Houston County Jail Roster Access
The official starting point for Houston County inmate records is the county's In Custody page. The page is published by Houston County and is the local route for a current Houston County Jail roster check. Research found that the host page displays a disclaimer image and an embedded roster frame. The embedded frame target, however, returned a 404 response during direct inspection on June 18, 2026. That means the page should be treated as the first official source, but not the only source.
Because the embedded roster did not expose live entries during research, Houston County inmate records cannot be described as having verified public search boxes, filters, booking fields, bond fields, mugshot display, or refresh timing. The safer record path is to start with the in-custody page and, if it fails, contact the Houston County Sheriff's Office or use the records request channel. The county jail is operated by the Houston County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Brian L. Swedberg. Jail Administrator Rachel Meyer is listed at extension 4120 through the main sheriff and jail phone number.
The manifest image captured from the Houston County in-custody page shows the official roster host page and the frame area used for the custody list.
Use that page as the official online doorway, then move to phone or records request options when the frame does not produce current custody entries.
Houston County Roster Search Fields
The Houston County jail roster host page did not show native search controls in the static page source. It relied on an embedded custody roster instead. Since the roster endpoint failed during research, no field labels, buttons, profile links, paging controls, or sample record display could be confirmed. This matters because many jail sites show name search fields, booking numbers, bond amounts, and charge details, but Houston County's current public display could not be verified from the official source.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No visible public field on host page | N/A | N/A | The official page embeds an iframe instead of presenting native search controls. |
| Embedded custody roster | iframe | N/A | The official iframe URL returned 404 during direct inspection, so no fields, filters, buttons, pagination, or sample profiles were captured. |
A person searching Houston County inmate records should avoid relying on an unofficial commercial lookup when the county frame fails. The local jail phone, records request process, and state custody systems are the documented official alternatives. A current jail record can change quickly after booking, release, court order, transfer, or a hold from another agency.
Use Houston County Inmate Lookup
The best Houston County inmate lookup path depends on whether the person is in local jail, sentenced state prison, federal custody, or immigration detention. Houston County Jail handles local adult detention, including pretrial detainees and sentenced local inmates. MNDOC handles people committed to state prison. BOP and ICE use separate federal systems. Follow the source that matches the custody type.
- Open the official Houston County in-custody page and check whether the roster frame loads with current entries.
- If the roster loads, use only the visible current-custody information and avoid assuming that older bookings remain online.
- If the roster does not load, call the Houston County Sheriff's Office and Jail at 507-725-3379 for current custody verification.
- For a written jail record, use the sheriff's records request page and ask for the specific arrest, booking, or jail data allowed under Minnesota law.
- If the person was sentenced to state prison, search the Minnesota Department of Corrections public locator.
- For notification, use Minnesota VINELink. For federal or immigration custody, use BOP or ICE.
There was no official Houston County, Minnesota sheriff or police mobile app with a jail roster, warrant search, most-wanted list, or records portal located during research. The documented access chain remains the county website, phone, in-person Justice Center contact, records request, VINELink, court records, MNDOC, BOP, and ICE.
Houston County Inmate Record Fields
A Houston County inmate record may exist inside the jail even when the online page does not show a public profile. The jail creates and keeps booking and custody records as part of intake, housing, phone, canteen, and release operations. The public roster profile fields, however, were not visible from the official endpoint during research. For that reason, the following field inventory states what could not be confirmed online rather than implying that every item appears on the Houston County jail roster.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | Not captured from the official roster because the embedded endpoint failed. |
| Booking number | Not captured from the public Houston County roster display. |
| Booking date or time | Not captured. Roster appearance timing was not published in county text. |
| Mugshot | Not captured. Minnesota law generally makes adult booking photos public, but local online display was not verified. |
| Charges | Not captured from the roster. Filed court charges should be checked through MCRO after a case opens. |
| Bond | Not captured. Bond questions may involve the jail and Houston County Court Administration. |
| Housing or location | Not captured. Confirm current location through the jail before visiting or sending funds. |
| Status or release | Not captured. VINELink can help with custody-status notification where available. |
For charges after booking, use court records rather than a jail-only record. The Houston County Attorney reviews law enforcement evidence and makes charging decisions, while Houston County District Court maintains filed case records. A booking charge is an arrest-side entry. A formal charge is the prosecutor's court filing.
Request Houston County Jail Records
The Houston County Sheriff's Office has a records request page for public access under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. The sheriff's page states that incident reports, arrest information, jail records, calls for service, accident reports, and other law enforcement data may be available for public release. It also states that private, confidential, or protected nonpublic information may be withheld or redacted.
