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.
Clayton County, Iowa, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Clayton County depends on where the incident happened: the Clayton 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, cities, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Clayton County public records, Clayton County arrest records, Clayton County warrants, Clayton County inmate search, Clayton County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Clayton 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 Clayton County that is the Clayton 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.
The Postville Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Clayton County, so its arrests are not broken out for Clayton County here.
Reports from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office
The Clayton County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 6 violent and 14 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 79 arrests for 2024.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 563-245-2422. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at claytoncountyia.gov/sheriff (page title: Sheriff's Office | Clayton County Government | Iowa), phone 563-245-2422, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Cities in Clayton County
The FBI lists no city in Clayton County with a reporting agency of its own.
The cities and towns in the county are Guttenberg, Monona, Elkader, Strawberry Point, Garnavillo, McGregor, Marquette, Luana, Farmersburg, Volga, North Buena Vista, St. Olaf, Garber, Clayton, Osterdock and Elkport.
How Many Reports: Clayton County in 2025
The two agencies in Clayton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9 violent and 29 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Clayton County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 115 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 563-245-3888, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Clayton County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Clayton 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 Clayton 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 Clayton County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 563-245-2422. 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 Clayton 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.