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.
Hancock County, Iowa, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Hancock County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Hancock 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: Hancock County public records, Hancock County arrest records, Hancock County warrants, Hancock County inmate search, Hancock 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 Hancock County
The Hancock County Sheriff's Office makes the OWI arrests in Hancock County.
The Hancock County Sheriff's Office reported 103 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Hancock County does not break OWI out.
The Forest City Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Hancock County, so its arrests are not broken out for Hancock County here.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Hancock 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 Hancock County Sheriff's Office, held about 7 people on an average day in 2017 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at hancockcountyia.gov/sheriff/jail_division, phone 641-923-2621. The Hancock 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 Hancock County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at hancockcountyia.gov/attorney, phone 641-923-4198.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/district-court/judicial-district-2/distr..., phone 641-923-2532.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Transportation runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
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 Hancock County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Hancock County arrest records, Hancock County police reports and Hancock County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Hancock County heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Hancock County, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Hancock County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hancock 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 Hancock 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.