The Duluth jail's roster arrives as a single PDF, so a few tricks help:

1. Open the Sheriff's roster page.
2. Pick the link for the current list. The PDF loads in your browser.
3. Ctrl+F brings up a search box on a laptop. On a phone, tap the browser's menu, then its find option. Enter the last name.
4. Copy down the LID beside the name. Mail needs it, and jail staff use it to pull up records.
5. Some lines note that a person is boarded in another county's jail. In that case, phone that jail.

The list is rebuilt hourly. A listing never means the person is guilty. For the charge, bail and next hearing, ask the staff at 218-726-2345.

Check these likely causes:

• Booking isn't done. A name appears once a booking number is assigned. Give it an hour.
• A Range lockup has them. Arrests near Hibbing or Virginia can begin in a 72-hour lockup. Reach the Sheriff's Hibbing office, 1810 12th Avenue E, Hibbing, MN 55746, at 218-312-8134. The Virginia office is at 300 S 5th Ave, Virginia, MN 55792, 218-471-7134.
• Let go already. For many misdemeanors, officers write a ticket and let the person leave. Others walk out after seeing a judge. Check the 48-hour release list linked from the roster page.
• Sent elsewhere for room. A full jail can move people to another jail. These moves are never discipline.
• A minor. Juvenile details are restricted, so people under 18 won't appear among the adults.
• Spelled differently. Retry with a birth surname, middle name or nickname.

Still nothing? Give the Duluth jail at 218-726-2345 the person's legal name plus birth date.

Four places can hold an adult arrested here. The Sheriff runs three of them:

• St. Louis County Jail, 4334 Haines Road, Duluth, MN 55811, 218-726-2345. The main jail, with 197 beds. Booking happens here, and people held longer than a few days are normally kept here.
• Hibbing lockup: 8 beds for stays of up to 72 hours. Call the Sheriff's Hibbing office, 1810 12th Avenue E, Hibbing, MN 55746, 218-312-8134.
• Virginia lockup: 12 beds, also for stays of up to 72 hours. Call the Sheriff's Virginia office, 300 S 5th Ave, Virginia, MN 55792, 218-471-7134.
• Northeast Regional Corrections Center (NERCC), 6102 Abrahamson Rd., Saginaw, MN 55779, 218-729-8673. Arrowhead Regional Corrections operates it. Men only, at minimum and medium security. It takes pressure off crowded jails in St. Louis, Carlton, Cook, Lake and Koochiching counties.

Overflow can also land in Two Harbors. The Lake County Jail, 613 3rd Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616, 218-834-8385, reports housing people from this county. Picked up across the county line? Then the neighboring Sheriff's jail has them, and that Sheriff can confirm it.

Minnesota classifies a jail booking photo as public data. Deputies or police can wait to share one if an active investigation would suffer (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 26). Arrest details are public as well, including the charge and custody status (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 2).

Requests for mugshots go to whichever agency arrested the person. Deputies' arrests belong to the Sheriff's Office, 100 N 5th Avenue W, Room 103, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-726-2340. If town officers made the arrest, ask that police department.

• Immigration booking photos come through the ICE FOIA request page.
• As for federal arrests, the photos generally stay private. Still, the U.S. Marshals Service can release one, say, to track down someone who fled.

Minnesota VINE is a free alert service. The state's public safety department runs it, and it tracks who is held in county jails like the one on Haines Road. It can send a call, text or email the moment someone is released or transferred.

1. Visit VINELink Minnesota, or dial 877-664-8463.
2. Type the name and choose the correct record.
3. Register for notices. Nothing arrives until you do.

VINE also shows current custody status and the facility name. On the Sheriff's roster page, a separate list shows releases from the last two days. Prison notices are a separate DOC system called Minnesota Haven.

At the first appearance, the District Court judge decides on release. Locally, many first appearances use a video hookup to the jail. If officers arrested the person with no warrant, they must be brought before a judge inside 36 hours. In counting those hours, skip the arrest day, every Sunday and any legal holiday (Minn. R. Crim. P. 4.02, subd. 5).

