1. Load the official inmate lookup in a browser.
2. Type a last and first name. When the list is long, a middle initial or an age helps you narrow it.
3. Read the status line and the facility named beside your relative.
4. Note the booking number if one shows. It speeds up calls to staff.
5. Nothing found? Call 605-256-5044 and ask to speak with booking.

The Sheriff's business office keeps weekday hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while deputies answer emergencies at every hour.

• Booking in progress. Processing takes a while, so an arrest from a few minutes ago may lag.
• Out already. Bond may be posted, or a written promise accepted.
• Moved. Transfers happen to other county jails, to federal custody and to state prison.
• Odd spelling. Search by a maiden name or a nickname as well as the legal first name. Split a hyphenated surname and try each half.
• Under 18. SAVIN leaves out youth cases.

Fastest answer: the jail line, 605-256-5044. During weekday hours the Sheriff's Office, 605-256-7615, can help too.

Three facilities could be holding someone arrested here:

• Lake County Jail, 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-5044. The county's own adult jail, kept by the Sheriff. Cells here also go to prisoners from other counties under contract: the county signed housing deals with Moody and Sanborn counties, and both Kingsbury and Moody paid it for jail housing in 2026.
• Brookings County Detention Center, 315 7th Ave, Brookings, SD 57006, 605-696-8308. Brookings lists this county among those whose adult men and women it may take, so some local prisoners could be there.
• Minnehaha County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4200 S. West Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105, 605-367-4313, for youths under 18 who must be detained.

The Sheriff's Office, 605-256-7615, can tell you which building has your relative, and whether a woman stays in Madison or is sent elsewhere.

Lake County's online lookup has no mugshots to view. Phone the Sheriff's Office, 605-256-7615, to ask about a photo. A formal records request to that office has to be a paper letter sent by U.S. Mail to the Sheriff's Office at 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042. Calls and emails only count as informal asks.

• Photos held by ICE require a FOIA filing on the ICE records request page.
• Outside of wanted posters from the Marshals Service, federal booking photos rarely become public.

Yes. SAVIN is South Dakota's no-cost victim notification system. It shares offender details and sends notice when custody status changes, a release for example, at any hour of any day. Staff at 844-299-4608 help callers weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.

• Youth cases fall outside SAVIN. Victims in those matters reach the State's Attorney, 200 E Center Street, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-7630.
• After a prison sentence, the DOC offender locator shows where your relative is housed.

For same-day news of a release, keep checking with the jail at 605-256-5044.

Bail is a state constitutional right in nearly every case (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 8). Courts start with the gentlest terms, like a written promise, and stack on more only if necessary (SDCL 23A-43-2, 23A-43-3).

• Under Third Circuit practice, jailers reach a judge about bond between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Late-night bookings wait for morning.
• A Class 2 misdemeanor means walking out on personal recognizance. Felonies, plus certain Class 1 misdemeanors, need a judge.
• Clerks can set lots of other bonds off the statewide chart. A first or second DUI ranges from $225 to $1,000.
• Domestic cases go to a judge for conditions. Up to that first hearing, the household of the alleged victim is off-limits, even by messages relayed through you (SDCL 25-10-43). Turn down any such favor.
• Alcohol and drug charges often bring the 24/7 Sobriety Program, which the Sheriff's Office runs locally.

Amounts, payment and bondspersons are covered on our bail and bond page.

Booking staff at 605-256-5044 can read you the arrest charge. Which charges finally get filed is the State's Attorney's call, made after reviewing the file. That office is at 200 E Center Street, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-7630.

• Upcoming hearings show for free on Find a Court Date.
• Summaries of filed cases cost $20 a search on PARS.
• Once the case is open, the Clerk of Courts, 200 East Center Street, Madison, SD 57042-2941, 605-256-5644, can read out what was filed.

Class makes a big difference. Class 1 misdemeanors cap out at a year behind county bars. Class 6, the lowest felony level, allows two years of prison and a $4,000 fine (SDCL 22-6-1, 22-6-2).

The right to an attorney is explained at the initial hearing. Someone without money asks for one on the spot, and the county pays the private lawyer the court appoints (SDCL 23A-40-6, 23A-40-8).

• Down the road, the court may require repayment to the county, installments included (SDCL 23A-40-10).
• Families can retain a private lawyer whenever they like. Jail staff can explain how attorneys book meetings.
• To find out whether counsel has been assigned, check with the Clerk of Courts, 200 East Center Street, Madison, SD 57042-2941, 605-256-5644.

Phone 605-256-5044 ahead of time. Find out the visiting schedule, the time limit, who is allowed in, and whether video sessions exist. Keep the full name handy.

• Pack a photo ID, since jails nearly always want one.
• Ask which door to use at 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042.
• Count on leaving phones and bags in your vehicle unless staff say different.
• Dress modestly and stay calm. Staff can cut a visit short.

Attorneys schedule their own meetings with the jail. More general pointers are in our visiting guide.

