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 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Estherville, Iowa, in Emmet County, has about 5,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Estherville is held at the county jail, run by the Emmet 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: Estherville public records, Emmet County inmate search, Estherville arrest records, Estherville warrants, Estherville criminal records, Estherville court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Estherville
The county jail, run by the Emmet County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Estherville, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Emmet County Sheriff's Office at emmetcountyia.gov/county-offices/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Emmet County Iowa), phone 888-742-8463, 114 North 6th Street Suite #2 Estherville, IA 51334, Thursdays and Sundays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 888-742-8463.
The Emmet County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 9 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 12 beds, and it ran at 75 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Emmet County has about 9,200 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 10 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Emmet County Jail
The Emmet County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Estherville (filed by the FBI as Estherville Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Estherville.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Estherville's 98 for 2025 and the Emmet County Sheriff's Office's 81 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Emmet County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 179 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 Estherville arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Emmet County serves the sentence in a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Estherville?
Ask the Emmet County Sheriff's Office at 888-742-8463; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at emmetcountyia.gov/county-offices/sheriff.
How many people are in the Emmet County jail?
About 9 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 12 beds.
What is the phone number for the Emmet County jail?
888-742-8463, the number on the page of the Emmet County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Emmet 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 Estherville 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.