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 on September 24, 2026.
Dallas County, Iowa, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Dallas County comes from a judge of the Iowa District Court for Dallas County, is served by whichever agency finds the person, and is recorded in the court file of the case it was issued in. This guide says who issues and serves warrants here, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one and how one is cleared.
This guide covers who issues warrants, who serves warrants, after a warrant arrest, checking for a warrant, clearing a warrant and common questions.
Related guides: Dallas County public records, Dallas County arrest records, Dallas County inmate search, Dallas County criminal records, Dallas County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Dallas County
In Iowa an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Dallas County that means the Iowa District Court for Dallas County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
When a defendant misses a court date the judge issues a bench warrant, and either kind of warrant lives in the court file of the case, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/district-court/judicial-district-5/distr... (page title: Dallas | Judicial District 5 | Iowa Judicial Branch), phone 515-993-7018, 801 Court Street Adel, IA 50003, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Dallas County
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Waukee, Perry, Adel, Van Meter, Woodward and De Soto serve warrants in Dallas County.
The Urbandale Police Department, the Clive Police Department and the West Des Moines Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Dallas County, so their arrests are not broken out for Dallas County here.
A warrant issued in Dallas County is good anywhere in Iowa, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Together, the six agencies in Dallas County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 953 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Dallas County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Dallas County Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, held about 46 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at inmates.dallascountyiowa.gov/NewWorld.InmateInquiry/dallas. The Dallas County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Dallas County on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Dallas County
The places to check for a warrant from Dallas County:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of the District Court at 515-993-7018, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- Iowa Courts Online, the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The County Attorney, phone 515-993-5060, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Dallas County Sheriff's Office at inmates.dallascountyiowa.gov, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Dallas County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's, the prosecutor's and the records request page) is a list of open warrants, so a check means asking the court or the prosecutor about a case by name.
Clearing a Warrant from Dallas County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Dallas County that means appearing before the Iowa District Court for Dallas County, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dallascountyiowa.gov/163/Attorney, phone 515-993-5060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Dallas County?
Not from the Dallas County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Clerk of the District Court at 515-993-7018.
Who serves warrants in Dallas County?
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Iowa warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Dallas County held?
At the county jail, run by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Dallas County cleared?
By appearing before the court that issued it; the judge recalls the warrant in court. The case is put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court at 515-993-7018.
Is this the official Dallas 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.