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.
Story County, Iowa, has about 102,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Story County is held at the county jail, run by the Story 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: Story County public records, Story County arrest records, Story County warrants, Story County criminal records, Story County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Story County
The county jail, run by the Story County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Story County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Story County Sheriff's Office at storycountyiowa.gov/QuickLinks.aspx?CID=135 (page title: Quick Links, Sheriff's Office | Jail), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Story County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 49 people, down from about 90 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 104 beds, and it ran at 87 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Story County has about 102,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 5 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Story County Jail
The Story County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Ames, Nevada, Huxley and Story City make the arrests that end in a booking in Story County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Story County: Iowa State University (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Ames's 871 for 2025, Nevada's 199 for 2019 and the Story County Sheriff's Office's 169 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in Story County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,097 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 Story 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 Story County?
Ask the Story County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at storycountyiowa.gov/QuickLinks.aspx?CID=135.
How many people are in the Story County jail?
About 49 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 104 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Story 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 Story 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.