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 September 30, 2026.
Butte County, South Dakota, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Butte County is held at the county jail, run by the Butte 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: Butte County public records, Butte County arrest records, Butte County warrants, Butte County criminal records, Butte County court records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Butte County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Butte County is held at the county jail, run by the Butte County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Butte County Sheriff's Office at buttesd.gov/sheriff (page title: Butte County | Sheriffs Office), phone (605) 892-2737, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 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 (605) 892-2737.
The Butte County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 12 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 18 beds, and it ran at 65 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Butte County has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 11 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Butte County Jail
The Butte County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Belle Fourche make the arrests that end in a booking in Butte County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Belle Fourche's 96 for 2025 and the Butte County Sheriff's Office's 57 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Butte County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 153 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 Butte 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 South Dakota Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.sd.gov/adult-corrections/offender-locator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Butte County?
Ask the Butte County Sheriff's Office at (605) 892-2737; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at buttesd.gov/sheriff.
How many people are in the Butte County jail?
About 12 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 18 beds.
What is the phone number for the Butte County jail?
(605) 892-2737, the number on the page of the Butte County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Butte County go?
To a facility of the South Dakota Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.sd.gov/adult-corrections/offender-locator.
Is this the official Butte 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.