Rice County Booking Releases
Rice County booking releases are handled by the Rice County Sheriff's Office at 118 3rd St NW in Faribault. With a county population of around 66,000, Rice County sees a steady volume of arrests and bookings. When someone is arrested here, their booking data becomes part of the public record under state law. This page covers how to find Rice County booking releases, which tools to use, and what Minnesota statutes say about access to jail records.
Rice County Overview
Rice County Sheriff's Office
The Rice County Sheriff's Office operates the county jail and maintains booking records for all arrests in the county. The office is located at 118 3rd St NW, Faribault, MN 55021. The main phone line for both the office and jail is (507) 334-4391.
| Address | 118 3rd St NW, Faribault, MN 55021 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (507) 334-4391 |
| Jail Phone | (507) 334-4391 |
| Sheriff Website | co.rice.mn.us/215/Sheriffs-Office |
Rice County is one of the more populous counties in south-central Minnesota. The sheriff's office serves the county seat of Faribault as well as other communities throughout the county. When a deputy or cooperating agency makes an arrest, the booking record is created at the jail in Faribault. That record includes the person's name, date of birth, arrest date, charges, and arresting agency. It becomes public data as soon as the booking is processed.
How to Search Rice County Booking Releases
The primary search tool for Rice County booking releases is VINE. Go to vinelink.com or call 1-877-664-8463. VINE is free and covers Rice County and all other Minnesota counties. Enter a name or inmate ID to check current custody status. You can also sign up for automatic alerts if you want to be notified when an inmate is released, transferred, or otherwise changes custody status.
VINE pulls data from the county jail system and updates regularly. It is the fastest public tool for checking whether someone is currently held at the Rice County Jail in Faribault. If the person is not in the VINE system, they may have been released, or the booking may be recent enough that it has not yet synced.
Minnesota Statute 641.05 at the Legislature's revisor site outlines how county jails must document bookings, which is the legal basis for the public records Rice County maintains.
For court records tied to a Rice County arrest, use Minnesota Courts Records Online (MCRO) at mncourts.gov/Access-Case-Records.aspx. MCRO is free and covers Rice County District Court cases filed in Faribault. You can look up case numbers, charges, and hearing dates. Keep in mind that a booking charge and the final court charge sometimes differ. Prosecutors can amend charges at the complaint stage.
Note: Booking records show what a person was charged with at the time of arrest. They do not indicate guilt or reflect any court outcome. Use MCRO to track the full case history.
Minnesota Statutes Governing Booking Records
Minnesota Statute 13.82 is the key public access law for law enforcement data. It makes an arrested person's name, the time and date of arrest, the charges, and the arresting agency available to anyone. No justification is needed to access this data. The Rice County Sheriff's Office is required to make it available.
Minnesota Statute 13.85 limits access to certain correctional records. Medical data, mental health records, and financial information tied to inmates are classified as private. Even though you can access the booking record, you cannot access the private data categories. The Rice County Jail follows these rules strictly.
Minnesota Statute 641.05 sets the standards for how county jails must process and document inmates. This statute is what drives the record-keeping that makes booking releases publicly available. Without the requirements in this statute, the public booking record system would not exist. All Minnesota county jails, including Rice County, operate under it.
Formal Records Requests
If VINE and MCRO don't cover what you need, you can make a formal request under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act. Contact the Rice County Sheriff's Office at (507) 334-4391 and ask for the data practices coordinator. Written requests are the clearest approach for anything beyond a simple custody check.
The office must respond in a reasonable time. Simple requests are often turned around the same day. Complex requests involving older records or records that need privacy review can take longer. Viewing records in person is typically free. Copies cost a per-page fee. Ask the office for the current fee schedule.
BCA Criminal History
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Criminal History System provides statewide conviction records for $8 per search. It covers Rice County convictions that reached final disposition. The BCA is a good tool for background checks but does not show current custody status. A person may be in the Rice County Jail right now with no BCA record if they are pretrial or have no prior convictions in Minnesota.
Use the BCA for conviction history, MCRO for court case details, and VINE for current custody. Those three tools cover the full picture for most Rice County booking searches.
Rice County Jail Operations
The Rice County Jail in Faribault processes arrests from county deputies, city police, and state agencies operating in the county. After booking, inmates are either released on bail or held pending a court appearance. Short sentences are served locally. Longer state sentences are handled by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Visitation rules and mail procedures are managed by the sheriff's office. Call (507) 334-4391 for the current schedule and any restrictions. Phone calls from the jail use a prepaid system. Ask the jail about the current provider and how to fund an account for an inmate. Policies can change, so call before visiting to confirm hours and rules.
The Faribault courthouse is close to the jail, which means court appearances for Rice County inmates are typically handled nearby. Bail hearings and initial appearances are often held at the 3rd Judicial District courtroom in Faribault. MCRO will reflect court dates once they are scheduled in the system.
Cities in Rice County
No cities in Rice County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Faribault is the county seat and largest city, with around 24,000 residents. Northfield is another notable community in the county with roughly 20,000 residents. Neither reaches the qualifying threshold for a separate page here.
Nearby Counties
Rice County borders several other Minnesota counties, each with their own booking release records and sheriff's offices.