Burleigh County Arrest Records — How to Retrieve

When you need to pull an arrest record in Burleigh County, the records live in two separate systems: the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office holds booking-side records for the Burleigh/Morton Detention Center, and the North Dakota Courts public-access search covers court-side docket entries for cases filed in Bismarck. The Courthouse runs weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; reach the main line at (701) 355-1350. For Sheriff’s records requests, the dedicated submission form is at burleigh.gov/departments/sheriffs-department/records-request. The ND Courts statewide case search at ndcourts.gov/public-access covers Burleigh County district court filings.

If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Burleigh County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.

If you need records outside Burleigh County

A preliminary name scan through a nationwide criminal background service can surface records from other North Dakota counties or out-of-state jurisdictions in one search. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account. No single county portal covers multi-state history.

Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

How to look up arrest records in Burleigh County

Public records law in North Dakota — specifically NDCC 44-04-18.1 — makes most government records open to inspection, and Burleigh County arrest records fall squarely within that framework. That statute is the legal foundation for every pathway described below.

The ND Courts public-access search at ndcourts.gov/public-access is the fastest way to pull court-side records for Burleigh County cases. Search by name or case number. The tool covers district court criminal filings — felonies and misdemeanors — and shows case status, charges, hearing dates, and dispositions where entered. Burleigh County is on the Odyssey case management system, so results are generally current. If you want search tips specific to name variations, the ND Courts search help guide explains wildcard and partial-name options.

For booking-side records held by the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office, submit a records request through the Sheriff’s records request form. This is the correct channel for arrest reports, booking sheets, and incident reports generated by Sheriff’s deputies. Call (701) 222-6651 to confirm current fees and turnaround before submitting. The Sheriff’s records page also links to the Sheriff’s Operations division, which handles warrant-related inquiries.

Arrests made by the Bismarck Police Department — which covers the city of Bismarck within Burleigh County — are separate from Sheriff records. For Bismarck PD arrest reports, call (701) 223-1212 to ask about their records request process. City police records do not automatically appear in the Sheriff’s system.

The Burleigh County Courthouse Clerk of Court is the right contact for certified copies of court documents tied to a specific case — charging documents, judgments, and orders. The Courthouse is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Reach the main line at (701) 355-1350. If you plan to visit in person, note that downtown Bismarck has 90-minute parking enforcement from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday — plan accordingly.

For cases where a person was sentenced to state prison rather than county jail, the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation maintains a separate resident lookup. That tool is a statewide fallback when the Burleigh County detention record shows a transfer out of the Burleigh/Morton Detention Center. The Detention Center’s main information page is at burleigh.gov/departments/sheriffs-department/burleighmorton-detention-center.

Are Burleigh County arrest records public?

Ninety-nine percent of adult criminal records in Burleigh County are open to public inspection under state law — the narrow exceptions matter, but they are genuinely narrow.

NDCC 44-04-18.1 establishes the default-public rule for North Dakota government records. Arrest records, booking entries, and court docket filings are government records. That means any member of the public can request them from the Sheriff’s Office or pull them through the ND Courts search without stating a reason. The law does not require you to be a party to the case or to have a professional credential.

The exceptions are specific. Juvenile records are confidential under North Dakota law — a person arrested as a minor does not have a public adult record for that arrest. Sealed or expunged records are removed from public view after a court order; the ND Courts search will not return them, and the Sheriff’s Office will not confirm them in a standard records request. Victim-identifying information — addresses, contact details, and certain narrative details in domestic violence or sexual assault cases — is redacted before records are released to the public. These redactions happen at the agency level before you receive the document.

Active investigative records present a different situation. An arrest report tied to an ongoing investigation may be withheld in part or in full under NDCC 44-04-18.1’s law-enforcement exemption. Once a case is charged and filed in district court, the court-side record becomes public. The booking entry at the Burleigh/Morton Detention Center is generally public from the time of booking.

Background-check companies and data aggregators pull from public court records and may display Burleigh County arrest information. The accuracy of those third-party databases varies. For a definitive record, go directly to the ND Courts public-access search or the Sheriff’s records request — those are the authoritative sources.

What’s in a Burleigh County arrest record?

A booking entry and a court docket entry are not the same document — they live in different systems and show different fields.

