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). Every warrant for Story County comes from a judge of the Iowa District Court for Story County, is served by whichever agency finds the person, and is recorded in the court file of the case it was issued in. This guide says who issues and serves warrants here, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one and how one is cleared.
This guide covers who issues warrants, who serves warrants, after a warrant arrest, checking for a warrant, clearing a warrant and common questions.
Related guides: Story County public records, Story County arrest records, Story County inmate search, Story County criminal records, Story County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Story County
In Iowa an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Story County that means the Iowa District Court for Story County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
When a defendant misses a court date the judge issues a bench warrant, and either kind of warrant lives in the court file of the case, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at storycountyiowa.gov/QuickLinks.aspx?CID=104 (page title: Quick Links, Clerk of Court), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Story County
The Story County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Ames, Nevada, Huxley and Story City serve warrants in Story County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Story County: Iowa State University (campus police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Story County is whichever one finds the person; an Iowa warrant is valid across Iowa.
Together, the four agencies in Story County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,097 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Story County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Story County Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Story County Sheriff's Office, held about 49 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at storycountyiowa.gov/QuickLinks.aspx?CID=135. The Story County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Story County on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Story County
Whether a warrant is out from Story County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of the District Court, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- Iowa Courts Online, the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The County Attorney, phone (515) 382-7255, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Story County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's, the prosecutor's and the records request page) is a list of open warrants, so a check means asking the court or the prosecutor about a case by name.
Clearing a Warrant from Story County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Story County starts with the Clerk of the District Court: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at storycountyiowa.gov/90/County-Attorney, phone (515) 382-7255.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Story County?
Not from the Story County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Clerk of the District Court.
Who serves warrants in Story County?
The Story County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Iowa warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Story County held?
At the county jail, run by the Story County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Story County cleared?
By appearing before the court that issued it; the judge recalls the warrant in court. The case is put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court.
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.