Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Lake Elmo, Minnesota, in Washington County, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An arrest in the city leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the County Attorney files charges, a case in the Washington County District Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: Lake Elmo public records, Washington County arrest records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in Lake Elmo
The FBI lists no arrest reporting agency under the name of Lake Elmo. In Washington County the county agency that reports arrests is the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Lake Elmo Are Held
The county jail is where a person arrested in Lake Elmo and kept in custody ends up, whichever agency made the arrest, though a city department may hold someone in its own cells first and a person cited and released at the scene is never booked. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and once the person is released or sentenced the record continues in the court file.
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 190 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 229 beds, and it ran at 84 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washingtoncountymn.gov/3220/Daily-Jail-Booking-Report (page title: Daily Jail Booking Report | Washington County, MN), phone 651-430-7900, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone who was booked recently; a person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Lake Elmo
An arrest in Lake Elmo can be traced in three places, depending on where the case stands: the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office described above, for anyone booked into the county jail; Minnesota Court Records Online, the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, which shows whether charges were filed; the County Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at washingtoncountymn.gov/411/County-Attorney, phone 651-430-6115).
Minnesota is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: the public criminal history search online is free and shows 15 years of convictions, through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. That record shows what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Lake Elmo
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the agency must answer promptly, within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages.
- An arrest by the Lake Elmo police: the police records page SearchSystems verified at lakeelmo.gov/170/Public-Records-Request (page title: Public Records Request | Lake Elmo, MN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
- An arrest by the Washington County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 651-430-7900.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 651-430-6115, handles discovery for pending cases.
- Any county record that is not posted: the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at washingtoncountysheriffmn.nextrequest.com (page title: Open Public Law Enforcement RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
- Your own statewide record: a request to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The Washington County guide covers every agency in the county: Washington County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Lake Elmo?
Look on the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washingtoncountymn.gov, or call 651-430-7900. It covers people booked into the county jail.
Where are people arrested in Lake Elmo booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Lake Elmo?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension: the public criminal history search online is free and shows 15 years of convictions. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Lake Elmo?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Washington County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time; the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at washingtoncountysheriffmn.nextrequest.com.
Is this the official Lake Elmo website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.