Account funds cover snacks, hygiene supplies and call time. Phone 605-256-5044 to learn how deposits reach a prisoner here, what caps apply and what fees come with each method. Keep the booking number close. Don't ever mail cash.

The Brookings County Detention Center, 315 7th Ave, Brookings, SD 57006, 605-696-8308, has rules of its own, so call there if your relative was moved. For background, deposits are explained in our money guide, spending in our commissary guide.

Ask the jail, 605-256-5044, how outgoing calls are arranged, what a minute costs, and if tablets or messages exist. Assume each call is recorded. Case details belong in lawyer conversations, not jail calls.

When the arrest was domestic, calls and letters to the alleged victim's household are banned until the first hearing. Relatives may not act as go-betweens, and a relayed message can bring a new charge (SDCL 25-10-43).

Two more reads: our guide to jail phone service and our inmate email and text guide.

Before mailing anything, phone 605-256-5044. Confirm the exact address, whether a booking number goes under the name, and which enclosures pass, photos or books for example. Mail for the Sheriff's Office goes to 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042.

Stick to plain paper and a plain envelope. Address it with your relative's full legal name; your own return address goes on too. Cash has no place in a letter. Typical rules are listed in our mail guide.

Whatever was taken at booking sits in storage until release day. Planning to collect for someone? Call 605-256-5044 first. Ask if a signed release form is needed, what time to come, and how the leftover account balance is handed back.

Also ask whether pickup is at the Sheriff's Office, 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring photo ID. Jail costs can be billed back to the prisoner (SDCL 24-11-45).

SDCL 24-11-13 puts the Sheriff in charge of the jail and its prisoners. The county pays a local pharmacy for prisoners' medicine and pays for counseling services too. If your relative takes a prescription, call 605-256-5044. Tell staff which medicine, how much, and which doctor's office prescribed it, with that office's number.

For anything urgent, dial 911, and say so plainly if the worry is mental health. Mental health holds are another Sheriff's Office duty, so ring 605-256-7615 to ask about one.

County deputies serve warrants everywhere outside town, and city officers serve them in Madison. Warrant questions go to the Sheriff's Office, 605-256-7615, or Madison police, 605-256-7531. Online, UJS ePayments can reveal an active warrant attached to a case. State resources: the Department of Corrections posts escaped prisoners on its Most Wanted page. Anyone may search the state's Sex Offender Registry. In person, try the Clerk of Courts, 200 East Center Street, Madison, SD 57042-2941, 605-256-5644. To clear things up, have a lawyer by your side, then turn yourself in at the jail, 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042, or get the issuing court to reset the date.

Hearings on local cases happen in the courthouse at 200 East Center Street, Madison, SD 57042-2941. With a full name and birth date, the Clerk of Courts at 605-256-5644 can give you the date. Phones are answered weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.

Hearings scheduled in state court show on Find a Court Date. It costs nothing and searches by party or case number. For how a case unfolds from start to finish, read our court guide.

1. Federal charges from this area are heard at the United States Courthouse, 400 S. Phillips Ave., Room 128, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-330-6600.
2. A federal judge decides pretrial release in a detention hearing, usually on the day of the first federal court date (18 U.S.C. 3142).
3. Until a verdict, the Marshals Service keeps federal defendants, frequently in a county jail it pays for space. The Sioux Falls office, 400 South Phillips Avenue, Room 216, Sioux Falls, SD 57104-6851, 605-330-4351, can tell you which jail.
4. Post-sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator with a name or register number.

1. Form I-247A is how ICE lodges a detainer on your relative.
2. The hold may run up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Officers then collect your relative. This state belongs to the St. Paul Field Office, 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.
4. Among ICE's detention sites is the Pennington County Jail, 307 Saint Joseph St, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-394-6116.
5. Check the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name.
6. Finally, SB 7 (2025): local governments may not stop their officers from passing a person's immigration status on to federal agents.

Felony prison time is served under the South Dakota Department of Corrections. Which prison a person lands in is up to the department.

• Enter a DOC number or a last and first name in the DOC Offender Locator.
• Only felons in state custody appear there. Someone serving county jail time or on probation will be missing from it.
• Each facility is described in our South Dakota state prisons section.

Most children go home with a parent (SDCL 26-8C-3). Minnehaha County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4200 S. West Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105, 605-367-4313, takes the few who must be held, and it never closes.

Juvenile matters are part of circuit court and reach down to age 10 (SDCL 26-8C-2). For hearing details, contact Court Services, 200 East Center, Suite 1, Madison, SD 57042-2941, 605-256-5645.

Two local agencies patrol the county, and state troopers cover the highways:

• Lake County Sheriff's Office, 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-7615. Deputies patrol Chester, Wentworth, Rutland, Nunda, Ramona, Junius, Winfred, Brant Lake and the countryside.
• Madison Police Department, 503 S Highland Avenue, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-7531. Officers handle calls inside city limits.
• South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers work state and U.S. highways. The jail, 605-256-5044, can confirm whether a trooper made the arrest.

Any emergency: dial 911.