Iowa County Jail Overview
Iowa County Jail is operated by the Iowa County Sheriff's Office at 960 Franklyn Ave., Marengo, IA 52301. The official jail page says the current sheriff's office and jail opened in spring 2006 and that the jail is a 46-bed facility. The jail's stated purpose is to hold detainees as ordered by the judicial system until release has been ordered by the courts.
That court-ordered language matters. Iowa County Jail can hold people before trial, people brought in after warrants, defendants who have bond or release conditions pending, people serving local jail sentences, and work release participants when approved. It is not an Iowa DOC prison, and no state prison is physically located in Iowa County. It is also not a federal or ICE detention center based on the mapped sources.
Iowa County Jail Capacity
The official current capacity for Iowa County Jail is 46 beds. Historical Vera county data used in the research listed a total jail population of 27 in 2019 and a dataset capacity of 40 for that year, but that is historical research context and not a live count. Current custody must be confirmed through the jail or supported custody tools.
The Iowa County Jail page is the source for the current facility capacity and jail-service links.
The county page confirms the jail's role and capacity but does not provide a public inmate roster.
Lookup Iowa County Jail Custody
No official online Iowa County Jail roster, booking report, or current-inmate search was located. The correct lookup path for this county jail is direct contact plus official related systems. Use the jail for present custody, VINE for custody notification when available, Iowa Courts Online for filed charges, and the Iowa DOC locator after state-prison transfer.
- Call Iowa County Jail at 319-642-7307, Ext. 2, with the person's full name and date of birth if known.
- Call dispatch at 319-642-7307 for urgent routing after office hours.
- Use the sheriff's office during business hours for administrative records and jail questions.
- Search VINELink Iowa for custody status and notification registration.
- Use Iowa Courts Online for charges and case status after filing.
- Use Iowa DOC offender search if the person was sentenced and transferred to DOC.
Iowa County Jail Address
The sheriff's office and jail share the same address in Marengo. The sheriff page lists dispatch, jail, civil/office, fax, and office hours. Jail custody and visitation questions should use the jail line, while general civil-office or records routing may use the office line.
Iowa County Jail
960 Franklyn Ave.
Marengo, IA 52301
Jail: 319-642-7307, Ext. 2
Dispatch: 319-642-7307
Civil/Office: 319-642-3496
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; dispatch 24/7
Visiting Iowa County Jail
Iowa County Jail uses video visitation. Free on-site video visits take place at the sheriff's office during limited windows, while remote video visits from home are available seven days a week for a fee through InmateCanteen. A visitor should confirm the inmate is eligible for visits before traveling because staff may deny or end visits for security, conduct, or operational reasons.
| Visit Type | Schedule | Cost | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-site video | Tuesday 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. | Free | 20 minutes; two visits per visiting day; same visitor cannot visit twice in one day. |
| On-site video | Saturday 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. | Free | Maximum three visitors per visit; photo ID required. |
| Remote video | Seven days a week | Fee applies | Use InmateCanteen account setup. |
| Attorney/clergy | Separate | Not published | Not counted against the 40-minute social visit cap. |
The Iowa County inmate contact and visitation page provides the official visitation and communication route.
That county page links families to phone, mail, email, text, and video visitation account setup.
Iowa County Jail Mail
Mail should use the detainee's name and the jail address. The correspondence policy format is: Detainee Name, c/o Iowa County Jail, 960 Franklyn Ave., Marengo, Iowa 52301. All mail must include a full return address with name. Envelopes should not include extra writing, stickers, or anything beyond the mailing and return addresses.
Letters and cards cannot include items such as stickers, glue, glitter, perfume, newspaper clippings, magazine pages, origami paper, stamps for return mail, or similar additions. Hygiene items cannot be mailed. Incoming written correspondence and photos are scanned into the detainee account for digital kiosk viewing, and physical items are placed in property until release.
Money and InmateCanteen Access
Iowa County uses InmateCanteen for account setup tied to phone, text, email, video visitation, and online deposits. The county correspondence policy says not to mail cash and says money order or cashier's check is preferred for mailed funds. Personal checks are not accepted.
| Service | Provider / Detail | Fee or Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Phone, text, email, video | InmateCanteen | Vendor-controlled fees may apply. |
| Online deposit | InmateCanteen | Vendor fee not listed by county. |
| Lobby cash deposit | Reverse ATM at sheriff's office | No additional cost listed. |
| Card transaction | Credit or debit card | $8.95 fee listed in policy. |
| Mailed funds | Money order or cashier's check | No personal checks; no mailed cash. |
| Account balance | Inmate account | No cap listed in policy. |
Iowa County Jail Bond
The jail page links bond payments to AllPaid. Before paying, confirm the amount, case number, eligibility, and accepted method with the jail or clerk. Iowa law allows personal recognizance, unsecured bond, 10 percent cash deposit, surety or cash bond, no-contact conditions, and other release conditions when ordered by the court.
Bond information may also appear in Iowa Courts Online, but the court help materials say some bond schedule fields require a paid subscription or public access terminal. If the case is new, online court entries may lag after booking.
Iowa County Jail Fees
Iowa County publishes jail accommodation and work release fee information. These amounts are tied to sentenced Iowa County charge situations and should not be described as general booking fees. Confirm the current amount and court order before payment.
| Fee Category | Amount | Source Note |
|---|---|---|
| Local sentenced accommodation | $20 per day | When ordered by court for a specific date/time or brought from court to jail. |
| Work release | $30 per day | Requires court and sheriff approval, paid one week in advance. |
| Self-surrender scheduling | $40 per day | When courts approve self-scheduled reporting. |
| Sheriff records research | $30 per hour | County board minutes state no research fee under 30 minutes. |
The Iowa County jail accommodation fees page lists the local jail-stay fee categories.
The fee page is useful for sentenced local jail terms, not for proving current custody.
Iowa County Work Release
Work release is not automatic. The Iowa County work release rules in the research say eligibility is at the sheriff's discretion, a minimum 14-day sentence applies, paperwork should be picked up at the sheriff's office, and completed paperwork must be returned at least two weeks before the desired start. The $30 per day fee must be paid one full week in advance before the person is permitted to work.
Work release can be affected by the court order, sentence length, employer requirements, jail rules, payment status, and sheriff approval. A person ordered to report to jail should confirm timing with both the jail and the court order.
Iowa County Jail PREA Reporting
Iowa County Sheriff's Office publishes a PREA zero-tolerance policy for rape, sexual assault, sexual misconduct, consensual sexual contact, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment toward inmates. Inmates can report to staff or listed hotlines, and third parties can report by asking to speak with the sheriff, jail administrator, or head jailer, by phone, or by writing to the jail address.
The 2025 PREA annual report cited in the research states zero allegations in 2025 and a DOJ-certified PREA audit on December 16, 2024 finding the jail 100 percent compliant. That is a jail-conditions source, not a roster source.
Note: Confirm custody, visit approval, and mail or money rules directly with Iowa County Jail before traveling or sending funds.