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.
Clay County, Iowa, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Clay County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Clay 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: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County inmate search, Clay County 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 Clay County
The Clay County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Spencer make the OWI arrests in Clay County.
Together, the two agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 530 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Clay County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Clay County
A driver arrested for OWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Clay County Sheriff's Office, held about 13 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at claycounty.iowa.gov/sheriff/jail-division, phone (712) 264-4242. The Clay County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Iowa District Court for Clay County.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/SelectFrame.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The License Case
An OWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Department of Transportation. The driving record, kept by the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, carries the result of both.
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 Clay County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Clay County arrest records, Clay County police reports and Clay County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Clay County heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Clay County, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/SelectFrame.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Clay County held?
At the county jail, run by the Clay 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 Clay 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.