A booking record generated at the Burleigh/Morton Detention Center typically includes: the arrested person’s full legal name and date of birth; the booking date and time; the arresting agency (Sheriff, Bismarck PD, or another law enforcement body); the booking number assigned at intake; and the charges as listed at the time of booking. The charges at booking reflect what the arresting officer wrote — they may differ from what the prosecutor ultimately files in court. The booking record does not contain a disposition; that lives on the court side.

To get the booking-side record, submit a request through the Sheriff’s records request form and reference the person’s name and approximate booking date. The Burleigh County Courthouse main number is (701) 355-1350 if you need to confirm which agency holds the record you’re after.

A court docket entry at the Burleigh County District Court — accessible through the ND Courts public-access search — shows the case number, the formal charges as filed by the prosecutor, all hearing dates and outcomes, the assigned judge, the attorney of record (defense and prosecution), and the final disposition if the case has concluded. Dispositions include guilty plea, not guilty verdict, dismissal, and deferred imposition of sentence. A dismissed case will show “dismissed” in the docket; that entry remains visible in the public search unless the record has been sealed.

Mugshot release in Burleigh County: call the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office at (701) 222-6651 to ask about their current booking photo release policy — the policy is not posted in detail on the public-facing records page.

One practical note: the ND Courts search reflects what has been entered into the Odyssey system. Newly filed cases may not appear immediately. If a case was filed recently and you don’t see it, the Courthouse at the Burleigh County Courthouse can confirm filing status by phone.

How to expunge an arrest record in Burleigh County

If an arrest in Burleigh County resulted in a dismissal, acquittal, or no charges filed, petitioning to seal that record is a straightforward legal procedure available under North Dakota law.

The governing statute is NDCC 12.1-32-07.2, which authorizes the sealing of criminal records in North Dakota. Under that statute, a person may petition the district court to seal records of an arrest that did not result in a conviction, or — after a waiting period and with a clean record — records of certain convictions. The petition is filed with the Clerk of Court at the Burleigh County District Court, located at the Burleigh County Courthouse.

For dismissed or acquitted cases, the path is generally more direct. Because no conviction occurred, the eligibility bar is lower. You file a Petition to Seal with the Clerk, pay the filing fee (call the Courthouse at (701) 355-1350 to confirm the current fee), and serve the State’s Attorney. The court schedules a hearing. If no objection is filed and the statutory criteria are met, the court issues a sealing order. After that order, the record is removed from the ND Courts public-access search and the Sheriff’s Office will not confirm it in a standard public records request.

For conviction-based sealing under NDCC 12.1-32-07.2, eligibility depends on the offense class, the waiting period since sentence completion, and whether the person has incurred new criminal history. Not all offense classes qualify. The statute excludes certain violent and sexual offenses from sealing eligibility entirely.

You can file the petition yourself — the ND Courts legal self-help resources include guidance on district court filings. An attorney is not required, but for conviction-based petitions where eligibility is less clear, consulting one before filing can save time. If cost is a barrier, ask the Clerk about the indigency fee waiver process — North Dakota courts have a procedure for waiving filing fees based on financial hardship.

One important distinction: sealing under NDCC 12.1-32-07.2 removes the record from public view. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records. A sealed Burleigh County arrest will not appear on a standard background check run by an employer or landlord, but it will still be visible to prosecutors and law enforcement in subsequent proceedings.

The Courthouse is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Bring a government-issued ID and the case number from the original arrest when you go to file.

Frequently asked questions about Burleigh County arrest records

How do I find out what’s on my Burleigh County arrest record?

Pull the court-side record yourself through the ND Courts public-access search — search your name and filter to Burleigh County. That shows every district court criminal case filed against you, including charges and dispositions. For the booking-side record from the Burleigh/Morton Detention Center, submit a records request through the Burleigh County Sheriff’s records request form or call (701) 222-6651. The two systems are separate — a complete picture requires checking both.

Does a Burleigh County arrest record show up on a background check even if charges were dismissed?

A dismissed case can appear on a background check if the court record has not been sealed. The ND Courts public-access search shows dismissed cases alongside convictions — the disposition field will read “dismissed,” but the record is still visible. To remove a dismissed Burleigh County arrest from public view, you petition the Burleigh County District Court to seal the record under NDCC 12.1-32-07.2. After a sealing order is entered, the record no longer appears in the public court search or in standard background checks. Call the Burleigh County Courthouse at (701) 355-1350 to ask about the petition process and current filing fees.