Dakota County Jail / Dakota County Corrections Overview
Dakota County Jail / Dakota County Corrections is operated by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, led in the research record by Sheriff Tim Decker, at the courthouse and corrections-center complex in Dakota City. Local sources use several related names for the same facility, including Dakota County Jail, Dakota County Corrections, Dakota County Correctional Facility, and Corrections Center. The jail serves adults awaiting court proceedings and people serving short county jail sentences.
The custody mix is broader than a standard county-only roster. The Dakota County JailId roster has shown Dakota City Sheriff's Office arrests, South Sioux City Police Department arrests, Nebraska State Patrol arrests, federal marshals holds, USMS-Omaha holds, immigration holds, Nebraska DOC holds, Iowa prison references, and other-county holds. That matters when a lookup fails: the person may have been released, moved to state prison, taken into federal or immigration custody, or held under another agency's case.
The official sheriff corrections page explains that roster information is updated regularly but may not always reflect the most current status because release, transfer, bond, and court activity can change after a list is generated. It also states that people listed on the roster are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
The sheriff's corrections-center page is the local source for roster, visitation, mail, and inmate-funds links.
Use that page as the local starting point when you need jail-specific contact information before scheduling a visit, mailing an item, or sending money.
Dakota County Jail Capacity and Population
An official county-rated capacity for Dakota County Jail was not located in the inspected county pages. The most reliable current public snapshot is the live JDS/JailId roster, which showed a run date and time of June 20, 2026 at 18:11 in the research capture. County board minutes from April 15, 2024 reported that the jail was "pretty much at capacity" with mostly county inmates and that federal inmate numbers were down.
Capacity discussions have also involved federal and immigration custody. Local KTIV reporting from January 5, 2022 said the current jail opened in 2006 after a half-cent sales tax vote and that a proposed phase-two expansion would add more than 100 beds and raise capacity to nearly 250 inmates. Global Detention Project lists Dakota County Jail as an ICE and USMS IGA facility, with 20 ICE standard capacity beds, 29 ICE average daily population in 2026, and 22 average detention days in 2026. Those ICE figures do not replace the missing official county-rated jail capacity.
| Measure | Reported Detail | Source Context |
|---|---|---|
| County-rated capacity | No official county number located | Sheriff, county, and budget material inspected |
| Expansion proposal | 100+ added beds; nearly 250 total capacity | KTIV, January 5, 2022 |
| Capacity pressure | Jail described as pretty much at capacity | Dakota County Board minutes, April 15, 2024 |
| ICE detention data | 20 capacity, 29 ADP, 22 average days | Global Detention Project profile updated through 2026 |
How to Look Up an Inmate at Dakota County Jail
For current county jail custody, start with the official Dakota County current inmate roster. It is a list-style roster rather than a search form. The page is organized by male and female sections and displays roster entries with JailId, photo column, name, charges, current disposition, total bail, SID number, book date, attorney, next court date, arresting agency, and release date when available.
- Open the official JailId/JDS roster linked from the Dakota County Sheriff's Office and corrections-center pages.
- Check the run date and time near the top of the roster so you know how fresh the list is.
- Scan the male and female sections, or use the browser find function to search for a last name.
- Read the JailId, name, charges, current disposition, book date, attorney, arresting agency, bail, and release-date fields together.
- Call 402-987-2170 if the roster may be stale, the person was just arrested, or a release or transfer may have happened after the last update.
The county roster is not the right tool for every custody question. A Dakota County defendant sentenced to Nebraska prison should be searched through the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services incarceration record search. A sentenced federal inmate should be checked in the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator. Immigration custody may require the ICE Online Detainee Locator System or the ICE detainee information line listed for this facility.
The current roster is visible through Dakota County's JailId/JDS roster page, which is the main public custody list for the county jail.
Because the roster includes holds and dispositions from several systems, match the name and booking fields carefully before assuming the charge, court, or release status.
Dakota County Jail Address and Contact
The main jail and sheriff courthouse location is the practical contact point for current custody, roster clarifications, mail routing, visitation scheduling, and local records questions. Use the main local line first unless the question is specifically about an ICE detainee or another agency's hold.
Dakota County Jail / Dakota County Corrections
1601 Broadway, PO Box 305
Dakota City, NE 68731
402-987-2170
Main sheriff, courthouse, and corrections-center offices are listed as open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Custody-Specific Lines
ICE detainee information: 402-987-2176
GDP-listed facility phone: 402-987-2182
Dispatch: 402-494-7555
Dispatch is 24 hours, but it is not the routine roster or visitation scheduling line.
Visiting Someone at Dakota County Jail
Public sources did not publish a fixed pod-by-pod visitation timetable, so visitors should not rely on guessed hours. The sheriff and county corrections materials say to call 402-987-2170 and choose option #4 to schedule. Visits must be scheduled 48 hours ahead, visitors must register at least 15 minutes before the visit, and newly arrested inmates cannot receive visits until after arraignment.
