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 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026.
Spirit Lake, Iowa, in Dickinson County, has about 5,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Spirit Lake is held at the county jail, run by the Dickinson 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: Spirit Lake public records, Dickinson County inmate search, Spirit Lake arrest records, Spirit Lake warrants, Spirit Lake criminal records, Spirit Lake court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Spirit Lake
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Spirit Lake is held at the county jail, run by the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office at dickinsoncountysheriff.com/services/dickinson-county-jail (page title: Dickinson County Jail | Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, Spirit Lake, Iowa), phone 712-336-2793, 1802 Hill Avenue, Suite 1200 Spirit Lake, IA 51360, Thursday afternoon from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 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 712-336-2793.
The Dickinson County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 6 people, down from about 11 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 24 beds, and it ran at 46 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Dickinson County has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 3 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Dickinson County Jail
The Dickinson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Spirit Lake (filed by the FBI as Spirit Lake Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Spirit Lake.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Arnolds Park's 1,163 for 2025, Spirit Lake's 131 for 2025 and the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office's 47 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Dickinson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,341 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 Spirit Lake 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 Dickinson 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 Spirit Lake?
Ask the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office at 712-336-2793; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at dickinsoncountysheriff.com.
How many people are in the Dickinson County jail?
About 6 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 24 beds.
What is the phone number for the Dickinson County jail?
712-336-2793, the number on the page of the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Dickinson 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 Spirit Lake 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.