Antrim County Jail Roster
The Antrim County jail roster tracks inmates at the county jail in Bellaire, Michigan. The Sheriff's Office manages this facility and processes all arrests within the county. If you need to find someone who was recently booked into the Antrim County jail, there are several ways to search. VINELink offers free online lookups, and you can also call the sheriff's office for direct information. Antrim County is in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula, and the jail roster captures every booking made at the county level.
Antrim County Overview
Antrim County Sheriff's Office
The sheriff's office in Bellaire runs the Antrim County jail. Under MCL 800.7, the sheriff has full charge and custody of the county jail. That means the sheriff oversees everything from intake to release. Jail staff are responsible for booking inmates, keeping records, and making sure the roster stays current.
Antrim County is a rural area with a relatively small jail. Most of the people held here are pretrial detainees waiting for court dates or inmates serving sentences of less than one year. The facility also holds people on warrants from other jurisdictions until they can be picked up. All of these individuals appear on the Antrim County jail roster while they are in custody at the Bellaire facility.
| Agency | Antrim County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Location | Bellaire, MI 49615 |
| County Seat | Bellaire |
Search Antrim County Inmates Online
VINELink is the best free tool for searching the Antrim County jail roster online. Pick Michigan as the state and then select Antrim County. Type in the person's last name and hit search. The results show if the person is in custody at the jail or has been released. It is fast and does not cost anything.
The notification feature on VINELink is worth using if you need ongoing updates. After you find the inmate, register for alerts. You can get a call, text, or email when the inmate's status changes. This means you do not have to keep checking back. The system sends the update to you automatically.
If the person you are looking for is not in the county jail, they might be in state custody. The OTIS database from the Michigan Department of Corrections covers state prisoners, parolees, and probationers. It will not show Antrim County jail inmates, but it helps when someone has been sentenced and moved to a state facility. Records on OTIS stay active for three years after discharge.
Note: VINELink coverage depends on county participation, and most Michigan counties including Antrim County are part of the system.
Antrim County Booking Information
The booking process at the Antrim County jail creates the record that goes on the roster. When someone arrives at the facility after an arrest, staff take their information. This includes their name, date of birth, height, weight, and other physical details. A mugshot gets taken. The charges are entered along with any bond set by the court.
Under MCL 800.13, the sheriff must maintain records of all prisoners. The law requires logging the prisoner's name, the date and cause of commitment, and who ordered the commitment. These are not optional records. They are a legal requirement. The Antrim County jail roster is built from these individual booking records and reflects the current population of the jail at any point in time.
Booking photos from the Antrim County jail are public records. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in Patterson v. Allegan County Sheriff that mugshots cannot be kept from the public under FOIA's privacy exemption. You can request them through a formal records request.
FOIA Requests in Antrim County
Want specific jail records from Antrim County? File a FOIA request. Under MCL 15.233, you write out what records you want and send it to the FOIA coordinator at the sheriff's office. Be clear about what you are asking for. The office has five business days to get back to you. Extensions of up to ten days are allowed under the law.
Fees apply. The county can charge for copies at about ten to twenty-five cents a page under MCL 15.234. Labor costs for searching and reviewing records only apply after the first twenty dollars of work. Mailing is billed at actual cost. These limits are set by state law, so the county cannot charge whatever it wants.
Exemptions exist under MCL 15.243. Medical information, active investigations, and details that could hurt jail security are off limits. Standard jail roster information is not exempt though. Names, charges, booking dates, and photos are accessible. The ACLU v. Calhoun County ruling from 2022 further clarified that federal regulations are not a valid basis for withholding records under Michigan FOIA.
Additional Search Resources
Several statewide tools can help with criminal record searches connected to Antrim County. The ICHAT system run by Michigan State Police provides criminal history checks. It costs ten dollars per search and covers arrests and convictions from across the state. Results are available immediately online.
Court records for cases in the 13th Circuit Court, which serves Antrim County, can be searched through MiCOURT. This statewide portal shows case filings, hearing schedules, and dispositions. The Michigan Sex Offender Registry is another free tool you can use to search for registered sex offenders by name or location within Antrim County.
The VINELink system shown below helps you look up inmates in Michigan jails including the Antrim County facility.
Choose Michigan and then select the Antrim County facility to check current inmate status.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Antrim County in northern Michigan. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, you may want to check these neighboring jail rosters as well.