The Detention Center
Storey County Detention Center, referred to on the county's own pages as the Storey County Jail
- Operated byStorey County Sheriff's Office
- Jail address911 State Route 341, Virginia City, NV 89440. Detention line 775-847-0929. 'The jail is located at 911 State Route 341 S. in Virginia City, and can be accessed by the truck route approximately 1/4 mile from town'
- When it was built'The current detention center was built in 1992'
- What it holds now'Following the renovation, the Storey County jail is able to house 25 adult inmates (juveniles are housed in Carson City at the Juvenile Facility), has an isolation/observation cell, and is handicap accessible in accordance with Nevada law'
- The 2011 renovation'In 2011, the jail underwent major renovation using inmate labor to reduce costs'
- Who it holds'secure housing for persons charged with: Felonies who have not yet been convicted; Gross misdemeanors; Misdemeanors'. 'Criminals who are permitted a bail are detained at this detention center until they can post bail, while persons charged with crimes are held here pending the outcome of their case'
- The county sets it in national context'The State of Nevada has 17 counties and 22 detention facilities. Each of the counties is responsible for the operations of their respective detention facilities'
- Before 1992'In October of 1875, a massive fire swept through Virginia City... Unfortunately, the first jail was one of the victims of this fire. The county jail was rebuilt, and the facility served the county until 1987. From 1987 until 1992, Storey County contracted with Carson City Sheriff's Office for handling of criminals, at which time the current facility was erected and continues to serve the county today'
- Visiting'The Storey County jail is open for visitors on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 2 - 5 p.m.' All visitors must be 18 with valid ID; a parent or guardian must accompany minors, with proof of guardianship and a maximum of two minors per adult
- MailInmate mail goes to the inmate's name and number, Storey County Jail, PO Box 498, Virginia City, NV 89440. The jail accepts no packages or cash by mail, and refuses photos containing nudity, cards, correspondence from other correctional facilities, loose items, Polaroids, postage stamps, return envelopes and stickers
- BailU.S. currency presented in person at the Storey County Jail; certified or cashier's cheques on a U.S. bank; postal money orders with the amount typed or stamped; or bonds posted by accepted bail agents, except on cash-only bails and fines. Cheques and money orders are made payable to the court hearing the case. 'Once bail is posted, the release procedure takes from 1 to 4 hours.' The county publishes a named list of approved Storey County bail bondsmen with telephone numbers, and states that the Sheriff's Office 'cannot recommend or suggest a bail company'
- MoneyThere is no detention or corrections line in the county's FY2026-27 final budget. Jail costs sit inside a single Sheriff department subtotal of $12,376,550 final approved for the year ending 30 June 2027, against $10,514,048 estimated for the current year and $8,328,999 actual for the year ended 30 June 2025. The only jail-specific line anywhere in the budget is a revenue item, 'Jail Court Fine', at $450,000
- What was triedThe Sheriff, Detention Facility, Current Facility, Historic Facility and Bail Information pages; the Justice Court, District Court and Board of Commissioners pages; the site map; the Budget page and the 2026-2027 Storey County Budget. The county publishes no roster, no daily population, no death in custody, no PREA material, no inspection result, no contract or rate for holding other agencies' prisoners, and no phone, video or commissary price list
Source: Storey County, NV - Current Facility · checked 2026-08-23
Transparency rating
3/10Closed- ✓The jail is named
- ✗Who is in custody — not published
- ✓Beds and daily population
- ✗What it costs taxpayers — not published
- ✗Deaths in custody — not published
- ✗PREA audits — not published
- ✗Independent inspection — not published
- ✗Who else it holds, and for how much — not published
- ✓How to post bond
- ✗Phone, video and commissary rates — not published
The Building
You paid for it. Here is what the record says it cost.