• Starting point. The rules steer judges toward freeing the person on a simple pledge to show up. Any rules added should be only what safety or the next court date needs (Minn. R. Crim. P. 6.02).
• Often two figures. A judge must also name a cash amount without conditions. That is why many orders show two numbers: a low one tied to conditions and a high one with none.
• Family violence. People arrested for domestic assault, stalking or violating an order for protection or a no-contact order are brought to jail. The alleged victim's safety is part of the release decision (Minn. Stat. 629.72).
• Bondsmen. According to the Sheriff's bail bonds page, agents charge 10 to 20 percent of the bail, and that fee stays with them. Minnesota requires at least $100. Pick one from the court system's approved agent list.
• Paying cash. Cash goes to court administration. Legally the defendant owns it, even if a grandparent or friend posted it. The court may take out fines and restitution, then refund the rest (Minn. Stat. 629.53).

Ready to post? First phone 218-726-2345. Get the location, open hours and accepted payment types. Our bail guide goes deeper, and our Minnesota bail laws page lays out state law.

When the prosecutor files a case, it shows in Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO), a free state site.

1. Open the MCRO case search.
2. Key in the person's name as it appears on their ID.
3. Choose the matching case to see the counts.

Certain juvenile files never show there. By phone, court clerks at the Duluth Courthouse, 100 North 5th Avenue West, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-221-7560, can help too.

The level tells you the stakes. Ninety days in jail is the cap for a misdemeanor, and 364 days is the cap for a gross misdemeanor. Under Minn. Stat. 609.02, subd. 2, crimes that can mean prison for one year or more count as felonies.

At the first court hearing in Duluth, Hibbing or Virginia, a defendant who can't cover a lawyer's fee can ask for a public defender. That covers felony and gross misdemeanor charges, plus any misdemeanor that carries possible jail (Minn. Stat. 611.14). Eligibility comes from a financial statement the court reviews. Anyone on means-tested benefits is treated as qualifying (Minn. Stat. 611.17).

In Duluth, the Sixth Judicial District Public Defender keeps its office at 1400 Alworth Building, 306 W Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-733-1027. Its attorneys handle Hibbing and Virginia cases as well. Hiring private counsel remains a choice for any family.

Visit rules shift from time to time. Before driving out to Haines Road, call 218-726-2345 and check:

• if visits are in the lobby, on a screen, or both,
• how you sign up and how many days ahead,
• which ID works and what dress code applies.

Reliance, the jail's phone provider, plans to add video calls through its Reliance Connect app. A man at NERCC, 6102 Abrahamson Rd., Saginaw, MN 55779, follows that center's own rules, so dial 218-729-8673. Lockup stays in Hibbing and Virginia are brief, so ask the Sheriff's office in that city whether visits happen. Our visiting guide offers general advice.

Inmate funds at the Duluth jail are managed by Stellar Services. To deposit online, use JailATM at deposits.jailatm.com. Keep the person's full name and LID from the roster handy.

One catch: deposits cover any fees the person owes first. Only the rest can be spent on commissary or calls. For deposit choices beyond JailATM, ask the jail at 218-726-2345.

At NERCC, 6102 Abrahamson Rd., Saginaw, MN 55779, 218-729-8673, kiosks sit in the main building's front hall. They accept cash and debit or credit cards on weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., holidays excepted. NERCC also credits JailATM deposits and mailed money orders. Personal checks are refused. To learn more, JE has a money guide for deposits and a commissary guide for the jail store.

Reliance Telephone handles calls, texting and video for the jail. Its line is 800-896-3201, or use the company website. Through Reliance, a family can:

• set up a collect call account,
• purchase a phone card,
• fund the person's Wallet, which covers texts and video calls.

