Access Mower County Inmate Records

Mower County Jail Roster

The official local starting point is the Mower County Jail roster PDF, which the county jail page labels as the Jail Roster. The report is titled "Mower County Jail Inmates in Custody" and the research version reviewed on June 18, 2026 showed an update time of 9:45:06 a.m. The file changes often, so a name that does not appear may still be in booking, recently released, transferred, or held under another system. The PDF can also include released entries, so the release date and custody status matter as much as the person's name.

Mower County Jail is operated by the Mower County Sheriff's Office. The official staff directory lists Steve Sandvik as Mower County Sheriff, and the 2026 DOC inspection also identifies him in that role. The jail is the county's local adult detention facility for pretrial detainees and some sentenced jail inmates. A person sentenced to state prison is searched through the Minnesota Department of Corrections, not the Mower County inmate roster. Federal defendants and immigration detainees use federal tools. That split is important because a local jail record can end when another agency takes custody.

The county's official jail page shows the roster link, jail policies, programs, and the main contact block.

The county jail page is useful because it connects the roster with mail, visitation, canteen, phone, property, and work release documents used after booking.

Use Mower County Records

The Mower County inmate roster has no search boxes. Use the browser or PDF viewer find function instead. A last name is the fastest first search, but a booking number, city, arresting agency, charge phrase, or status label can help when the name is common. Status labels on the roster are local shorthand. "ROR" means release on recognizance, which is a promise to appear in court. "HOLD W/O BOND" means payment alone will not release the person unless the court or holding authority changes the order.

1. Open the Mower County Jail roster PDF from the county jail page or from the direct roster link.
2. Use the PDF find command and search the last name first. Try the first name, booking number, or city if the first search fails.
3. Check the custody status, release date, bail field, arresting agency, charge lines, and status label before assuming the person is still held.
4. Call Mower County Jail at 507-437-9562 when timing matters, especially during intake, release, transport, or court movement.
5. Use MCRO or Mower County District Court for filed court charges, because roster charges are booking descriptions, not the full court case.

Note: A blank release date is a strong clue that custody may still be active, but the jail should confirm same-day status.

Mower County Search Fields

The roster's "fields" are visible text in a PDF, not form inputs. That makes the Mower County jail roster simple to open but less precise than a database. Searches depend on the viewer's find tool and the exact text in the report. If a name has a spelling variant or an alias, try shorter name fragments. If a person was booked and released fast, search by booking date, city, or charge word as well.

Mower County Inmate Profile

A Mower County inmate record in the public PDF is a compact roster entry rather than a clickable profile. It gives enough information to identify the person and understand the public custody status, but it does not display the full jail file. Medical records, inmate financial records, incident reports, visitor registers, and inmate communications can be private or confidential under Minnesota corrections data law and the sheriff's not-public-data inventory.

Mower County Access Chain

The roster is the first stop, not the only stop. For same-day Mower County jail records, use the PDF and then call the jail if the result looks stale or unclear. In-person questions route to the jail or sheriff's office in downtown Austin. Public data not shown online may be requested from the sheriff or county under Minn. Stat. 13.03, which allows public inspection of public government data and permits copy charges where allowed. The Mower County Sheriff's Office inventory of not-public data explains why some jail file parts are not public.

For formal court charges after arrest, use Minnesota Court Records Online and Mower County District Court rather than the jail roster. For a warrant question, the sheriff's staff directory lists the Mower County Warrant Desk at 507-437-9404, but no official public searchable Mower warrant database was located. For custody notifications, Minnesota Haven and VINELink-linked custody notification resources are the relevant notification channel; requester information is protected under Minnesota custody notification law. No official Mower County Sheriff's Office or Austin Police Department mobile app with an inmate roster, warrant lookup, most-wanted list, or app-only custody tool was found in the research sweep.

Booking

Jail intake after arrest or court commitment.

Detainer or hold

Another agency's request or authority that can keep a person in custody.

Rule 20 Eval

A Minnesota criminal-case reference tied to competency or mental condition evaluation.

Book and release

A short jail booking that ends without continuing local custody.

Mower County Custody Systems

Mower County inmate records split by legal status. The county roster covers local adult jail custody and some recently released bookings. The Minnesota Department of Corrections public locator covers adults committed to the Commissioner of Corrections who remain under DOC jurisdiction, including prison and supervised release. DOC warns that newly sentenced people may take several business days to appear. Federal and immigration searches are separate because county jail staff do not run BOP or ICE locator systems.

Mower County Jail Facility

Official sources identify one local detention facility for the county: Mower County Jail. No separate Mower County state prison, BOP prison, ICE detention center, or regional jail was found in the official facility sources. The county overview says the jail opened in 2010, replaced an outdated facility, and houses pretrial and sentenced adult male and female inmates. Published capacity figures differ by source context, with the county overview stating approval for 128 inmates and DOC inspection materials using secure coed approved and operational capacity figures for regulatory purposes.

Mower County Booking Process

Mower County Jail booking follows Minnesota local adult detention standards. Intake must verify legal detention papers, record admission and charge data, search the person and property, conduct medical and mental-health screening, take photographs and fingerprints, collect identity data, assign a booking number, classify the person, and place the person in housing. The public Mower County jail record shows only part of that work: booking number, booking time, custody status, bail, arresting agency, charges, and status.

Some data collected in booking does not belong in the public PDF. The roster does not show housing unit, medical data, visitor logs, full address, date of birth, full physical description, or incident narrative. The 2026 DOC inspection cited local intake and well-being-check rules and later corrective materials said Mower County made adequate corrections after the inspection. That regulatory history supports a practical point: roster data is a public summary, while the jail file is a larger operational record with public and nonpublic parts.

Mower County Visitation Rules

Mower County Jail uses video visitation for social visits, and the official rules state that no contact visits are allowed. Visits are electronically timed and end after 30 minutes. Visitors must be on the approved list, and one visitor is allowed in the visiting area at a time. Inmates may have two visits per scheduled visiting day. Visitors over 18 need current photo ID, and visits may be denied during lockdown, discipline, overcrowding, or if the inmate refuses the visit.

Note: Check current custody and visit approval with the jail before traveling to the Justice Center area.

Mower County Inmate Contact

Mail is addressed to Mower County Jail, C/O the inmate's name, 201 2nd Avenue NE Suite #4, Austin, Minnesota 55912. Jail mail is inspected or filtered for contraband and unapproved content. Approved 4x6 photos are limited, and extra photos go to property. Books and newspapers must be sent through the U.S. Postal Service directly from the publisher. Personal Bibles may be dropped off, but bookmarks and cloth page markers are removed.

Phone and text access is also local to the jail's published policies. Mower County inmates receive one initial free phone card after booking is complete. That card allows a short local or state-to-state call. Later personal calls are the inmate's responsibility. The texting-device policy lists a monthly device or service fee and per-message charges. The county's communication policy names Reliance Telephone as the linked vendor, but custody should be confirmed before setting up paid communication.

Mower County Canteen Funds

Mower County Jail publishes rules for canteen and inmate money. Cash and money orders are accepted for a Turnkey canteen account, while personal and third-party checks are not accepted. Canteen purchases are available only after a person has been in custody more than 72 hours. Available items listed in the county material include bottled Pepsi products, snacks, ramen, candy and pastries, healthier snacks, hygiene products, and stationery.