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 1, 2026.
Monona County, Iowa, has about 8,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Monona County is held at the county jail, run by the Monona County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Monona County public records, Monona County arrest records, Monona County warrants, Monona County criminal records, Monona County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Monona County
The county jail, run by the Monona County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Monona County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Monona County Sheriff's Office at mononacountyiowa.gov/sheriff (page title: Sheriff of Monona County, Iowa | County Government), phone 712-433-1414, 610 Iowa Ave. Onawa, IA 51040, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 712-433-1414.
The Monona County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 30 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 12 beds, and it ran at 250 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Monona County has about 8,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 36 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Monona County Jail
The Monona County Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in Monona County.
The Monona County Sheriff's Office reported 127 arrests to the FBI for 2024. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Monona County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Iowa Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Monona County?
Ask the Monona County Sheriff's Office at 712-433-1414; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mononacountyiowa.gov/sheriff.
How many people are in the Monona County jail?
About 30 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 12 beds.
What is the phone number for the Monona County jail?
712-433-1414, the number on the page of the Monona County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Monona County go?
To a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Is this the official Monona 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.