- Year built1992 - 'The current detention center was built in 1992.' The county adds that its original jail burned in the Virginia City fire of October 1875, was rebuilt, and served until 1987; from 1987 until 1992 Storey County contracted with the Carson City Sheriff's Office 'for handling of criminals'
- Original costNot found
- Paid for byNot found for construction. For operations, the jail is funded inside the Sheriff department of the General Fund - department subtotal $12,376,550 final approved for the year ending 30 June 2027. The budget's only jail-specific line is a revenue item, 'Jail Court Fine', at $450,000
- Beds25 adult inmates, plus an isolation/observation cell - 'the Storey County jail is able to house 25 adult inmates'. Juveniles are not held here: they 'are housed in Carson City at the Juvenile Facility'
Since then
- 2011 - 'In 2011, the jail underwent major renovation using inmate labor to reduce costs.' The 25-bed figure and the isolation/observation cell and handicap accessibility are all stated as following that renovation
The Sheriff
Sheriff Michael S. Cullen
- Runs the jailYes. The Detention Facility pages sit under the Sheriff on the county's own site, and the county states: 'In Storey County there is one operating detention center'
- How the office is filledElected. Nevada sheriffs are elected under NRS 248.010
- OfficeSheriff's Office Main Office, 205 S. C St., P.O. Box 498, Virginia City, NV 89440, 775-847-0959. Substations at Lockwood (420 Canyon Way) and TRI (1705 Peru Drive, McCarran)
- Jurisdiction'As you will see, the Storey County Sheriff's Office has a broad reaching jurisdiction.' The office is also the county's animal control authority
- Cross-checkThe Nevada Association of Counties 2026 county directory lists Mike Cullen as Sheriff of Storey County, at sheriff@storeycounty.org; the county's own pages give the name as Michael S. Cullen
- Detention budget requested vs. approved, by year
- Jail staffing levels and vacancy rate
- Lawsuits and settlements involving the jail
Source: Storey County, NV - Sheriff · checked 2026-08-23
The Judges
Nevada District Court judges are elected in nonpartisan district-wide races to six-year terms and Justices of the Peace are elected to six-year terms in their township. Both are state judicial officers under Article 6 of the Nevada Constitution, not county officials, although the county pays for the Justice Court. At first appearance it is normally the Justice of the Peace who sets bail; the Justice Court also holds preliminary examinations in felony and gross misdemeanour cases. Mid-term vacancies are filled by appointment - by the Governor for a District Court seat, by the board of county commissioners for a Justice of the Peace - and the appointee then stands at the next election. NRS 211.030 makes the sheriff the custodian of the county jail and NRS 248.050 makes the sheriff responsible for the prisoners in it, so the judge who sets bail and the officer who holds the prisoner answer to different electorates. Storey County shares the First Judicial District Court with Carson City; both of its judges sit in chambers in Carson City, and both took their seats within about two years of this research - Kristin Luis in January 2024 and Jason Woodbury in December 2024. The finding that matters here is the local bench: the Virginia City Township Justice Court is recorded as vacant in the Nevada Judicial Directory of 17 March 2026, and the county's own Justice Court page carries the heading 'Justice of the Peace' over an address and telephone number with no name under it. In Nevada it is normally the Justice of the Peace who sets bail at first appearance, and a vacancy in that seat is filled by appointment by the board of county commissioners, with the appointee then standing at the next election. Storey County also runs its citation payments through a private processor at virginiatownshippayments.com and describes itself as 'NOT YET AN E-FILING COURT'.
First Judicial District Court (Carson City and Storey County) - 'It is comprised of two elected district judges', with judges' chambers in Carson City
- Jason Woodbury - Department 1. The Nevada Judicial Directory of 17 March 2026 records him elected or appointed 2 December 2024, in office the same day, term expiring 3 January 2027
- Kristin Luis - Department 2. Elected or appointed 9 January 2024, in office the same day, term expiring 3 January 2027
Virginia City Township Justice Court, 800 South C Street, P.O. Box 674, Virginia City - vacant at the time of research
- Vacant. The Nevada Judicial Directory of 17 March 2026 lists 'Vacant, Vacant - Virginia City Township Justice Court', with a term expiring 7 January 2031 and no date of appointment or taking office. The county's own Justice Court page carries a contact block headed 'Justice of the Peace' with an address, telephone and fax but no name
- The county's bond schedule
- Share of the jail population held pretrial
- Median time from booking to first appearance
Source: the state judiciary · checked 2026-08-23
The County Commissioners
They pay for the jail. The sheriff runs it.
