Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 26, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Decorah, Iowa, in Winneshiek County, has about 7,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Decorah is held at the county jail, run by the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Decorah public records, Winneshiek County inmate search, Decorah arrest records, Decorah warrants, Decorah police reports, Decorah property records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Decorah
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Decorah is held at the county jail, run by the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office at winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov/departments/sheriff/current-inmates (page title: CURRENT INMATES | Winneshiek County), phone 563-382-4268, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The Winneshiek County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 18 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 13 beds, and it ran at 138 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Winneshiek County has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 9 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Winneshiek County Jail
The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Decorah (filed by the FBI as Decorah Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Decorah.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Decorah's 151 for 2025 and the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office's 127 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Winneshiek County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 278 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Decorah arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Iowa Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Decorah?
Look on the custody page of the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office at winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov, or call 563-382-4268. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Winneshiek County jail?
About 18 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 13 beds.
What is the phone number for the Winneshiek County jail?
563-382-4268, the number on the page of the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Winneshiek County go?
To a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Is this the official Decorah website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.