What You Can and Can't Mail to Dakota County Jail (MN): Address, Allowed Items, and Prohibited Mail
Sending mail to someone in jail is one of the simplest ways to stay connected, but small details can get an envelope rejected. Use the correct address, stick to the allowed items list, and skip the common mistakes that get mail returned or set aside.
Address your envelope exactly like this: (Inmate Name) Dakota County Law Enforcement Center P.O. Box 247J Hastings, MN 55033.
Dakota County Jail allows you to send letters through the mail. If you're keeping it simple with a written letter, you're on the right track.
Photos and greeting cards are also accepted. Just know that the facility screens all photos for content. Anything considered inappropriate (sexual or gang-related images, for example) will be rejected.
Money orders: You can include a money order, but the jail notes it is not responsible for money mailed to inmates.
If something isn't allowed, the facility will either return it to the sender or place it in the inmate's property. Your safest bet: send only plain mail with approved contents so it reaches your person without delays.
- ✓ Cash
- ✓ Personal checks
- ✓ Payroll checks
- ✓ Perfume-scented mail or mail with lipstick kisses/marks
- ✓ Inappropriate photos (including sexual or gang-related)
- ✓ Cards with musical inserts
- ✓ Cards that are decorated or that have glue, glitter, or stickers
- ✓ Postage stamps
- ✓ Envelopes or blank paper included inside the mailing
- ✓ Printed materials (newspapers, books, or magazines)
- ✓ Personal bills or mail that was originally received at the inmate’s home
- ✓ Business cards or brochures of any kind
Common rejection traps: Polaroid-style photos, perfume or lipstick-marked envelopes, and "extra" greeting cards (the kind with music, glue, glitter, or stickers) are frequent reasons mail gets stopped. Sexual or gang-related photos will also be rejected.
If your mail includes something on the jail's not-allowed list, it won't be delivered as-is. The facility either returns the item to the sender or places it in the inmate's property.
Mail is delivered to inmates on the same days the facility receives it. If you're sending something close to a weekend or holiday, build in extra time for the normal delivery cycle.
- Keep it plain: Avoid perfume, scented paper, or lipstick marks on the envelope or letter.
- Choose simple cards: Skip any greeting card with a musical insert, decorations, glue, glitter, or stickers.
- Do not mail money as cash or checks: Cash, personal checks, and payroll checks are on the prohibited list.
- Be careful with photos: Do not send images that could be considered sexual or gang-related.
- Send photos in a straightforward way: Include them with your letter (no add-ons like extra blank paper or envelopes).
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