Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. 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). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Mahaska County depends on where the incident happened: the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires 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.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Mahaska County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Mahaska County that is the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
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.
Reports from the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office
The Mahaska County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 5 violent and 12 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 92 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 800-896-3201. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at mahaskacountyia.gov/sheriff/jail (page title: Jail | Mahaska County, Iowa), phone 800-896-3201, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Mahaska County
The two cities the FBI lists in Mahaska County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Oskaloosa: 34 violent and 114 property crimes reported for 2025; 345 arrests reported for 2025.
- New Sharon: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 0 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Mahaska County in 2025
The three agencies in Mahaska County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 39 violent and 126 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Mahaska County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 437 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
The Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) sets the rules: an answer without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, at a charge of the actual cost of copying and retrieval, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (641) 673-9819, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Mahaska County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
How long does an agency in Mahaska County have to answer?
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22), without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified. It may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval.
How do I get a report from the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 800-896-3201. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
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.