Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. 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 on September 23, 2026.
Dakota County, Minnesota, has about 453,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Dakota County is held at the county jail, run by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people and common questions.
Related guides: Dakota County public records, Dakota County arrest records, Dakota County warrants, Dakota County criminal records, Dakota County court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Dakota County
The county jail, run by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Dakota County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Dakota County Sheriff's Office at dakotacountymn.gov/residents/public-safety-justice/jail/inmate-search (page title: Jail Inmate Search), phone 651-377-7188, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone 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.
The Dakota County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 180 people, down from about 220 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 263 beds, and it ran at 84 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Dakota County has about 453,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 4 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Dakota County Jail
The Dakota County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Lakeville, Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, Rosemount and five more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Dakota County.
The Northfield Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Dakota County, so its arrests are not broken out for Dakota County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Burnsville's 1,010 for 2025, West St. Paul's 856 for 2025 and Apple Valley's 839 for 2025.
Together, the 12 agencies in Dakota County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,406 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Dakota County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Dakota County?
Look on the custody page of the Dakota County Sheriff's Office at dakotacountymn.gov, or call 651-377-7188. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Dakota County jail?
About 180 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 263 beds.
What is the phone number for the Dakota County jail?
651-377-7188, the number on the page of the Dakota County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Dakota County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.