The Ramsey County sheriff's department is now required to inform state corrections officials on efforts to reduce the inmate capacity at the county jail.
They must also notify inspectors if the jail's new capacity limit of 325 is exceeded.
Corrections commissioner Paul Schnell informed Ramsey County sheriff Bob Fletcher late last week that insufficient staffing levels pose a risk to inmates.
According to Schnell, the listed capacity of the Ramsey County jail must drop from 492 to 324.
A spokeswoman says there are currently 370 inmates in the jail.
Fletcher says he is aggressively recruiting and hiring more corrections officers, but more resources are needed to make better use of their facilities.