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 30, 2026.
Nelson County, North Dakota, has about 3,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Nelson County depends on where the incident happened: the Nelson 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, cities, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Nelson County public records, Nelson County arrest records, Nelson County warrants, Nelson County inmate search, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Nelson County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Nelson County that is the Nelson 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.
Reports from the Nelson County Sheriff's Office
The Nelson County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 2 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 59 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at nelsonco.org/departments/sheriff/index.php (page title: Nelson County North Dakota), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Cities in Nelson County
The FBI lists no city in Nelson County with a reporting agency of its own.
The cities and towns in the county are Lakota, McVille, Michigan City, Aneta, Petersburg, Tolna and Pekin.
How Many Reports: Nelson County in 2025
The one agency in Nelson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2 violent and 1 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
The Nelson County Sheriff's Office reported 59 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the North Dakota Open Records Law Requires
Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the agency must answer a request within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time after the first hour. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Nelson County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the North Dakota Open Records Law the answer is due within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Nelson 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.