Dawson County Jail Overview
Dawson County Jail is operated by the Dawson County Sheriff's Office in Lexington. County and sheriff sources identify the facility at 709 N. Grant Street, Lexington, NE 68850. The sheriff front office number is 308-324-3011, and the jail number is 308-324-2279. County government's Dawson County sheriff page names Mark Montgomery as Dawson County Sheriff.
The jail is the only detention facility identified in Dawson County from official and high-authority sources. It holds county arrestees, local sentenced inmates, holds, and people booked by local agencies that use the county jail. A U.S. Marshals Service intergovernmental agreement also authorizes the jail to house adult male and female federal prisoners and provide related transport or guard services. That agreement does not make Dawson County Jail a BOP prison. It means some federal pretrial or material-witness prisoners may be physically housed in Lexington while federal custody remains under federal authority.
Dawson County Jail Population
Current rated capacity and current daily population were not published on the official Dawson sheriff or county pages reviewed. The best Dawson-specific population anchor located was the Prisoners of the Census 2020 vintage correctional-population table, which listed Dawson Co. Jail with 89 people. That is a dated Census-related correctional-population count, not a current jail population or rated-bed capacity.
Nebraska Crime Commission material says Jail Standards staff collect jail records, statistics, and population-flow information for local detention facilities. Dawson-specific current figures were not exposed in the source text. A current headcount should be checked through the jail, and broader jail data can be requested from the proper records custodian when needed.
Dawson County Jail Inmate Lookup
No official searchable Dawson County Jail roster was located in the reviewed sheriff or county pages. The jail FAQ gives the lookup method directly: call 308-324-2279 to ask whether a person is in custody and to ask for current charges and bond amounts. That makes the facility a phone-first jail lookup site rather than a public web-roster site.
- Call Dawson County Jail at 308-324-2279 for current custody, charges, and bond.
- Provide the person's full name, date of birth or approximate age, and arrest date if known.
- Ask whether any hold, transfer, release, or court movement changes the custody answer.
- Use NDCS if the person has been sentenced to Nebraska state prison.
- Use BOP, ICE, or federal court channels if federal or immigration custody is involved.
For a deeper county custody workflow, the Dawson County jail inmate records page explains how booking information, state prison search, federal lookup, and records requests fit together.
Dawson County Jail Contact
The jail and sheriff's office share the law enforcement address in Lexington. The sheriff contact page lists the office and jail routing, while the jail FAQ gives release pickup directions by reference to the courthouse and the jail's west side. For urgent current-custody facts, the jail number is the correct first contact. The front office number is better for sheriff office routing, warrants, and general office questions.
Dawson County Jail
709 N. Grant Street
Lexington, NE 68850
Jail: 308-324-2279
Custody, current charges, and bond inquiries.
Dawson County Sheriff's Office
709 N. Grant Street
Lexington, NE 68850
Front office: 308-324-3011
Sheriff Mark Montgomery.
Dawson County Jail Visits
Visitation is scheduled through InmateSales or the jail lobby visitation kiosk according to the current visitation page and onsite visit rules. The FAQ includes older wording that points to visitel.us, so visitors should confirm current registration details before scheduling. Onsite visits must be scheduled by midnight the night before the requested visit. Visitors must check in 10 minutes before the visit, and a government or state photo ID is required.
| Rule | Dawson County Jail Detail |
|---|---|
| Registration | InmateSales or jail lobby visitation kiosk. |
| Onsite schedule deadline | Schedule by midnight the night before. |
| Check-in | Arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled visit. |
| Visit length | Up to 30 minutes. |
| Weekly onsite limit | Four half-hour onsite visits per week. |
| ID and property | Photo ID required; personal belongings are not allowed in the room. |
| Locker cost | Lockers are available for $0.25. |
Online visits are also routed through InmateSales. Official rules say online visits are available for a fee, visitors must be 18 or older to register, children may participate only with an adult, and visits are recorded and monitored. Recording or photographing the inmate during visits is prohibited and may lead to revoked privileges.
Dawson County Jail Mail Money Phone
Inmate mail must include a full return address and use the jail's address format: Dawson County Sheriff's Office, Inmate's Name, 709 N. Grant St., Lexington, NE 68850. Mail is searched for contraband. Drawings, glued pages, decorative items, and greeting cards are photocopied. The copy goes to the inmate, and the original is placed in inmate property.
Inmate account deposits are accepted in the visitation lobby during visitation hours as cash or money order. Money orders may also be sent by mail and should be made out to the inmate. The jail's phone, texting, and video visit vendor is InmateSales, reachable at 1-877-998-5678. Inmates cannot receive incoming phone calls.
| Service | Provider or Rule |
|---|---|
| Dawson County Sheriff's Office, Inmate's Name, 709 N. Grant St., Lexington, NE 68850. | |
| Phone, text, video | InmateSales, 1-877-998-5678. |
| Lobby money | Cash or money order during visitation hours. |
| Money by mail | Money order only. |
| Incoming calls | Not accepted for inmates. |
Dawson County Jail Release Property
The release and property rules are specific enough to matter before travel. Released inmates exit through Night Entry on the west side of the jail, on Washington Street between the courthouse and jail. Property pickup is available during visitation hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. A person picking up property must have ID.
The jail generally will not accept clothing such as whites because inmates order those items through commissary. Clothing may be accepted only in rare release, transfer, or weather-appropriate circumstances with supervisor approval. Prescription medication may be brought to the visitation lobby, or to Night Entry when visitation is closed, but medical staff must verify the prescription before use inside the facility.
Dawson County Jail Federal Holds
The U.S. Marshals Service intergovernmental agreement is important because it explains why a federal detainee may be physically held at Dawson County Jail. The agreement covers adult male and female federal prisoners and says federal prisoners may be released only to the initially committing federal agency or a Deputy U.S. Marshal. It also covers transport and guard services to and from court or medical facilities.
That does not replace federal lookup tools. Sentenced federal prisoners are searched through the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. Immigration detainees are searched through the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Sentenced Nebraska prisoners are searched through the NDCS Incarceration Records locator. NEVCAP is available for Nebraska victim notification and custody alerts.
Note: A federal hold can change release timing even when local bond information is available, so verify hold status with the jail.
Dawson County Jail Standards
Nebraska jail operations are governed by state jail standards and public-records rules. The Nebraska Crime Commission Jail Standards program covers adult and juvenile detention oversight, annual inspections, technical assistance, and data collection. Standards address admissions and releases, inmate classification, records and statistics, security, health services, food service, visiting, telephone access, discipline, grievances, inmate rights, and facility design.
Public records are governed by Nebraska statutes. Neb. Rev. Stat. 84-712 provides a general right to inspect and obtain public records unless another law says otherwise. Exceptions can apply to investigative, medical, juvenile, security, and other protected materials. Current custody details should still be verified with the jail because online records, court entries, and custody transfers can lag.