Located at
120 West Michigan Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
the Lansing Jail is the county jail where the sheriff books adult felony and misdemeanor arrests from Eaton County.
Sheriff’s deputies bring in their own arrests, and city, township and village police departments that lack a holding facility bring theirs. Corrections officers fingerprint and photograph each person, log personal property, check for warrants and complete a health screening before anyone is assigned a cell.
Troopers from the Michigan State Police and officers from other state agencies also book arrests here, and federal agencies such as the U.S. Marshals and ICE may hold people at the jail.
Information on the public list comes from the sheriff’s official booking list (opens in a new tab) or an official statewide jail listing. Where permitted, entries may include a booking photo, the charges and the arresting agency. To clear up anything that seems missing, call the Lansing Jail at 517-483-4674.
Michigan law requires that an arrested person be brought before a magistrate for arraignment without unnecessary delay; for warrantless arrests, a judicial probable cause finding must come within 48 hours. Many district courts arraign by video from the jail. People arrested for many misdemeanors can post an interim bond set by court schedule at the jail without waiting to see a judge.
Under Michigan Court Rule 6.106, judges are expected to release on personal recognizance unless that would not reasonably ensure court appearance or public safety. When money bail is set, the court may allow a 10 percent deposit, or the full amount can be posted in cash or through a surety bond from a bail agent. Our Bail page explains the release steps.
Michigan has no statewide law that either requires or forbids local cooperation with ICE, so the Eaton County Sheriff sets his own policy. A growing number of Michigan sheriffs’ offices and police departments have signed 287(g) agreements since 2025, mostly under the warrant service officer or task force models, while others have declined.
From arrival at the Lansing Jail until a person is housed or released usually takes a few hours, though a busy night in booking can push that to a full day.
Call the jail at 517-483-4674 and ask whether the person has been booked.
Some jails offer an automated inmate lookup by phone; others will connect you with a corrections officer, who may ask for a date of birth before confirming anything.
A person arrested within the last few hours may not show up in the system yet.
To check online, use the Lansing Jail Booking Roster.
After an arrest in Eaton County, officers transport the person to the county jail or, in some communities, to a local police lockup for processing.
Booking happens in steps. Most defense lawyers tell clients not to discuss the alleged crime with anyone during this time, since remarks to officers or on recorded jail lines can become evidence at trial.
The person is photographed and fingerprinted, answers detailed intake questions and is checked for warrants in Eaton County, statewide and nationally. Michigan law also provides for DNA samples from people arrested for certain felonies.
In a drunk driving arrest, refusing a chemical test brings an automatic one-year license suspension under Michigan’s implied consent law, and police can seek a search warrant to have blood drawn by medical staff.
Michigan law limits strip searches of people arrested for misdemeanors or civil infractions, generally requiring a supervisor’s approval and reasonable cause to believe the person is hiding a weapon, drugs or evidence. Everyone is still patted down and may pass through a metal detector or body scanner.
Expect questions about medical conditions, medications, allergies, alcohol and drug use, mental health and suicide risk, gang membership, tattoos and scars. Jail staff use the answers to classify the person, decide where they can safely be housed and identify medical needs.
The jail takes custody of the person’s belongings, inventories them and returns them at release. Many jails will hand property over to a designated family member or friend if the person signs a release form.
This includes the clothes they arrived in, cash, wallets, purses, phones, jewelry, piercings and watches. Glasses may be held if they present a risk, and laces are pulled from any shoes the person keeps.
Once intake is done, the person can usually make a phone call to tell someone about the arrest or to arrange bond or bail.
Those waiting for arraignment or trial receive a jail uniform, sandals or slip-on shoes, bedding, a towel and basic toiletries.
Many jails require a shower and a delousing treatment before the person changes and heads to a housing unit.
Plan on one hour at the short end and 24 hours or more at the long end. The line of arrestees, the number of officers working and the person’s conduct all play a role.
Intoxicated or combative arrivals are often placed in a holding cell for several hours before booking resumes.