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 9, 2026.
Richland County, North Dakota, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Richland County is held at the county jail, run by the Richland 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: Richland County public records, Richland County arrest records, Richland County warrants, Richland County police reports, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Richland County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Richland County is held at the county jail, run by the Richland County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Richland County Sheriff's Office at co.richland.nd.us/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Richland County, North Dakota), phone (701) 642-7777, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 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) 642-7777.
The Richland County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 18 people, up from about 15 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 32 beds, and it ran at 56 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Richland County has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 11 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Richland County Jail
The Richland County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Wahpeton make the arrests that end in a booking in Richland County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Richland County: North Dakota State College of Science (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Wahpeton's 328 for 2025 and the Richland County Sheriff's Office's 86 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Richland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 414 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 Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland County?
Ask the Richland County Sheriff's Office at (701) 642-7777; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at co.richland.nd.us/sheriff.
How many people are in the Richland County jail?
About 18 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 32 beds.
What is the phone number for the Richland County jail?
(701) 642-7777, the number on the page of the Richland County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Richland 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 Richland 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.