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 30, 2026.
Buena Vista County, Iowa, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Buena Vista County is held at the county jail, run by the Buena Vista 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: Buena Vista County public records, Buena Vista County arrest records, Buena Vista County warrants, Buena Vista County criminal records, Buena Vista County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Buena Vista County
The county jail, run by the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Buena Vista County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office at bvsheriff.com/divisions/jail (page title: Jail | Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office), phone (712) 749-2530, 411 Expansion Blvd, Storm Lake, IA 50588, 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) 749-2530.
The Buena Vista County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 17 people, down from about 22 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 65 beds, and it ran at 34 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Buena Vista County has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Buena Vista County Jail
The Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Storm Lake make the arrests that end in a booking in Buena Vista County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Storm Lake's 528 for 2025 and the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office's 93 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Buena Vista County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 621 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 Buena Vista County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Iowa Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Buena Vista County?
Ask the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office at (712) 749-2530; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at bvsheriff.com/divisions/jail.
How many people are in the Buena Vista County jail?
About 17 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 65 beds.
What is the phone number for the Buena Vista County jail?
(712) 749-2530, the number on the page of the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.