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.
Ward County, North Dakota, has about 68,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ward County is held at the county jail, run by the Ward 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: Ward County public records, Ward County arrest records, Ward County warrants, Ward County police reports, Ward County property records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Ward County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ward County is held at the county jail, run by the Ward County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Ward County Sheriff's Office at co.ward.nd.us/395/Ward-County-Inmate-Locator (page title: Ward County Inmate Locator | Ward County, ND), phone 701-857-6530, 204 Front St. P.O. Box 907 Minot, ND 58702, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The Ward County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 130 people, up from about 110 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 286 beds, and it ran at 39 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Ward County has about 68,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 19 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Ward County Jail
The Ward County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Minot, Surrey, Burlington, Kenmare and Berthold make the arrests that end in a booking in Ward County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Minot's 930 for 2025, the Ward County Sheriff's Office's 528 for 2025 and Berthold's 28 for 2024.
Together, the four agencies in Ward County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,476 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 Ward 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 Ward County?
Look on the custody page of the Ward County Sheriff's Office at co.ward.nd.us/395/Ward-County-Inmate-Locator, or call 701-857-6530. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Ward County jail?
About 130 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 286 beds.
What is the phone number for the Ward County jail?
701-857-6530, the number on the page of the Ward County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Ward 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 Ward 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.