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 October 4, 2026.
Fort Dodge, Iowa, in Webster County, has about 25,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Fort Dodge is held at the county jail, run by the Webster 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: Fort Dodge public records, Webster County inmate search, Fort Dodge arrest records, Fort Dodge warrants, Fort Dodge criminal records, Fort Dodge court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Fort Dodge
The county jail, run by the Webster County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Fort Dodge, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Webster County Sheriff's Office at webstercountyia.gov/departments/sheriff/index.php (page title: Webster County Sheriff), phone 515-573-1410, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 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 515-573-1410.
The Webster County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 73 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 60 beds, and it ran at 122 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Webster County has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 20 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Webster County Jail
The Webster County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Fort Dodge (filed by the FBI as Fort Dodge Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Fort Dodge.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Fort Dodge's 899 for 2025, the Webster County Sheriff's Office's 128 for 2024 and Gowrie's 2 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Webster County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 901 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 Fort Dodge 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 Webster 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 Fort Dodge?
Ask the Webster County Sheriff's Office at 515-573-1410; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at webstercountyia.gov.
How many people are in the Webster County jail?
About 73 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 60 beds.
What is the phone number for the Webster County jail?
515-573-1410, the number on the page of the Webster County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Webster 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 Fort Dodge 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.