Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. 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). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Clay County depends on where the incident happened: the Clay County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires 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.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Clay County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Clay County that is the Clay County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
Reports from the Clay County Sheriff's Office
The Clay County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1 violent and 6 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 143 arrests for 2024.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (712) 264-4242. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at claycounty.iowa.gov/sheriff/jail-division (page title: Jail Division | Clay County, Iowa), phone (712) 264-4242, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Clay County
The one city the FBI lists in Clay County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Spencer: 11 violent and 100 property crimes reported for 2025; 279 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Clay County in 2025
The two agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12 violent and 106 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 530 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
The Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) sets the rules: an answer without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, at a charge of the actual cost of copying and retrieval, from the agency that holds the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Clay County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Clay County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
How long does an agency in Clay County have to answer?
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22), without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified. It may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval.
How do I get a report from the Clay County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (712) 264-4242. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
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.