The Ward County Jail Inmate Roster is a public resource that allows anyone to check who is currently in custody at the county jail in Minot, North Dakota. Publicly available information about current and recently released inmates can be found on the WardCourt.us website. Additionally, data can be obtained via the official Ward County Sheriff's website, in person at the jail reception, or by phone. The roster is maintained by the Ward County Sheriff's Department; it is regularly updated and serves as a transparency tool — allowing citizens to track arrests, charges, and custody status.
Search Current Inmates in Ward Jail
There are several ways to check if a specific person is in custody at the Ward County Jail.
Online Search
- Visit WardCourt.us to search publicly available court records related to county inmates.
- To check criminal cases, use the ND Court Records portal — select "Ward County" from the Northwest District list.
- If the person has been convicted and transferred to a state correctional facility, check the North Dakota Department of Corrections Resident Lookup.
You will need the person's full legal name (last name and first name) or booking number, if known, to search. Juvenile offenders are not displayed in the public registry.
By Phone
Call the Ward County Jail directly. A dispatcher or duty officer can confirm if a specific person is in custody if you provide the full name and date of birth.
In Person
You can visit the Ward County Jail reception during business hours. The address and contact details of the county court are:
Information about court location and clerk contacts can be found on the North Dakota court system website. If your inquiry relates to arrest warrants or open criminal cases, the criminal case search guide may help.
Find Ward Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created when a detained person is officially processed into the jail. It is the first document that records the fact of incarceration.
During the booking process, the following data is generated:
- Unique booking number
- Date and time of intake
- List of charges
- Name of the arresting agency (Minot Police, State Patrol, County Sheriff, etc.)
- Demographic data of the detainee (name, date of birth, gender)
Access to these records can be obtained in several ways. The quickest is the online jail roster, where records typically appear shortly after processing. Court materials related to the case are available through the District Court Case Search portal.
If you need an official document or a copy of a record that cannot be downloaded online, submit a public records request. According to N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18, anyone has the right to request public records from a government agency, regardless of residency. The request must clearly identify the specific records.
Search the Ward Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The jail roster supports two main search methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter the last name in the search field. To narrow the results, add the first name. A few tips:
- Use exact spelling — the system is sensitive to letter errors.
- If the last name is complex or has multiple spelling variants (e.g., hyphenated), try a shortened version.
- On some platforms, the browser's Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) function works for page search if the roster is displayed as a list.
Search by Booking Number
The booking number is the most accurate way to find a specific record. It eliminates confusion with namesakes. This number is usually provided during a call to the jail or indicated in arrest documents.
If the Search Yields No Results
The absence of a name in the roster does not mean the person was not arrested. Possible reasons:
- The booking process is not yet complete, and the record has not appeared in the system.
- The person has already been released — after release, records are removed from the current roster.
- The person has been transferred to another facility (e.g., a state correctional facility — check via Resident Lookup DOCR).
- An error was made in the spelling of the name.
In any of these cases, the most reliable option is to call the jail directly.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Ward
The Ward County Jail roster is updated regularly throughout the day, but it does not operate in real-time. There may be a delay of several minutes to several hours between the actual booking and the record appearing in the online system, depending on staff workload and time of day.
It is important to understand the limitations of this tool:
- Only current inmates. The roster displays individuals who are in custody at the time of viewing. It is not an archive of all past arrests.
- Delay after arrest. If the arrest occurred recently (especially at night or on weekends), the record may appear with a delay.
- Disappearance after release. Once a person is released on bail, by court decision, or after serving time — their name disappears from the roster.
- Data entry errors. Occasionally, typographical errors occur in names or dates, complicating the search.
For historical arrest or court case data, contact the Ward County Clerk of Court at (701) 857-6600 or use the North Dakota court case search system. If you are interested in information about registered sex offenders, a separate resource is the North Dakota Sex Offender Registry.