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.
Sioux City, Iowa, in Woodbury County, has about 87,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Sioux City is held at the county jail, run by the Woodbury 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: Sioux City public records, Woodbury County inmate search, Sioux City arrest records, Sioux City warrants, Sioux City criminal records, Sioux City court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Sioux City
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Sioux City is held at the county jail, run by the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office at woodburycountyiowa.gov/sheriff/jail (page title: Jail Division | Sheriff | Woodbury County Government | Iowa), phone 712-279-6040, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., 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 712-279-6040.
The Woodbury County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 190 people, down from about 210 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2022, the last year with a capacity figure, was 234 beds, and it ran at 87 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Woodbury County has about 107,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Woodbury County Jail
The Woodbury County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Sioux City (filed by the FBI as Sioux City Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Sioux City.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Sioux City's 3,478 for 2025, the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office's 274 for 2025 and Sergeant Bluff's 50 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies in Woodbury County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,752 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 Sioux City 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 Woodbury 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 Sioux City?
Ask the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office at 712-279-6040; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at woodburycountyiowa.gov/sheriff/jail.
How many people are in the Woodbury County jail?
About 190 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 234 beds.
What is the phone number for the Woodbury County jail?
712-279-6040, the number on the page of the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Woodbury 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 Sioux City 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.