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). Every warrant for Lee County comes from a judge of the Iowa District Court for Lee 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: Lee County public records, Lee County arrest records, Lee County criminal records, Lee County court records, Lee County police reports, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Lee County
In Iowa an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Lee County that means the Iowa District Court for Lee 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.
For Lee County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/district-court/judicial-district-8/distr... (page title: Lee North | Judicial District 8 | Iowa Judicial Branch), phone 319-372-3523, 701 Avenue F Fort Madison, IA 52627, 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 Lee County
The Lee County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Fort Madison, Keokuk and Donnellson serve warrants in Lee County.
A warrant issued in Lee 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 four agencies in Lee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,233 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Lee County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Lee 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 Lee County Sheriff's Office, held about 90 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
A person arrested in Lee 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 Lee County
The places to check for a warrant from Lee County:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of the District Court at 319-372-3523, 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 one Lee County page SearchSystems verified, the court's, is not a list of open warrants.
Clearing a Warrant from Lee County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Lee County that means appearing before the Iowa District Court for Lee County, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Lee County?
Not from the Lee 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 319-372-3523.
Who serves warrants in Lee County?
The Lee 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 Lee County held?
At the county jail, run by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Lee 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 319-372-3523.
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.