Sawyer County Jail Overview
Sawyer County Jail is operated by the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office at 15880 Fifth Street in Hayward. It is a county jail, not a Wisconsin Department of Corrections prison. Its population can include pretrial detainees awaiting court action, people serving county sentences, probation or extended-supervision holds, Huber and electronic-monitoring participants, and out-of-county or other-agency holds when those categories appear on the roster.
The building has both secure jail space and minimum-security Huber space. The Huber wing was built in 1973 with a designed capacity of 34 inmates. The secure wing opened in January 2007 with room for 52 inmates, and the county described total capacity at that time as 83. A 2009 remodel increased the total to 92 beds, and a 2015 staffing agreement allowed double bunking and brought the total to 104 beds. The old wing is restricted to minimum-security inmates only.
The official Sawyer County Jail page links the main custody tools in one place: the jail roster PDF, active warrants, Huber information, JailATM deposits and bond functions, Reliance phone and kiosk visit services, Wisconsin VINE, records requests, and the professional visitor application. That makes the jail page the starting point for most local custody questions.
The image below comes from the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office jail landing page, which is the official page that routes users to the roster, JailATM, Reliance, VINE, Huber information, records requests, and visitor materials.
Because the official jail page is a link hub rather than a searchable database, users still need to open the roster PDF or contact the jail for questions the PDF does not answer.
Sawyer County Jail Capacity and Population
The jail's current rated capacity is 104 beds, based on the county's jail information page and its capacity history through the 2015 double-bunking agreement. The official roster inspected for this project was generated on May 23, 2026 at 08:00:02 and showed approximately 43 visible entries across 14 pages. That PDF count is a point-in-time roster snapshot, not an annual average.
Longer-term public records show how the jail population can move above or below the bed count. Official committee materials reported 104 inmates in December 2019 and January 2020, with electronic-monitoring participants and people housed out of county also discussed. Sawyer County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council materials later reported a total population of 68 as of May 23, 2023, a 2023 year-to-date average of 71.77, and a 2024 average daily jail population of 72.4.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Current rated capacity | 104 beds | Sawyer County Jail Information page; capacity history through 2015 |
| Original Huber wing | 34 designed beds | County jail information; wing constructed in 1973 |
| Secure wing at opening | 52 inmate capacity | County jail information; opened January 2007 |
| Inspected roster snapshot | Approximately 43 entries | Official PDF roster run May 23, 2026 at 08:00:02 |
| 2024 average daily population | 72.4 individuals | Sawyer County CJCC materials, June 2024 |
How to Look Up an Inmate at Sawyer County Jail
The correct lookup source for Sawyer County Jail is the official Sawyer County Jail roster PDF, which is linked from the county jail page. There is no public jail search form, no dropdown filter, no inmate profile page, no roster mugshot field, and no bond amount field in the inspected public PDF. The PDF itself is the result.
- Open the official jail page and choose Jail Inmate Roster, or open the direct roster PDF.
- Check the run date and time near the top or bottom of the PDF before relying on the list.
- Use browser or PDF find to search by last name, or scroll through the roster entries.
- Read the visible fields: number, name, booking date, age, sex, book type, scheduled release, statute, and offense.
- If the person is absent, call the jail at 715-634-9120 or use sheriff records at 715-634-4858 or SheriffRecords@sawyersheriff.org.
Use the Wisconsin DOC locator instead of the jail PDF when the person has been sentenced to DOC custody, transferred to a state prison, or placed under DOC supervision. Use BOP or ICE locators for federal or immigration custody. Wisconsin VINE can be used for custody notifications, but it does not replace the jail roster or the jail phone line for same-day Sawyer County booking questions.
Sawyer County Jail Address and Contact
Call the jail line for immediate custody and jail-process questions. Use sheriff administration or the records email for public-record requests, copies, and records questions that go beyond the current roster. Office hours for records requests are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Sawyer County Jail
15880 Fifth Street
Hayward, WI 54843
Jail: 715-634-9120
Sheriff administration: 715-634-4858
Dispatch: 715-634-5213
Mailing address: PO Box 567, Hayward, WI 54843
Records email: SheriffRecords@sawyersheriff.org
Visiting Someone at Sawyer County Jail
Sawyer County publishes detailed professional visitor and volunteer rules, but the official pages reviewed for this project did not publish a day-by-day family or friend visitation schedule. The jail information page links Reliance for phone accounts and kiosk visits, so family visitors should confirm current kiosk visit scheduling through Reliance or call the jail before traveling.
