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 September 30, 2026.
Des Moines County, Iowa, has about 38,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Des Moines County comes from a judge of the Iowa District Court for Des Moines 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, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Des Moines County public records, Des Moines County arrest records, Des Moines County inmate search, Des Moines County criminal records, Des Moines County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Des Moines County
In Iowa an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Des Moines County that means the Iowa District Court for Des Moines County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
A bench warrant follows a missed court date in any of those courts. Whichever kind it is, the warrant is part of the file of the case it was issued in, and the Clerk of the District Court keeps that file.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/public-records-requests (page title: Public Records Requests | Iowa Judicial Branch), 1111 East Court Ave. Des Moines, IA 50319, 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 Des Moines County
The Des Moines County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Burlington and West Burlington serve warrants in Des Moines County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Des Moines County: Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force Burlington (other agency); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Des Moines County is whichever one finds the person; an Iowa warrant is valid across Iowa.
Together, the three agencies in Des Moines County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,722 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Des Moines County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Des Moines 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 Des Moines County Sheriff's Office, held about 75 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at desmoinescounty.iowa.gov/sheriff, phone 319-753-8212. The Des Moines County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
Whether a warrant is out from Des Moines County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of the District Court, 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 319-753-8209, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Des Moines County that means appearing before the Iowa District Court for Des Moines 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 desmoinescounty.iowa.gov/attorney, phone 319-753-8209.
More Official Wanted and Warrant Pages for Des Moines County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Des Moines County and Iowa. These wanted and warrant pages from its Des Moines County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- IOWA System (Iowa On-line Warrants & Articles) (dps.iowa.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Des Moines County?
Not from the Des Moines 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.
Who serves warrants in Des Moines County?
The Des Moines 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 Des Moines County held?
At the county jail, run by the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Des Moines 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.
Is this the official Des Moines 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.