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.
Scott County, Iowa, has about 176,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Scott County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Scott 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: Scott County public records, Scott County arrest records, Scott County warrants, Scott County inmate search, Scott 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 Scott County
The Scott County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge, Le Claire, Blue Grass, Walcott and two more cities make the OWI arrests in Scott County.
Together, the nine agencies in Scott County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,003 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Scott County does not break OWI out.
The Durant Police Department is listed by the FBI across three counties including Scott County, so its arrests are not broken out for Scott County here.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Scott 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 Scott County Sheriff's Office, held about 320 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at scottcountyiowa.gov/sheriff/inmates, phone 563-326-8625. The Scott 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 Scott County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at scottcountyiowa.gov, phone 563-326-8600.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at scottcountyiowa.gov/courts/clerk-court, phone 563-326-8647.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Transportation runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
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 Scott County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Scott County arrest records, Scott County police reports and Scott County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Scott County heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Scott County, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at scottcountyiowa.gov/courts/clerk-court.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Scott County held?
At the county jail, run by the Scott 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 Scott 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.