Visitors need government-issued photo identification. Unaccompanied visitors must be adults, and minors must be with a parent or guardian with proof of relationship. Visits are monitored and recorded. Contact visits are not permitted, all people and items entering visitation may be searched, and visitors can be refused for improper dress, disruptive conduct, intoxication, or rule violations. Cameras, recording devices, food, drinks, and smoking are not allowed in visitation areas.
| Visitation Item | Dakota County Rule | Practical Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Call 402-987-2170 option #4 | Confirm the inmate's pod schedule before traveling |
| Advance notice | 48 hours | Same-day visits should not be expected |
| Fresh arrests | No visits until arraigned | Wait until the first court appearance has occurred |
| Weekly allowance | Two one-hour blocks | Any visit counts as one hour of the weekly allowance |
| Contact visits | Not permitted | Security rules are intended to reduce contraband risk |
Mail, Phone, and Money at Dakota County Jail
Mail should be addressed to Dakota County Corrections with the inmate's full name. Incoming mail is opened and checked for contraband. Legal mail is opened in the inmate's presence and checked for contraband. The handbook says checks and money orders are not accepted through the mail, and cash is placed into the inmate's commissary account rather than kept by the inmate.
The sheriff corrections page links JailATM for sending money. Commissary ordering is once each week by facility kiosk during the scheduled time. Orders are final, no credit is allowed, and an indigent kit can become available after one week with no account funds. General living units have collect-call phones for personal calls, personal calls are limited to 15 minutes, and calls are recorded. Phone privileges can be limited during lockdown or discipline.
| Service | Provider / Detail | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Mail Address | Dakota County Corrections, ATTN: inmate full name, PO Box 305, Dakota City, NE 68731 | Mail is screened; unauthorized material is returned |
| Legal Mail | Opened in the inmate's presence | Checked for contraband |
| Money Deposit | JailATM link on sheriff corrections page | No checks or money orders accepted through mail |
| Commissary | Weekly kiosk ordering | No credit; submitted orders are final |
| Phone Calls | Collect-call phones in general living units | 15-minute personal calls; calls recorded |
Booking and Intake at Dakota County Jail
A Dakota County booking usually begins with arrest by Dakota City deputies, South Sioux City police, Nebraska State Patrol, or another agency that brings the person to the county jail. Intake includes identity work, property handling, search procedures, medical or special-needs screening, housing decisions, phone access, and entry into the jail's internal systems. The handbook directs new inmates to tell the booking officer about physical, emotional, medical, or special needs so staff can consider those issues for housing.
Roster status can lag the criminal case. A booking may show "Charges Not Filed" before the prosecutor files formal charges, or a hold may appear before the person is moved to another jurisdiction. The handbook says defendants can request a bond review 24 hours after bond is set. Written requests must be submitted before 0900 for the requested date, and represented defendants must have counsel request the review.
State Prison, Federal, and ICE Custody Connected to Dakota County Jail
No Nebraska Department of Correctional Services prison was located inside Dakota County. After sentencing to state prison, a Dakota County defendant leaves the county jail system and should be searched in the NDCS locator by last name or DCS ID. The Nebraska Victims of Crime Alert Portal can also be useful for victim notification and custody-change awareness, but it is not a substitute for confirming custody with the jail or NDCS.
Federal and immigration custody create another layer. The county roster may show "FEDERAL MARSHALS HOLD," "HOLD FOR USMS-OMAHA," or "HOLD FOR IMMIGRATION" while the person is physically housed at Dakota County Jail. Federal court case information is separate from the county jail roster. Sentenced federal custody belongs in the BOP locator, and immigration detention should be checked through ICE ODLS or the ICE detainee information line.
The Global Detention Project profile identifies Dakota County Jail as an ICE and USMS facility and gives immigration-specific capacity and population figures.
For Dakota County searches, this distinction helps explain why one person may appear on the local roster while another must be found through NDCS, BOP, ICE, or NEVCAP.
Programs, Requests, and Jail Conditions
The Dakota County inmate handbook describes a rule-based facility intended to comply with Nebraska Minimum Correctional Facility Standards. Request forms and Medical Request Forms, called KITES, are available on request. Medical requests route to the Medical Director, while grievances route to the Director of Corrections. A grievance must be filed within 48 hours of the event and must state the problem, people involved, and requested action.
Programs and services documented in the handbook include AA/NA meetings one night each week by gender, counseling sessions by appointment, religious counseling by request form outside normal service times, and inmate worker assignments for eligible people. Inmate worker status is a privilege limited to people sentenced on all charges with no outstanding warrants, and the handbook states there is no compensation or benefits for that status.
The facility is tobacco-free. Meals, medication distribution, phone privileges, visitation access, mail screening, and commissary orders operate by posted rules and scheduled times. The handbook also notes indigent postage for three letters per week, visitation-list changes only on the first day of the month, and suspension of telephone privileges during lockdown.
Note: Confirm custody, visitation eligibility, and the inmate's pod schedule with Dakota County Jail before traveling or sending money.