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 September 28, 2026.
Burleigh County, North Dakota, has about 103,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Burleigh County depends on where the incident happened: the Burleigh County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the North Dakota Open Records Law requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Burleigh County public records, Burleigh County arrest records, Burleigh County warrants, Burleigh County inmate search, Burleigh County criminal records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Burleigh County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Burleigh County that is the Burleigh County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's list also carries Bismarck State College (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Burleigh County Sheriff's Office
The Burleigh County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 39 violent and 89 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 792 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (701) 255-3113. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at burleigh.gov/departments/sheriffs-department/burleighmorton-detenti... (page title: Burleigh/Morton Detention Center | Burleigh County), phone (701) 255-3113, 4000 Apple Creek Road Bismarck, ND 58504, Tuesday and Thursday (except holidays) from 1-4 pm., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Burleigh County
The two cities the FBI lists in Burleigh County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Bismarck: 190 violent and 1,491 property crimes reported for 2025; 4,014 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lincoln: 2 violent and 23 property crimes reported for 2025; 52 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Burleigh County in 2025
The three agencies in Burleigh County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 231 violent and 1,603 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Burleigh County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,858 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the North Dakota Open Records Law Requires
The North Dakota Open Records Law sets the rules: an answer within a reasonable time, at a charge of copying, and staff time after the first hour, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at burleigh.gov/departments/sheriffs-department/records-request (page title: Records Request | Burleigh County).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, (701) 222-6672, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Burleigh County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Burleigh County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
How long does an agency in Burleigh County have to answer?
Under the North Dakota Open Records Law, within a reasonable time. It may charge copying, and staff time after the first hour.
How do I get a report from the Burleigh County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (701) 255-3113. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Burleigh 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.