Video calls through the Reliance Connect app, for Android or iPhone, are marked coming soon. Link your number to a Reliance Connect account, and the person may phone you any time during the day for $0.25 a minute, drawn from the Wallet. The jail also has an inmate voice message number, 218-409-8366.

Staff record and review all calls and messages. Only attorney calls are exempt. Keep case details out of family calls. Two JE pages dig deeper: our texting and email guide and our jail phone guide.

Starting March 1, 2025, letters for the Duluth jail travel through TextBehind. The company scans each piece and forwards a copy into the jail. Use this exact address block:

First and last name, and LID
St. Louis County Jail, Minnesota
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Look up the LID on the jail roster. TextBehind sorts mail on weekdays only.

• Letters and photos are the only items allowed.
• Cash, checks, money orders and gift, debit or credit cards get mailed back to you.
• Legal mail skips TextBehind. Attorneys can learn that route by calling the jail at 218-726-2345.
• Obscene material and contraband are turned away.

NERCC, 6102 Abrahamson Rd., Saginaw, MN 55779, 218-729-8673, handles mail its own way. Reading material must ship direct from a Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million distributor. Phone the center for the right address format. Our mail guide has extra pointers.

Personal items collected during booking stay locked up at the jail, 4334 Haines Road, Duluth, MN 55811. Phone 218-726-2345 first and find out:

• whether paperwork from your loved one has to come first,
• on which days and at what times items go out,
• which photo ID is needed.

For someone who started out in the Hibbing or Virginia lockup, ask where their items ended up.

Worried about health? Call 218-726-2345 and ask to speak with medical staff or the shift supervisor. Have the pill bottle in hand so you can give the drug name and dose, and keep the doctor's number close. Your loved one should also tell jail staff, and ask them how to make a medical request.

Name any suicide or self-harm risk out loud during that call. For a resident of NERCC, 6102 Abrahamson Rd., Saginaw, MN 55779, dial 218-729-8673. In a true emergency, use 911.

The Sheriff's Office serves warrants from 100 N 5th Avenue W, Room 103, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-726-2340. Its warrant division page offers a felony list and a misdemeanor list, updated nightly at 9:00 PM. Court changes can lag behind, so deputies must verify each one. Statewide, the DOC posts Wanted Fugitives who broke supervised release. MCRO lists cases only. To settle a warrant, get legal advice and reach the issuing court. Duluth Courthouse, 100 North 5th Avenue West, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-221-7560, takes walk-ins in room 133 Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m.

Three District Court buildings serve the county, each with a full clerk's office. Arrest or release papers say which one has the case.

• Duluth Courthouse, 100 North 5th Avenue West, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-221-7560. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Virginia Courthouse, 300 5th Ave. South, Virginia, MN 55792, 218-305-7021. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Hibbing Courthouse, 1810 East 12th Avenue, Hibbing, MN 55746, 218-274-6007. Enter through the main door beside the 18th Street parking lot.

The free MCRO hearing search lists upcoming hearing times by name. Our court guide explains the path from first hearing to the end.

A federal case belongs to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. In Duluth, that court sits at 515 West First Street, Duluth, MN 55802. Reach the clerk at 612-664-5000.

1. Home or jail until trial? A federal judge makes that call at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal prisoners. Its Duluth office: 515 West 1st Street, Suite 307, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-529-3620. Its district office: 300 South 4th Street, Suite 402, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-664-5900.
3. Many people held for the Marshals stay at the Sherburne County Jail, down in Elk River. Sherburne's Sheriff's Office: 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, Elk River, MN 55330, 763-765-3500.
4. Sentenced federal prisoners appear on the BOP inmate locator.

1. ICE's first step is usually Form I-247A, a detainer it delivers to the Duluth jail. The form seeks notice before release and a brief hold.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), a jail may hold someone up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, to give ICE time to arrive.
3. Minnesota's Attorney General took up this question in a formal opinion of February 6, 2025. It reads state law as barring a jail here from extending custody based only on an ICE detainer once the person is due to go free.
4. Some ICE detainees in Minnesota are kept in county jails, including Sherburne's, at 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, Elk River, MN 55330, 763-765-3500.
5. Check the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
6. The ERO St. Paul Field Office covers this area: 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.