- What they controlThe detention budget, the building itself, and the agreements that let other agencies rent its beds.
- What they don'tDay-to-day operations. The sheriff is separately elected and answers to voters, not to the board.
- The boardBoard of County Commissioners →
- Where the jail money is decidedAgendas and minutes →
Notes on the record
- Storey County is the smallest jail in this group and among the best documented. It publishes the year the jail was built, the year it was renovated, how many people it can hold, that it has an isolation and observation cell, that it is accessible, where it is and how to get there, when visiting hours are, and exactly what forms of bail money it will take - down to the requirement that a money order have the amount typed or stamped.
- capacity is marked yes on the bed count - 25 adult inmates - but the county publishes no daily population figure, so the other half of that question is unanswered.
- budget is marked no. Storey County publishes a full final budget, but there is no detention or corrections line in it. Jail costs are absorbed into a single Sheriff department subtotal of $12,376,550 for the year ending 30 June 2027. The only jail-specific figure anywhere in the budget is a revenue line, 'Jail Court Fine', at $450,000. A reader cannot tell from the county's own budget what the jail costs.
- The county publishes a named list of approved bail bondsmen with telephone numbers alongside the statement that the Sheriff's Office 'cannot recommend or suggest a bail company'. Both facts are recorded here without comment.
- The historic record is unusually candid and is worth preserving: the first jail burned in the October 1875 Virginia City fire; the rebuilt jail served until 1987; between 1987 and 1992 the county had no jail of its own and 'contracted with Carson City Sheriff's Office for handling of criminals'. A county that has already outsourced its custody once has a history worth knowing.
- The local bench is empty. The Nevada Judicial Directory of 17 March 2026 records the Virginia City Township Justice Court as vacant, and the county's own Justice Court page prints the title 'Justice of the Peace' with no name beneath it. In Nevada the Justice of the Peace normally sets bail at first appearance.
- roster, deaths, prea, inspections, contracts and fees are all marked no. Note that the 2011 renovation was carried out 'using inmate labor to reduce costs', which the county states plainly on its own page.
- One cross-county fact: Lyon County's 2024 annual report records one Storey County Sheriff's Office booking into the Lyon County Detention Facility that year.
- Board of Commissioners, three elected members: Jay Carmona Chairman, Clay Mitchell Vice-Chairman and Donald Gilman. Each must reside in one of three districts but all are elected countywide to four-year terms, so that they 'discuss and determine all issues on a countywide basis'. County Manager Austin Osborne; Comptroller Jennifer McCain; Clerk-Treasurer Jim Hindle; District Attorney Anne Langer. Offices at 26 B Street, Virginia City, NV 89440. There is no jail district and no dedicated jail tax; the jail is funded inside the Sheriff department of the General Fund, at a department subtotal of $12,376,550 for the year ending 30 June 2027.
These three offices decide who sits in a cell in Storey County and what it costs the people who live here. Nationally, almost 77% of the people who died in local jails in 2019 had not been convicted of anything, and suicide was the leading single cause of those deaths (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Local Jails, 2000–2019).
How much is your sheriff — and your judge — costing you?
Your VOTE is POWERFUL.
The sheriff who runs this jail is elected. So are the commissioners who pay for it.
The county clerk or registrar of voters runs the election in Storey County and prints the ballot the sheriff’s name is on. Links from USA.gov and vote.gov.
Names verified 2026-08-23 · dollars and outcomes still being gathered