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.
Palo Alto County, Iowa, has about 8,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Palo Alto County is held at the county jail, run by the Palo Alto 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: Palo Alto County public records, Palo Alto County arrest records, Palo Alto County warrants, Palo Alto County criminal records, Palo Alto County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Palo Alto County
The county jail, run by the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Palo Alto County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office at paloaltosheriff.com/jail (page title: Jail | Palo Alto County Sheriff), phone 712-852-3535, 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 712-852-3535.
The Palo Alto County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 4 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 8 beds, and it ran at 50 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Palo Alto County has about 8,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 5 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Palo Alto County Jail
The Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Emmetsburg make the arrests that end in a booking in Palo Alto County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office's 102 for 2024 and Emmetsburg's 52 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Palo Alto County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 177 arrests to the FBI that year. 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 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto County?
Ask the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office at 712-852-3535; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at paloaltosheriff.com/jail.
How many people are in the Palo Alto County jail?
About 4 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 8 beds.
What is the phone number for the Palo Alto County jail?
712-852-3535, the number on the page of the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto 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.