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 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
McLean County, North Dakota, has about 9,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in McLean County is held at the county jail, run by the McLean 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: McLean County public records, McLean County arrest records, McLean County warrants, McLean County criminal records, McLean County court records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in McLean County
The county jail, run by the McLean County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in McLean County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the McLean County Sheriff's Office at mcleancountynd.gov/departments/sheriffs-office (page title: McLean County, North Dakota | Departments), phone (701) 462-8103, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 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) 462-8103.
The McLean County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 30 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 46 beds, and it ran at 65 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
McLean County has about 9,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 30 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the McLean County Jail
The McLean County Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in McLean County.
The McLean County Sheriff's Office reported 252 arrests to the FBI for 2025. 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 McLean County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in McLean County serves the sentence in a facility of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, whose inmate locator is at docr.nd.gov/resident-lookup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in McLean County?
Ask the McLean County Sheriff's Office at (701) 462-8103; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mcleancountynd.gov.
How many people are in the McLean County jail?
About 30 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 46 beds.
What is the phone number for the McLean County jail?
(701) 462-8103, the number on the page of the McLean County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in McLean 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 McLean 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.