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.
Mahaska County, Iowa, has about 22,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Mahaska County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Mahaska 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: Mahaska County public records, Mahaska County arrest records, Mahaska County warrants, Mahaska County inmate search, Mahaska County criminal 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 Mahaska County
The Mahaska County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Oskaloosa and New Sharon make the OWI arrests in Mahaska County.
Together, the three agencies in Mahaska County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 437 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Mahaska County does not break OWI out.
The Pella Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Mahaska County, so its arrests are not broken out for Mahaska County here.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County Sheriff's Office, held about 28 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at mahaskacountyia.gov/sheriff/jail, phone 800-896-3201. The Mahaska 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 Mahaska County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at mahaskacountyia.gov/attorney, phone (641) 673-9819.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mahaskacountyia.gov/clerk_of_court, phone (641) 673-7786.
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 Mahaska County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Mahaska County arrest records, Mahaska County police reports and Mahaska County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Mahaska County heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Mahaska County, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mahaskacountyia.gov/clerk_of_court.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Mahaska County held?
At the county jail, run by the Mahaska 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 Mahaska 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.