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.
Wells County, North Dakota, has about 3,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Wells County is held at the county jail, run by the Wells 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: Wells County public records, Wells County arrest records, Wells County warrants, Wells County police reports, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Wells County
The county jail, run by the Wells County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Wells County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Wells County Sheriff's Office at wellscountynd.com/departments/sheriff (page title: Wells County, North Dakota | Departments), phone (701)547-3211, 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)547-3211.
The Wells County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 19 people, down from about 25 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 36 beds, and it ran at 54 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Wells County has about 3,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 51 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Wells County Jail
The Wells County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Harvey make the arrests that end in a booking in Wells County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Wells County Sheriff's Office's 25 for 2025 and Harvey's 18 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Wells County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 43 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 Wells 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 Wells County?
Ask the Wells County Sheriff's Office at (701)547-3211; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at wellscountynd.com/departments/sheriff.
How many people are in the Wells County jail?
About 19 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 36 beds.
What is the phone number for the Wells County jail?
(701)547-3211, the number on the page of the Wells County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Wells 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 Wells 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.