some data is protected. Medical records, mental health information, and juvenile records are not public and will not be released. When the Sheriff's Office declines to provide any portion of a requested record, it must tell you which statute applies. You have the right to know why data is being withheld. Minn. Stat. § 13.87 governs how criminal justice agencies in Minnesota manage and share criminal history data, including booking records from county jails like Steele County's.
For disputes about improperly denied or delayed records requests, the Minnesota Department of Administration's Data Practices Office can help. That office handles public data access complaints across the state.
Steele County Booking Reports and Statewide Databases
The Steele County jail roster covers only local arrests. For searches that span multiple jurisdictions, Minnesota offers several statewide tools. The BCA Criminal History Search pulls data from law enforcement agencies across all 87 counties. One search can return Steele County records alongside data from other parts of Minnesota.
If a Steele County conviction resulted in a state prison sentence, the person will appear in the Minnesota Department of Corrections' offender locator rather than the county jail roster. The DOC tool is a free, searchable database of people under state supervision. It shows current incarceration status, facility location, and release information for individuals serving state sentences.
VINE Custody Alerts for Steele County
For automated updates about someone's custody status, register with VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday). This free service sends automatic alerts by phone, text, or email whenever a registered person's custody status changes at the Steele County jail or at any Minnesota state prison. Call 1-877-664-8463 to register by phone or sign up directly on the VINE website. One registration covers both the county jail and the state DOC system.
Nearby Counties
Steele County is in south-central Minnesota, bordered by Waseca, Rice, Dodge, Freeborn, and Faribault counties.