Chippewa County Jail Overview
The Chippewa County Correctional Facility is operated by the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office. It is the main local jail for Sault Ste. Marie and the rest of Chippewa County, and the county page says the jail is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Booking Office processes offenders lodged at the facility and is the local point for questions about bail and arraignment after a new arrest.
The county jail population is not the same as the state prison population in Kincheloe. This building holds local pretrial detainees, sentenced county-jail inmates, work-release and tether participants, and ICE detainees housed under the same facility listing. Once a person is sentenced to MDOC prison, the search shifts to OTIS rather than the Chippewa County jail phone or sheriff app.
The official county jail page is the best source for public rules on visits, money, personal property, phone calls, programs, and booking contact. The Sheriff's Office page supplies the sheriff office phone, jail phone, fax, business office hours, and staff context.
The county's official jail page shows the facility policies and public instructions used for local custody questions.
That source matters because Chippewa County does not publish a normal browser-based jail roster on the county website.
Chippewa County Jail Population
Chippewa County does not publish a live daily jail population dashboard or a county-rated capacity number on the official jail page. The available figures need source labels. Research found a 2025 MSU journalism quote from Sheriff Mike Bitnar describing a maximum of 178, and a Prison Policy Initiative phone-rate table listing Chippewa County Jail with an average daily population of 126. Those figures are useful context, but they should not be treated as a county-issued daily headcount.
| Measure | Figure | How to Read It |
|---|---|---|
| County-published rated capacity | Not published | The county jail page reviewed does not list a rated capacity. |
| Maximum capacity quote | 178 | 2025 MSU reporting quoted the sheriff; use as contextual reporting. |
| Average daily population | 126 | Prison Policy Initiative listed Chippewa County Jail in a phone-rate appendix. |
| ICE detainee context | About 40 in a 2025 quote | Use as immigration-detention context, not a current roster count. |
Chippewa County Jail Lookup
A Chippewa County jail lookup is fallback-heavy because the county website does not expose a standard public roster page. The official sheriff app listings advertise offender searches, and the jail page directs custody, bail, and arraignment questions to the jail and Booking Office. A recent arrest may not be visible in a desktop web search even when the person is lodged at the facility.
- Check the Chippewa County Sheriff mobile app if available. The Google Play and Apple listings advertise offender searches.
- Call the jail at 906-635-7620 for current lodging, bail, arraignment, and release questions.
- Use Michigan VINELink for custody-status notification when the person is available in VINE.
- Search MDOC OTIS if the person has moved from county jail to state prison or supervision.
- Use ICE ODLS or BOP inmate locator if the custody is immigration or federal.
A document request is different from a custody check. Booking records, jail records, or mugshot copies that are not supplied by phone or app may require Chippewa County FOIA through the county process for sheriff records. For broader local inmate search context, the countywide record page explains the main custody channels for Chippewa County jail inmate records.
Chippewa County Jail Contact
Use the jail number for current custody, booking, bond, and visit questions. Use the Sheriff's Office number for sheriff business-office routing or records direction when the jail line is not the right unit. The county business office has weekday hours, but the correctional facility itself is staffed all day and night.
Chippewa County Correctional Facility
325 Court Street
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
906-635-7620
Staffed 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
Chippewa County Sheriff's Office
325 Court Street
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
906-635-6355
Business office: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Chippewa County Jail Visits
Visits at Chippewa County Correctional Facility are non-contact. Visitors must sign in, be at least 17, and present valid identification. Each inmate or detainee may have three visitors weekly. Visits are limited to 20 minutes, and one visitor is allowed per visit unless security staff approves otherwise. The jail may deny, cancel, or end visits for safety and security reasons.
| Block or Unit | Time | Visit Type |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | 0900-1200 | Non-contact |
| L2 | 1300-1600 | Non-contact |
| D Block All | 1600-1700 | Non-contact |
| A Block / J Section Males | 1000-1100 | Non-contact |
| B Sections | 1100-1700 by block | Non-contact |
| C Sections | 0900-1700 by block | Non-contact |
Do not bring cameras, cell phones in use, audio or video recorders, food, drink, or clothing the facility treats as revealing or provocative. Alcohol odor, controlled-substance influence, abusive language, assaultive conduct, or other behavior that affects safety can end a visit.
Chippewa County Jail Money
Chippewa County uses Access Corrections for inmate and detainee account deposits. The sheriff commissary notice lists a front entrance kiosk, online deposits, weekend visitation deposit times, and 24-hour bond acceptance. Cash held by an inmate at intake is deposited into the inmate account, and inmates can buy snack items through commissary.
| Service | Provider or Rule |
|---|---|
| Online deposits | Access Corrections, follow site prompts. |
| Front kiosk | Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. |
| Weekend visitation deposits | Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. |
| Bond | Accepted 24/7; cash or bail bondsman, no checks or foreign currency. |
| County pages do not publish a full mail format; call before mailing items. |
The jail does not accept personal calls for inmates. Inmates may make personal calls from cell phones, and calls must be collect or placed with telephone cards sold by the facility.
Chippewa County Jail Booking
Booking at this facility begins when an arrestee is lodged and processed through the Booking Office. The booking officer can answer questions about bail and the court appearance for arraignment. That matters for families because the first record after an arrest is often a jail custody and bond question, while the later formal charge record belongs to the 91st District Court, 50th Circuit Court, prosecutor, or MiCOURT.
- Booking
- Jail intake after arrest, including identity, property handling, holds, and initial jail processing.
- Arraignment
- The first court step where charges, rights, and bond are addressed.
- Detainer
- A hold from another agency, such as ICE, parole, another county, or federal authorities.
- Tether
- Electronic monitoring that requires court order, jail approval, local residence, phone access, money, drug testing, and no warrants.
Personal property rules are narrow. While in custody, inmates may have cash, prescription eyeglasses, and medical prescriptions. Prescriptions go to the facility physician for review before dispensing.
Chippewa County Jail Programs
The county jail page lists GED, drug and alcohol counseling, Bible Study, Native American Culture Studies, Inmate Worker Program, Work-Pass Program, Electronic Tether Program, and Community Service Program. These are county jail programs, not MDOC prison programs. Organizations seeking community-service workers are directed to the Community Service Supervisor at 906-635-6883.
Work release and tether have separate local rules. The tether and work-release page says a participant needs a court order, jail and Tether Unit approval, drug testing, a place to stay in Chippewa County, a phone, and no arrest warrants. Work-release participants also need a job, medical clearance, a work schedule, and required commissary funds.
Note: Confirm custody, visit status, and account details with the jail before travel or deposits.