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 24, 2026.
McKenzie County, North Dakota, has about 15,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in McKenzie County is held at the county jail, run by the McKenzie 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, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: McKenzie County public records, McKenzie County arrest records, McKenzie County warrants, McKenzie County police reports, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in McKenzie County
The county jail, run by the McKenzie County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in McKenzie County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the McKenzie County Sheriff's Office at mckenziesheriff.net/Resources/Correctional-Facility (page title: Correctional Facility), phone 701.444.3654, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 701.444.3654.
The McKenzie County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 25 people, down from about 32 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 135 beds, and it ran at 19 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
McKenzie County has about 15,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 17 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the McKenzie County Jail
The McKenzie County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Watford City make the arrests that end in a booking in McKenzie County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the McKenzie County Sheriff's Office's 347 for 2025 and Watford City's 317 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in McKenzie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 664 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 McKenzie County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at docr.nd.gov/resident-lookup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in McKenzie County?
Ask the McKenzie County Sheriff's Office at 701.444.3654; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mckenziesheriff.net.
How many people are in the McKenzie County jail?
About 25 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 135 beds.
What is the phone number for the McKenzie County jail?
701.444.3654, the number on the page of the McKenzie County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in McKenzie County go?
To a facility of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; its inmate locator is at docr.nd.gov/resident-lookup.
Is this the official McKenzie 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.