The records page says a request form may be submitted by email, mail, or in person during business hours. The linked data request form returned a 404 body during research, so use the records page instructions but be ready to contact the office if the form link fails. Fees may apply for copies, staff time when allowed by law, mailing, electronic media, and other authorized costs. The county did not publish a jail-record fee table in the research material.
The screenshot from the Houston County Sheriff's records request page documents the county's public data request route.
That request path is the main written fallback when the Houston County jail roster does not show a usable public entry.
Records law: Minnesota Statutes 13.03 presumes government data are public unless classified otherwise, and Minnesota Statutes 13.82 governs law enforcement data such as arrest records and booking photographs.
Houston County Jail Contact
Houston County Jail is the only detention facility physically identified in the county's official and state sources for Houston County. It is inside the County Justice Center in Caledonia and is operated by the Houston County Sheriff's Office. The same Justice Center also houses court, attorney, probation, victim services, emergency management, and sheriff functions, so confirm the right office before making a trip.
Houston County Jail
306 S. Marshall Street
Caledonia, MN 55921
507-725-3379
Jail Administrator Rachel Meyer, ext. 4120
County Justice Center and courthouse hours are listed as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Confirm lobby access before travel, especially around holidays or when a visit, bond question, or public data request requires a specific counter. The jail's public parking information points visitors to East South Street and the court page also identifies north lot and street parking.
Houston County Custody Systems
Houston County inmate records are local only while a person is in the Houston County Jail or tied to a sheriff's arrest record. Once a felony sentence commits a person to the Commissioner of Corrections, the statewide MNDOC locator becomes the correct search tool. Federal criminal custody and immigration detention are not searched through the Houston County jail roster.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Pretrial or local sentence | Houston County in-custody page, jail phone, records request | Local jail custody and releasable sheriff records. |
| Sentenced state prisoner | MNDOC Locator | Adults under Minnesota DOC jurisdiction, including prison and supervised release. |
| Custody notification | Minnesota VINELink | Notification registration for participating jail and detention custody. |
| Federal custody | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal sentenced prisoners and some BOP custody records. |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Search by A-number or biographical data where eligible. |
The Minnesota DOC public locator provides a separate search interface for state custody and supervision records.
Use it after a Houston County case results in a state prison commitment, not for a person still held at the local jail before court disposition.
Houston County Inmate Visit Rules
Houston County Jail uses video visitation only. The sheriff's page says there is no face-to-face contact between visitor and detainee. Visitors must have a Turnkey account through InmateCanteen, and the county says on-site account setup is available for people without computer access. Each visit requires pictured identification or a pictured driver's license. Children under 18 must be with a parent or guardian and supervised at all times.
| Day | Hours | Type and Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 5:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. | Video visitation, Turnkey account required, first come first served. |
| Thursday | 12:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. | Video visitation, pictured ID or driver's license required. |
| Sunday | 5:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. | Video visitation, minors must be accompanied and supervised. |
Confirm custody before scheduling a visit. A person may be released, moved, in court, under a hold, or transferred to another system before the visit window opens.
Houston County Inmate Contact Options
Mail, phone, and money services are separate from the public roster. The sheriff's page publishes the jail's mailing format but did not publish detailed limits on postcards, books, photos, stamps, envelopes, scanned mail, or vendor-only mail. Use the exact local format and call the jail before sending anything that might be restricted.
| Service | Houston County Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail format | "The Inmates Name", C/O Houston County Jail, 306 South Marshall Street, Caledonia, MN 55921. |
| Phone vendor | Reliance Telephone, 1-800-896-3201, for phone problems or buying phone time. |
| Money kiosk | Lobby kiosk accepts cash or credit card deposits. |
| Online canteen | Deposits through InmateCanteen and secure.inmatecanteen.com. |
| Programs | AA, Adult Basic Education, religious services, chemical dependency, job skills, NA, library, recreation, inmate worker, work release, and Sentence to Service. |
Note: Verify current custody with Houston County Jail before sending money, mail, or visit requests because release or transfer can happen before vendor records update.
Houston County Booking and Court Records
Houston County does not publish a full booking-process walkthrough, but the research supports the standard local path. A person may be arrested by the Sheriff's Office, Caledonia Police Department, Hokah Police Department, Houston Police Department, La Crescent Police Department, or another agency. If jail custody is required, the person is transported to Houston County Jail for identification, property inventory, safety and medical screening, classification, booking record creation, and housing if held.
After arrest, the court record is a separate path. The Houston County Attorney states that law enforcement investigates, gathers evidence, and submits the case for charging review. Houston County District Court then handles filed case records, hearings, fines, bonds, and court scheduling. Use the custody page and jail phone for current detention status. Use MCRO and local court administration when charges, hearings, dispositions, or certified court copies are the need. For booking photos and photo law, see the Houston County jail mugshots page.