How to Search the Dane County Jail Roster
The Dane County Sheriff's Office publishes a "Current Residents" roster. It is free and needs no login. The roster is a long, sortable table with hundreds of entries, so the search box is the fastest way in. Type a last name to filter the list, then open the Detail link for the person. The roster tells you whether someone is in Dane County Jail custody at the moment the page loads, along with booking and arrest detail for that stay.
Because the roster changes all day with bookings, releases, and transfers, treat it as a snapshot. A missing name does not prove a person was never held. They may have been released, moved to another county, sent to state or federal custody, or listed under a different spelling. For court charges and outcomes, search the Dane County court records system instead, and the arrest records page covers booking detail.
The current resident roster is the official starting point.
The Dane County current residents roster lists names, judicial status, and a detail link. Use these steps:
- Open the current residents roster on the Sheriff's site.
- Type a last name in the search box to filter the table.
- Try the last name alone or an alternate spelling if the first search fails.
- Open the Detail link for the matching person.
- Read the building, status, booking number, and arrest information.
- Search the name on WCCA for the related court case.
Dane County Jail Roster Search Fields
The roster uses a simple table tool. The controls below are what you work with. There is no advanced search, so the name filter and the Detail link do most of the work. The judicial status column is worth a close read, because it tells you why a person is held.
| Field / Control | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Show entries | Dropdown | Sets how many rows show at once. |
| Search | Text input | Filters roster rows by name or status text. |
| Name | Result column | Last name, first name, and middle or suffix. |
| Judicial Status | Result column | Custody status, such as CO Pretrial or Sentenced with Huber. |
| Detail | Link | Opens the public resident detail page. |
| Pagination | Control | Previous, numbered pages, and Next. |
What a Dane County Inmate Profile Shows
Each Detail link opens a resident profile. The profile holds custody facts and arrest facts. It shows the name, status, building, and housing area, along with a booking number, booking date, and name number. It then lists arrest information: the arrest number, arrest date, the agency that made the arrest, an agency case number, the offense, and the counts. The arresting agency is often a city police department, which holds the actual incident report.
The court case number on a profile can be blank right after an arrest. A WCCA case may appear later, once prosecutors file or the court opens the matter.
A sample resident detail page shows the field layout. The table below lists the fields you can expect.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name and status | The resident's name and judicial status. |
| Building and area | The jail facility and housing area. |
| Booking number | Identifies the current jail stay. |
| Name number | Identifies the person in the Sheriff's system. |
| Scheduled release | A release date when one is set; often shown as N/A. |
| Arrest agency / case | The arresting department and its case number. |
| Offense and counts | The alleged offense and number of counts. |
| Court case number | May be blank early; links to the WCCA case later. |
Note: The profile may not show a bond amount or a mugshot, so do not assume those details from the roster alone.
Judicial Status Codes Explained
The judicial status field uses local shorthand. The code tells you where a case stands and why the person is held. A pre-adjudication code means the case is still pending, while a sentenced code means a local jail term is being served. A hold points to supervision rather than a new charge.
- CO Prearraignment
- In custody before the first court appearance.
- CO Pretrial
- In custody while the case is pending.
- P/P Violation (Hold)
- A probation or parole hold, not a new jail sentence.
- Sentenced with Huber
- Serving a sentence with work-release privileges.
- State Resident Writ
- State-custody movement or writ status, not local pretrial detention.
These codes help explain a case at a glance, but they do not replace the court docket. Use WCCA to confirm charges, hearings, and any bond amount tied to the status.
Dane County Jail Facilities
The Dane County jail operates out of two downtown buildings. The Public Safety Building and the City-County Building each house residents and run their own visitation schedules. Both sit within a short walk of the courthouse near Capitol Square. The bail and release window for posting bond is on the first floor of the Public Safety Building.
The Sheriff's jail page is the hub for facility information.
The Dane County Jail page covers the jail system. The two facilities are listed below.
Public Safety Building Jail
115 West Doty Street
Madison, WI 53703
Bail/release window, first floor
City-County Building Jail
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Madison, WI 53703
Separate visitation schedule
Booking and Custody Process
When a person is arrested for a crime, they are taken to the Dane County Jail and booked. A judge or court commissioner then sets bail. The judge may allow a signature bond, which is a promise to appear, or require a cash bond. A person who cannot post cash bail stays in jail and is not allowed to leave except for emergency medical care. Time spent in custody before sentencing is credited against any sentence later imposed.
