Rice County Sex Offenders

Rice County sex offenders are registered through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and managed locally by the Rice County Sheriff's Office in Faribault. The county sits in southern Minnesota and includes the cities of Faribault and Northfield, home to St. Olaf College and Carleton College. You can search for predatory offenders registered in Rice County using the state's free online databases or by contacting the Sheriff directly. This page explains how to find sex offender information specific to Rice County and what notification tools are available to residents.

Rice County Sheriff's Office

The Rice County Sheriff's Office in Faribault is the primary agency responsible for predatory offender registration and monitoring throughout the county. Sex offenders living in Rice County must register with local law enforcement under Minnesota Statute 243.166. That law requires offenders to report within five days whenever they move to a new address. Failing to register on time is a felony. The Sheriff's office works with the Minnesota BCA to keep the registry current and to notify the community when a high-risk offender moves into an area.

Faribault and Northfield each have city police departments that assist with registration at the local level. If you live in one of those cities, you may contact your city police department first, though the Sheriff's Office coordinates county-wide registration records and shares data with the state system. Rice County has a mix of urban communities and rural townships, and the Sheriff covers the unincorporated areas beyond city limits.

Search Rice County Predatory Offenders Online

The Faribault Police Department page covers law enforcement resources for the county seat: Faribault Police Department.

The Faribault Police Department works alongside the Rice County Sheriff to handle predatory offender registration and community notification in the city of Faribault.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections runs the main public search tool for Level 3 sex offenders statewide. Go to coms.doc.state.mn.us/publicregistrantsearch to search by name, city, or zip code. For Rice County, try searching Faribault, Northfield, or nearby zip codes. The DOC updates the database within 48 hours of law enforcement authorization. Call (651) 361-7340 with any questions about the search tool.

The Northfield Police Department handles sex offender registration for the city of Northfield: Northfield Police Department.

Northfield is home to two private colleges, and the city's police department coordinates with the county Sheriff on predatory offender matters within city limits.

The BCA Predatory Offender Registry at por.state.mn.us is maintained by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and covers all registered offenders in the state. The public can only view Level 3 records. Reach the BCA at (651) 793-7070. Level 1 and Level 2 offenders are registered and monitored but are not visible in the public database, so there may be sex offenders living in Rice County who do not appear in an online search.

Community Notification in Rice County

When a Level 3 sex offender moves into Rice County, the Sheriff's Office may issue a community notification under Minnesota Statute 244.052. This notification can go out to residents who live near the offender, as well as local schools, day care centers, and other community organizations. The DOC's community notification program page at mn.gov explains how this process works statewide.

Only Level 3 offenders are subject to public notification. Level 1 and Level 2 offenders are registered and supervised, but neighbors are not formally notified when they move in. If you have a concern about a specific individual, contact the Rice County Sheriff's Office at (507) 334-4391. They can tell you what information is legally available and guide you to the right resources.

Note: The notification system is meant to help residents make informed safety decisions, not to enable harassment of registered individuals.

Other Resources for Rice County Residents

VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) lets you set up alerts for when an offender's custody status changes. If a person held in the Rice County jail is released or transferred, VINE can notify you by phone, text, or email. Call 1-877-664-8463 or visit vinelink.com to register for free. This service is available to anyone, not just victims of crime.

The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov lets you search registries from all 50 states in one place. If you think a sex offender may have moved out of Rice County or left Minnesota, this federal tool can help you track their current registration. It pulls data directly from state databases and is run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Court records for sex offense cases in Rice County are available through the Minnesota Court Records Online system at mncourts.gov. You can look up case history, charges, and sentencing information for criminal cases heard in Rice County District Court.

Cities in Rice County

Rice County includes several cities and townships. Sex offenders in each community are registered through the county Sheriff and the state BCA registry.

Communities in Rice County include Faribault, Northfield, Dundas, Lonsdale, Morristown, and several rural townships. All sex offenders in these areas register through the Rice County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota predatory offender registry.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Rice County. If you are searching for a sex offender who may have moved, check these neighboring counties as well.