Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026.
Bowman County, North Dakota, has about 2,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). In North Dakota the public criminal record is the court file, kept by the Clerk of District Court; the statewide criminal history kept by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation is open to anyone who asks. This guide says where each record of a criminal case from Bowman County is kept and how it is seen.
This guide covers the court file, the statewide record, local arrest records, the crimes behind the records, sex offender registry, records requests and common questions.
Related guides: Bowman County public records, Bowman County arrest records, Bowman County warrants, Bowman County inmate search, Bowman County court records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Criminal Cases in the Bowman County District Court
A criminal case from Bowman County is filed in the Bowman County District Court, and the court file, kept by the Clerk of District Court, is the record of it that the public may see.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ndcourts.gov/public-access (page title: North Dakota Court System | District Court Case Search and Payment Processing), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search.
The North Dakota Criminal History and Your Own Copy
North Dakota is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: name-based criminal history records are open to anyone who asks, through the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The result is the repository record, what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
To see your own record, the route is a request to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The state page SearchSystems verified for it is at attorneygeneral.nd.gov/public-safety/criminal-history-records.
Arrest Records Kept Locally in Bowman County
The Bowman County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Bowman keep the arrest records in Bowman County: the report and the booking record of each arrest stay with the agency that made it, separate from the court file and from the state repository.
Together, the two agencies in Bowman County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 66 arrests to the FBI that year; how each case ended is in the court file, not in the arresting agency's.
The agencies and their counts, year by year, are in Bowman County arrest records.
The Crimes Behind the Records: Bowman County in 2025
The two agencies in Bowman County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4 violent and 4 property crimes to the FBI that year; the same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 8 crimes in 2025 against 11 in 2024. Each reported crime is a report on file with the agency that took it, and each arrest that follows is the start of a criminal record.
The full crime section, agency by agency, is on the Bowman County public records guide.
The Sex Offender Registry for Bowman County
Registered sex offenders living in Bowman County are listed on the North Dakota Sex Offender Registry, run by the North Dakota Attorney General at sexoffender.nd.gov/offender/search. Moderate and high risk offenders are listed online.
Registration itself is done in person with the local agency where the registrant lives: the sheriff's office, or the city police in a city with its own department.
Asking an Agency in Bowman County for a Record
An arrest report, a booking record or a local criminal history letter comes from the agency that holds it, not from the court.
Under the North Dakota Open Records Law a county office must answer a request within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time after the first hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are criminal records public in Bowman County?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation: name-based criminal history records are open to anyone who asks. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the North Dakota Open Records Law.
Can I search Bowman County criminal cases online?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ndcourts.gov/public-access (page title: North Dakota Court System | District Court Case Search and Payment Processing). Statewide, North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search.
How do I get my own North Dakota criminal history?
Through a request to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Is this the official Bowman 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.