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 October 2, 2026.
Lee County, Iowa, has about 32,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Lee County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Lee 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: Lee County public records, Lee County arrest records, Lee County warrants, Lee County criminal records, Lee County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
The OWI Law in Iowa
Drunk driving is charged as OWI in Iowa, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
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 Lee County
The Lee County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Fort Madison, Keokuk and Donnellson make the OWI arrests in Lee County.
Together, the four agencies in Lee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,233 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Lee County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Lee 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 Lee County Sheriff's Office, held about 90 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
The Court Case
The County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Iowa District Court for Lee County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at leecounty.org/pview.aspx?id=20837.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/district-court/judicial-district-8/distr..., phone 319-372-3523.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The License Case
An OWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Department of Transportation. The driving record, kept by the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, carries the result of both.
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 Lee County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Lee County arrest records, Lee County police reports and Lee County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Lee County heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Lee 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 Lee County held?
At the county jail, run by the Lee 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 Lee 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.