Professional visitors must apply and be approved before access. The process includes a background check, a meeting or interview with the Program Director, orientation, photo identification on file, and compliance with facility security rules. Applicants must be at least 21, have no correctional-facility incarceration or arrest within five years, have no current probation or extended supervision, and have no open criminal cases.
| Visit Type | Published Schedule | Key Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Family / friend kiosk visits | Not listed on county pages reviewed | Use Reliance or call 715-634-9120 to confirm current scheduling |
| Attorney or government privileged contact | Confirm with jail | Privileged communications are handled separately from ordinary personal mail and visits |
| Professional visitor / volunteer access | By approval and jail coordination | Application, background check, orientation, ID on file, sign-in, and staff escort required |
| Door #8 / foyer entry | Use when directed | State name and purpose, use the direct-line phone if needed, sign the professional visitor log |
The professional visitor form is available from the Sawyer County professional visitor application page, which describes background checks, entry procedures, contraband limits, and dress rules.
Those professional visitor rules should not be treated as a public family visitation schedule; they are approval and entry rules for attorneys, agencies, volunteers, program providers, and other professional visitors.
Mail, Phone, and Money at Sawyer County Jail
The Sawyer County Jail Information page says personal mail is not allowed into the jail. Outgoing inmate mail is allowed, and privileged mail from attorneys and government officials is allowed in. Friends and family may send non-personal checks or money orders for inmate accounts, but cash should not be mailed.
When mailing a check or money order, write "Inmate Accounts" above the inmate's name and the jail address. If that phrase is missing, the item is returned to sender. Any contents other than the check or money order are placed in the inmate's property until release rather than delivered to the inmate.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Sawyer County Jail, 15880 Fifth Street, Hayward, WI 54843; use PO Box 567 for Sheriff's Office mail |
| Phone / Kiosk Visits | Reliance Telephone, linked from Sawyer County Jail Information |
| Money Deposit / Post Bond | JailATM, linked from the jail page; confirm facility, inmate, eligibility, and fees before paying |
| Mailed Account Funds | Non-personal check or money order only; no cash; write "Inmate Accounts" above the inmate name and jail address |
The county jail information page is the source for the mail and Reliance rules shown below: Sawyer County Jail Information.
That page should be checked with the live Reliance and JailATM portals before sending money or planning a kiosk visit, because vendor schedules and fees can change outside the county page.
Booking and Intake at Sawyer County Jail
A Sawyer County booking can begin after an arrest by a sheriff's deputy, Hayward police officer, tribal or local law-enforcement agency, state patrol, or another agency. The person may be brought to Sawyer County Jail unless released by citation, taken for medical care first, or transferred under another authority. Intake usually includes identity confirmation, warrant and hold checks, property handling, contraband screening, medical or mental-health screening, fingerprints, a booking photograph, classification, and a housing or release decision.
The public roster does not show the full internal booking file. It shows the fields selected for public reporting: number, name, booking date, age, sex, book type, scheduled release, statute, and offense. New bookings may not appear until the roster PDF is generated again, so a same-day absence from the roster is not final proof that the person was never booked.
After booking, the first court step is separate from the jail record. Wisconsin Stat. 970.01 governs initial appearance after an arrest without a warrant, and Wis. Stat. Chapter 969 governs bail and release conditions. Sawyer County Circuit Court and WCCA are the better sources for filed charges, hearing dates, bond conditions, dispositions, and sentence information after the prosecutor files the court case.
About Sawyer County Jail Programs and Records
Sawyer County Jail has a local Huber and electronic-monitoring process for approved inmates. Approved participants may use electronic monitoring for full-time work of 32 to 40 hours per week or full-time school of at least 12 credits per semester or 32 in-person hours per week. Approved activities can include work, community service, court appearances, and medical appointments. Working Huber participants must arrange their own medical appointments, submit forms in advance, include appointments on weekly schedules, and return medical findings to the Huber deputy.
The Huber requirements are published on the Sawyer County Huber Information page.
Huber and electronic monitoring are not automatic release programs. The jail, court orders, schedules, employment or school status, medical requests, and supervision rules all affect whether a person qualifies or remains eligible.
For records that are not online, Wisconsin public-records law frames access. Wis. Stat. 19.31 states Wisconsin's policy favoring public information about government affairs, and Wis. Stat. 19.35 gives requesters inspection rights subject to legal limits and allowed fees. Sawyer County directs sheriff records requests to SheriffRecords@sawyersheriff.org, 715-634-4858, mail to PO Box 567, or in person at 15880 Fifth Street during weekday records hours.
Note: Confirm custody, release status, visit access, and deposit instructions with Sawyer County Jail before traveling or paying a vendor.