City-County Jail Roster Overview
The Dane County Sheriff's Jail page describes the City-County Building Jail as a maximum-security county jail facility at the downtown government center. It houses residents awaiting trial and sentenced residents who do not have work-release privileges. The operator is the Dane County Sheriff's Office. The facility is part of the county jail system, so it is different from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections facilities in Dane County that hold sentenced state prisoners.
The City-County Building Jail should not be treated as a separate roster system. Dane County publishes one current resident roster for the county jail population. A resident detail may identify a person's building and area code after the user opens the detail record. The Public Safety Building is the main point for records, bail, release, and mail, while the City-County Building is a custody location inside the same sheriff-run jail system.
The official Dane County Current Residents roster is the source for current jail lookup. The screenshot below shows the county roster format, where the public list starts with name and judicial status before the detail page gives more custody and booking fields.
That roster format matters because City-County Building custody is found by searching the county list first, then checking the detail record for building, area, booking, status, and release information.
City-County Jail Custody Capacity
The 2021 Dane County jail consolidation and JFA review listed 341 beds on floors 6 and 7 of the City-County Building. The same review listed 465 Public Safety Building beds and noted the closure of the Ferris Huber Center. Together, those two active jail buildings formed the county jail capacity cited in the research. The City-County Building Jail is still a current county jail facility, but Dane County's consolidation project is designed to replace its outdated jail cells with a South Tower at the Public Safety Building.
Dane County's July 2, 2026 demographic report showed a systemwide total resident count and also separated under-roof residents, CAMP participants, and resident reallocation. Those systemwide figures should not be read as the population of one building. For a single person, use the resident detail page to check whether the building field points to the City-County Building or another county jail location.
City-County Jail Roster Lookup
The correct lookup tool for Dane County City-County Building Jail is the county Current Residents roster. The public roster lists current residents by name and judicial status, then links to detail records. The research found no separate City-County Building search page and no need to use the Wisconsin DOC locator unless the person has moved into sentenced state custody. DOC itself warns that county jail residents may not appear in the state locator because county jails are administered separately.
- Open the Dane County Current Residents roster on the Sheriff's Office website.
- Search or scan for the resident's last name and compare the judicial status listed in the table.
- Select the resident detail link to review building, area, booking number, booking date, arrest agency, offenses, and court case numbers.
- Use Wisconsin VINE for release or custody-change notification, especially when a scheduled release date matters.
- Use the Sheriff's Records Section or WCCA when the roster does not answer older booking, court, or record-copy questions.
If a person has been sentenced to prison, search the Wisconsin DOC Persons in Our Care locator. If a federal or immigration hold is involved, the BOP locator, ICE ODLS, U.S. Marshals channels, and the jail records counter may all be needed because those systems do not replace the Dane County jail roster.
City-County Jail Contact Records
The City-County Building Jail address identifies the custody building, but many public transactions still route through the Public Safety Building. The Sheriff's main number is the published general jail phone. Records requests go through the Sheriff's Records Section at the Public Safety Building, and bail or release payments are handled at the Public Safety Building Bail/Release window. That split is important for visitors who see City-County Building listed as the housing site but need records, bail, or release service.
Dane County City-County Building Jail
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 284-6800
Maximum-security county jail building
Jail Records and Bail Access
Public Safety Building
115 W. Doty Street, Madison, WI 53703
(608) 284-6827
Records counter on second floor; Bail/Release window on first floor
Use the Sheriff's Records Requests page for record-copy details. The research notes regular records business hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
City-County Jail Visitation Records
Dane County applies jail visitation rules across the county jail system. The Sheriff's visitation page says residents are allowed two 45-minute non-contact visitation slots per week. Visits must be scheduled 48 hours ahead through GTL/ViaPath, and walk-up visits are not honored. The resident's current housing location and jail operations can affect availability, so visitors should confirm the scheduled visit before traveling downtown.
| Visit Item | City-County Building Jail Rule | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Public visit type | Non-contact | Two 45-minute slots per resident per week |
| Scheduling | Required in advance | Use GTL/ViaPath at least 48 hours ahead |
| Walk-up visits | Not accepted | Only scheduled visits are honored |
| Attorney visits | Separate handling | Coordinate through jail and attorney channels |
The official Dane County visitation screenshot source documents the scheduling rule and public-visit limits.
For City-County Building Jail residents, the visit rule is countywide, but the individual resident's housing and jail status still need to be checked close to the visit date.
City-County Jail Mail Records
Dane County resident mail is routed through the Public Safety Building mail address, even when a resident is housed in the City-County Building Jail. The Sheriff's mail page says the procedure changed to reduce contraband entering through U.S. Mail. Senders should include the resident name and name number because the roster uses both booking and person identifiers, and the name number helps jail staff match mail to the right person.
| Service | Provider or Detail |
|---|---|
| Resident mail | Resident Name and Name Number, Dane County Jail, 115 West Doty Street, Madison, WI 53703 |
| Commissary deposits | JailATM for deposits and commissary orders |
| Phone and video funds | GTL phone/video/tablet service with funding through listed jail channels |
| Booking photo or media request | Sheriff's Records request, possible prepayment for photos, video, or audio |
Dane County no longer operates the Ferris Huber Center as a separate Huber or work-release jail. Sentenced residents with Huber privileges use Jail Diversion/CAMP if eligible, and transfers to another county jail require Dane County Jail Records review, a judgment of conviction authorizing transfer, and receiving-county approval.
City-County Jail Booking Records
Booking begins when a person is arrested, committed on a warrant, or otherwise brought into the Dane County Jail system. The Public Safety Building is the main intake and release point, but a resident may later be housed at the City-County Building Jail. The roster detail can show name, status, building, area, scheduled release date, booking number, booking date, name number, arrest number, arresting agency, agency case number, offenses, counts, court case number, disposition fields, and entry code.
Roster offense text is not always the final court charge list. Formal charges and court events are checked through WCCA and Dane County Clerk of Circuit Courts records. A person may also have an outside hold, probation or parole hold, no-bond status, or in-transit entry that affects release even when a local court case appears to be moving forward.
- Pretrial
- The case is pending and the person has not been sentenced on that charge.
- Huber
- Wisconsin work-release authority for eligible sentenced residents, handled locally through CAMP or Jail Diversion when approved.
- Detainer
- A hold or notice from another agency that may affect release or transfer.
- Name number
- A person identifier used in Dane County jail records and mail routing.
Dane County Jail Custody Notifications
Wisconsin VINE is the notification path for custody status changes. Dane County's release notice points people to scheduled release dates on the roster, initial appearance livestreams for court events, and VINE for custody-status notification. VINE does not replace the roster detail, the Sheriff's Records Section, or the court record. It is a separate alert and status system that can help family members, victims, and other interested people track changes after a person appears in jail custody.
The Sheriff's app is also relevant for mobile users. The official app launch page lists local inmate search, jail information, active warrants, tips, notifications, news, and feedback. The app is an additional official channel, not a sign that the web roster is incomplete or app-only. For urgent City-County Building Jail custody questions, use the roster, call the jail or records line, and use VINE as the notification layer.
Note: Confirm housing, release, and visit information with jail staff before travel because residents can move within the jail system.
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