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 between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Otter Tail County, Minnesota, has about 61,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Otter Tail County is held at the county jail, run by the Otter Tail 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: Otter Tail County public records, Otter Tail County arrest records, Otter Tail County warrants, Otter Tail County criminal records, Otter Tail County court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Otter Tail County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Otter Tail County is held at the county jail, run by the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office at ottertailcounty.gov/public-safety-law/detention/jail-in-custody-list (page title: Jail In Custody List | Otter Tail County, MN), phone 218-998-8555, 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 Otter Tail County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 46 people, down from about 80 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 111 beds, and it ran at 41 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Otter Tail County has about 61,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Otter Tail County Jail
The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Fergus Falls, Perham, Pelican Rapids, New York Mills, Parkers Prairie, Battle Lake and one more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Otter Tail County.
The Wadena Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Otter Tail County, so its arrests are not broken out for Otter Tail County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Fergus Falls's 415 for 2025, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office's 258 for 2025 and Perham's 27 for 2024.
Together, the seven agencies in Otter Tail County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 703 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 Otter Tail County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Otter Tail County?
Look on the custody page of the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office at ottertailcounty.gov, or call 218-998-8555. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Otter Tail County jail?
About 46 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 111 beds.
What is the phone number for the Otter Tail County jail?
218-998-8555, the number on the page of the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Otter Tail 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.