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.
Pottawattamie County, Iowa, has about 94,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Pottawattamie County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Pottawattamie 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: Pottawattamie County public records, Pottawattamie County arrest records, Pottawattamie County warrants, Pottawattamie County inmate search, Pottawattamie County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
The OWI Law in Iowa
In Iowa the offense is OWI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 Pottawattamie County
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Council Bluffs and Carter Lake make the OWI arrests in Pottawattamie County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Pottawattamie County: the Union Pacific Railroad Police (other agency).
Together, the two agencies in Pottawattamie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,179 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Pottawattamie County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office, held about 150 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sheriff.pottcounty-ia.gov/jail. The Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at pottcounty-ia.gov/attorney.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at pottcounty-ia.gov/courts.
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 Pottawattamie County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Pottawattamie County arrest records, Pottawattamie County police reports and Pottawattamie County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Pottawattamie County heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Pottawattamie County, brought by the County Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Pottawattamie County held?
At the county jail, run by the Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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.