For sentenced residents, the judge sets the length and place, and decides whether work-release privileges apply. The Sheriff then decides how the sentence is served, which can include jail confinement or, where available, home detention with electronic monitoring. Sentences are reduced by "good time," and Huber privileges let eligible residents leave for work, school, child care, or treatment for set hours.
Some pretrial residents are supervised in the community instead of held. Dane County Pretrial Services, staffed by social workers under the county judiciary, monitors court-ordered bond conditions and makes referrals when a judge orders it. That option can shorten a jail stay for a suitable case, so a person may leave custody but still report to a pretrial officer while the case is open.
Dane County Jail Visitation
All residents are allowed two 45-minute non-contact visitation slots per week. Only scheduled visits are honored, and there are no walk-up visits. Every visit needs sign-up at least 48 hours ahead, and visitors must arrive on time or be denied. A valid government photo ID or passport is required. Residents are not allowed visits before arraignment court. Non-attorney visits are recorded and monitored, while properly registered attorney visits are not.
Visitors register through the GTL VisitMe scheduler.
Visits are scheduled at gtlvisitme.com. The official schedule page lists each building's times.
The visitation page gives both schedules. The Public Safety Building hours are below.
| Visit type | Days | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Non-contact | Monday–Friday | 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 PM |
| Non-contact | Saturday–Sunday | 8:00–10:00 AM; 1:00–2:00 PM; 6:00–9:00 PM |
| Video | Monday–Friday | 8:00, 9:00 AM; 6:00–9:00 PM |
| Video | Saturday–Sunday | 8:00–10:00 AM; 1:00–2:00 PM; 6:00–9:00 PM |
Remote video visits cost $0.12 per minute through an account at gettingout.com, with windows in the morning, midday, and evening. Attorneys can use remote video too, and after the first scheduled visit they email the jail to set the account to "Do Not Monitor."
Dane County Jail Mail Rules
The jail changed its mail process to cut down on contraband. Mail goes through the U.S. Mail to the resident's name and name number. The official page is unusually specific about what is allowed and what is not, so it pays to read it before you send anything.
The mail page lists the address format and the item rules.
The resident mail page gives the full rules. Use this address: Resident Name and Name Number, Dane County Jail, 115 West Doty Street, Madison, WI 53703.
- Allowed: personal letters, single-layer greeting cards, personal photos, and approved publications.
- Allowed: cash, money orders, and government checks payable to the resident or Sheriff's Office.
- Not allowed: marker, crayon, glitter, glue, stickers, stamps as enclosures, and instant photos.
- Not allowed: food, prepaid phone cards, and how-to material on escape or weapons.
- Size limit: envelopes or packages larger than 10 by 13 by 1 inches are not accepted.
Money, Commissary, and Phone
Family and friends can put money on a resident account three ways: through JailATM online, a kiosk in the Public Safety Building lobby open around the clock, or a tablet account at gettingout.com. Commissary is run by Summit Foods, and residents place orders through a phone system or tablet app. Orders are due Sunday night, packed Monday, and delivered Wednesday, with a second delivery attempt the next day if the resident is not available.
Phone service comes through Global Tel*Link. The jail lists a public voicemail line at (608) 665-2474 that uses an eight-digit resident phone ID. Property is handled with care: a resident must fill out a request slip to release property, all of it goes to the same person, and there are no item-by-item pickups. Property cannot be picked up between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM on weekdays, and the jail does not accept drop-offs.
The Sheriff gathers these rules on a single family and friends page.
The family and friends jail page links deposits, commissary, property, and phone-minute rules in one place. A few facts save wasted trips. Commissary is the only way items reach a resident, since drop-offs are not allowed. Keep the booking number for online deposits and bail, and keep the name number for mail. If a JailATM deposit fails, the JailATM customer service line can open a ticket. Planning around the weekday property blackout and the Sunday-night commissary cutoff helps families avoid a second trip downtown.
Release and Notifications
To learn when a resident leaves custody, the safest tool is VINE. The Dane County District Attorney points victims to VINE, a free 24-hour service that can notify a registered user when a jail resident is released or transferred. It can also report charges, bail, and jail location, though it cannot say whether a person has Huber or home-detention privileges.
The released inmates page covers VINE, bond returns, and state and federal locators in more depth. For active orders, see the warrant records page, and for jail population data, see the jail population page.