Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 October 11, 2026.
Independence, Iowa, in Buchanan County, has about 6,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Independence starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Buchanan County and a license case before the Department of Transportation, and leaves three records. This guide follows the arrest from the roadside to the court file and the driving record.
This guide covers the law, the arrest, booking, the court case, the license case, the records and common questions.
Related guides: Independence public records, Buchanan County OWI, Independence arrest records, Independence warrants, Independence inmate search, Independence criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
The OWI Law in Iowa
In Iowa the offense is OWI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Iowa is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect OWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Department of Transportation, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes OWI Arrests in Independence
The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Independence (filed by the FBI as Independence Police Department) make the OWI arrests in and around Independence.
Together, the three agencies in Buchanan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 490 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Buchanan County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Independence
A driver arrested for OWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, held about 40 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at buchanancounty.iowa.gov/departments/sheriff/index.php, phone (319) 334-2568. The Independence inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OWI charge from Independence is brought by the County Attorney in the Iowa District Court for Buchanan County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at buchanancounty.iowa.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at buchanancounty.iowa.gov/departments/county_attorney/process_of_a_cr..., phone (319)332-1747.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Transportation runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records an OWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22).
- The court file: from the Iowa District Court for Buchanan County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Independence arrest records and Independence court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Independence heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Buchanan County, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at buchanancounty.iowa.gov.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Independence held?
At the county jail, run by the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OWI arrest in Iowa?
The Department of Transportation, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Independence 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.