Prison time on a felony puts the person under the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC). The person sits at Haines Road until deputies drive them to DOC intake. Intake staff choose a prison that matches.

• Use the DOC Offender Locator. Give the locator a few business days to catch up after a move.
• JE's Minnesota prisons guide explains visiting and mail.
• The final third of most terms is supervised release: the person lives back home while DOC agents keep watch.

Release notices for prison come through Minnesota Haven, not VINE.

Under Minn. Stat. 260B.007, a 17-year-old or anyone younger counts as a child. Their matter goes to juvenile court, which belongs to the District Court. Officers in Duluth or on the Range normally let a parent or guardian take the child home. Only a youth judged dangerous, or likely to miss court, is kept in custody (Minn. Stat. 260B.176, subd. 1).

Youth who are held go to the Arrowhead Juvenile Center, 1918 N. Arlington Avenue, Duluth, MN 55811, a 48-bed secure detention and residential center. Arrowhead Regional Corrections lists a line for the center, 218-625-6708.

• Secure detention can't stretch past 36 hours, weekends and holidays excluded, without both a filed petition and a judge's okay.
• Haines Road and the Range lockups are adult sites. A child's stay there must be short. It is six hours tops if the site is in a metro area. If not, it is 24 hours tops (Minn. Stat. 260B.176, subd. 2).
• Very serious charges against youth aged 14 through 17 can lead to certification for adult court, or to an extended jurisdiction juvenile (EJJ) case.

Probation officers with Arrowhead Regional Corrections work at 100 N 5th Avenue W, Room 319, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-726-2633. Court staff at 218-221-7560 have hearing times.

Each city's officers patrol their own streets. Deputies cover spots without a city force, among them Embarrass and Gnesen. The full list, sorted by region:

Sheriff's Office

• Duluth office, 100 N 5th Avenue W, Room 103, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-726-2340. Handles Gnesen.
• Hibbing office, 1810 12th Avenue E, Hibbing, MN 55746, 218-312-8134
• Virginia office, 300 S 5th Ave, Virginia, MN 55792, 218-471-7134. Handles Embarrass.
• Ely office, 209 East Chapman Street, Ely, MN 55731, 218-365-3344
• Cook office, 9558 Ashawa Road, Cook, MN 55723, 218-471-7268
• Mountain Iron office, 8586 Enterprise Dr. S., Mountain Iron, MN 55768, 218-748-7574
• Rice Lake office, 4107 W Beyer Rd, Duluth, MN 55803. Use the Duluth office number above.

Duluth and nearby

• Duluth Police Department, 218-730-5400
• Hermantown Police Department, 218-729-1200
• Proctor Police Department, 218-624-7788
• University of Minnesota Duluth Police Department (campus), 218-726-7000

Mesabi Range towns

• Hibbing Police Department, 1810 12th Ave East, Hibbing, MN 55746, 218-403-5710
• Virginia Police Department, 218-748-7510
• Eveleth Police Department, 218-744-7560
• Chisholm Police Department, 218-254-7915
• Gilbert Police Department, 218-748-2225
• Hoyt Lakes Police Department, 218-225-2000
• Biwabik Police Department, 218-865-4186
• Biwabik Township Police Department, 218-865-4305

Ely, Babbitt, Cook and Floodwood

• Ely Police Department, 218-226-5477. Alternative number after hours: 218-742-9825.
• Babbitt Police Department, 218-827-2441
• Cook Police Department, 218-666-5128
• Floodwood Police Department, 218-476-2239

Troopers from the Minnesota State Patrol work out of district headquarters in Duluth and in Virginia. For the right district, call State Patrol Headquarters, 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 130, St. Paul, MN 55101, 651-201-7100.