Access Lincoln County Booking Records

Lincoln County recent bookings are processed by the Sheriff's Office in Ivanhoe, a small city in the far southwest corner of Minnesota along the South Dakota border. The county is rural and sparsely populated, with all jail bookings handled at the single facility in Ivanhoe. Minnesota law requires that most arrest data be made available to the public. Under Minnesota Statute 13.82, the Sheriff must disclose booking records including names, charges, booking dates, and arresting agency on request. This page covers how to get those records, what they contain, and what rights and limits apply under state law.

Lincoln County Jail Booking Log

Lincoln County is one of the smallest counties in Minnesota by population. It sits on the state line with South Dakota, and its county seat of Ivanhoe serves as the central point for all county government services, including the jail. Arrests in Lincoln County can come from the Sheriff's deputies, city police in Ivanhoe, or state troopers patrolling U.S. Highway 75, which runs through the county. All bookings flow to the county jail, and all of them generate public records under section 13.82.

Under that statute, booking records are treated as public government data. The law does not require you to have a reason for asking. It does not require you to be a journalist, a lawyer, or a party to the case. Any member of the public can request booking information from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, and the office must provide it. The data covered includes the person's name, the date and time of booking, the charges at intake, and the agency that made the arrest. If bail was set, that amount is also available.

Lincoln County falls within the Fifth Judicial District. Court filings and case status after charges are filed can be tracked through the Minnesota Courts public portal. That system covers all district courts in Minnesota and lets you search by name or case number at no cost for basic lookups.

What You Find in a Lincoln County Booking Record

A booking record shows what happened when someone was brought into the Lincoln County jail. The core fields that are public under section 13.82 include the full name of the person, the booking date and time, the charges listed at arrest, bail or bond amounts, and the arresting agency. These are open records. The Sheriff's Office cannot choose to withhold them from a member of the public who makes a proper request under the data practices law.

Some information is withheld. Home addresses, birth dates, and other personal identifiers beyond the arrest facts are not public in the booking log. These carry separate privacy protections under the same Government Data Practices Act that makes other fields public. Juvenile records are restricted and handled apart from the adult jail system. For a broader look at someone's record across the full state, the Minnesota BCA criminal history portal is the right tool. It costs $8, requires a name and date of birth, and pulls from statewide data.

A booking is not a conviction. It records the arrest and intake. The case may later be dismissed, result in a plea, or go to trial. The booking record stays as a government document regardless of the final outcome.

How to Request Lincoln County Booking Records

Lincoln County does not have a public online jail roster. To get current booking information, call the Sheriff's Office at 507-694-1664. You can also visit the office at 319 N. Rebecca St. in Ivanhoe during business hours. The Sheriff's staff handles public data requests and must respond in a timely manner. Booking data under section 13.82 must be disclosed to anyone who asks. If you want a written response, you can submit a written data request to the office and the county must treat it as a public records request under state law.

For statewide data, the Minnesota BCA at the Department of Public Safety lets you run name-based criminal history searches across all counties. That search costs $8 and requires a date of birth. It is the most complete option for finding out whether someone has a record beyond what shows in Lincoln County alone.

The Minnesota DOC offender search is a free tool that covers state prison inmates and released offenders. If someone has been in or recently released from state prison, that system will show it. For victim notification after an arrest, VINELink is free and sends alerts when a person's custody status changes.

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in Ivanhoe is responsible for all jail operations, bookings, and public records requests related to arrest data. The office is the right contact for questions about someone in custody or about recent bookings in the county. The Lincoln County website provides contact information and links to county services.

Records Retention, Intake Fees, and Expungement

Booking records in Lincoln County are kept according to Minnesota's government records retention rules. Minnesota Statute 138.17 sets the retention schedules that all state and county agencies must follow. Jail records fall under these schedules. A booking record may stay on file for years after the person was released, even if no charges were ever formally filed. The state retention rules are separate from whatever short public view window a jail might offer on a roster. The underlying record persists well past the point of release.

A booking fee is charged when someone is processed into the Lincoln County jail. Minnesota Statute 641.12 gives county jails the authority to collect this fee at intake. It covers the administrative cost of processing the arrest. The fee is due at booking and does not depend on whether charges are filed or what happens in court later. It is charged to the person booked as part of the standard intake process.

If someone wants to seal a Lincoln County arrest record, they can petition for expungement under Minnesota Statute 609A. A successful petition seals the court record and may extend to the law enforcement record in some cases. Eligibility depends on the charges, the outcome of the case, and how much time has passed since the arrest. Not every arrest qualifies. LawHelpMN offers free plain-language resources that explain who can apply and how the process works in Minnesota courts.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety BCA maintains statewide criminal history data covering all 87 Minnesota counties, including Lincoln.

The BCA is the right tool when you need to look beyond one county's jail log and check a person's full record across the state. It returns data that includes past arrests, charges, and conviction history.

Nearby Counties

Lincoln County shares borders with Pipestone, Murray, Lyon, and Yellow Medicine counties. Each runs its own jail. If you are not sure which county an arrest was made in, check the nearest county that borders the area where the arrest took place.