This is a private reference site, not a government office. We cannot confirm custody, release a person, post bond, schedule jail visits, pull official booking records, or change court records. Use the official office or locator that controls the record you need.
Where to Ask
Winnebago County custody and records questions move through different offices. For a current local jail question, start with the jail phone. For civil-office or sheriff records routing, use the Law Enforcement Center civil office during its posted weekday hours. For court charges after an arrest, use the Clerk of Court or Iowa Courts Online.
Winnebago County Jail and Sheriff
Winnebago County Jail / Law Enforcement Center
935 Highway 69 N.
Forest City, IA 50436
Jail phone: 641-585-3632
Sheriff civil office: 641-585-7590
Civil office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Official pages: Winnebago County Sheriff & Jail and Winnebago County Jail.
Winnebago County Clerk of Court
Clerk of Court
126 S. Clark, Suite 1
Forest City, IA 50436
Court office: 641-251-6009
Use the county court office or Iowa Courts Online for filed criminal cases, hearing dates, case numbers, and court records after an arrest.
If a record is not posted online, Iowa Code chapter 22 is the usual open-records framework for asking a public office for releasable records. Some jail, court, juvenile, medical, investigative, sealed, or protected information may still be withheld or redacted.
- For a person believed to be in Winnebago County Jail, call 641-585-3632 and see the jail inmate records page for lookup steps.
- For a booking photo that is not posted in an official county gallery, ask the sheriff's office about a chapter 22 request and review the jail roster mugshots page.
- For charges, bond entries, hearings, or disposition after an arrest, search Iowa Courts Online or use the court records after a jail arrest page.
- For facility details, use the Winnebago County Jail facility page and confirm visit rules before arriving.
- For a sentenced state prisoner, use Iowa DOC Offender Search; it is separate from the county jail.
- For custody notifications, use Iowa VINELink where the person or agency is available.
- For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP inmate locator, U.S. Marshals contacts when pretrial federal custody is involved, or ICE ODLS.