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.
Calhoun County, Iowa, has about 9,700 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Calhoun County is held at the county jail, run by the Calhoun 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: Calhoun County public records, Calhoun County arrest records, Calhoun County warrants, Calhoun County criminal records, Calhoun County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Calhoun County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Calhoun County is held at the county jail, run by the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at calhouncounty.iowa.gov/county_offices/sheriff.php (page title: Welcome to Calhoun County, IA), phone (712) 297-7583, 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 (712) 297-7583.
The Calhoun County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 5 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 12 beds, and it ran at 38 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Calhoun County has about 9,700 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 5 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Calhoun County Jail
The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Rockwell City and Lake City make the arrests that end in a booking in Calhoun County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office's 16 for 2020 and Lake City's 5 for 2025.
Lake City reported 22 arrests to the FBI for 2024. 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County?
Ask the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at (712) 297-7583; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at calhouncounty.iowa.gov.
How many people are in the Calhoun County jail?
About 5 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 12 beds.
What is the phone number for the Calhoun County jail?
(712) 297-7583, the number on the page of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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.