• Clerk of District Court: 318 Leroy Street #6, Audubon, IA 50025; 712-563-4275; CountyClerk.Audubon@iowacourts.gov.
• Audubon County Attorney: 318 Leroy Street, Suite 11, Audubon, IA 50025; 712-563-2202, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This office files and prosecutes state charges.
• Audubon County Jail: 318 Leroy Street, Suite 4, Audubon, IA 50025; 712-563-2631.

Magistrates handle simple misdemeanors, most traffic matters and search warrants. District associate judges take serious and aggravated misdemeanors, and district judges take felonies. Fourth District judges cover several counties, so a felony hearing may be set for a particular day of the week.

At the first appearance the court reads the charge, sets or confirms bond and decides whether to appoint a lawyer. If the arrest happened without a warrant, the court must also find probable cause. Many misdemeanor defendants then plead in writing rather than coming back.

1. First appearance and bond.
2. A trial information is filed within 45 days of arrest unless the defendant waives the deadline.
3. Arraignment, often handled on paper.
4. Discovery and depositions.
5. Trial within 90 days of the formal charge, unless speedy trial is waived.
6. Sentencing, usually after a presentence report from the Fourth District Department of Correctional Services.

Search Iowa Courts Online, pick Audubon as the county, then type a name or case number. The record shows the charge, bond, attorney and hearing dates. The clerk at 712-563-4275 can help read it.

Request one at the first appearance and sign a financial affidavit. In Audubon County the cases go either to the State Public Defender or to private lawyers who contract with it. A person who is later found able to pay may be ordered to repay some of the cost. The State Public Defender's nearest office is at 300 W. Broadway, Suite 125, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, 712-323-9115, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Delinquency cases are heard by the district court sitting as juvenile court. Juvenile probation officers for the county work out of 227 South 6th Street, 5th floor, Council Bluffs, IA 51501, 712-328-5623. Juvenile files are mostly closed to the public. Youths ordered into secure detention are held at the Southwest Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 629 6th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501, 712-328-4893.

No. Federal crimes from Audubon County go to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Western Division, which sits at 2146 27th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501; the clerk's office takes calls for all divisions at its main line, 515-284-6248. Federal dockets are not on Iowa Courts Online.

See our Audubon County bail page for the schedule, payment choices and the July 2026 change to Iowa bail law.

The district scheduling office at 712-328-5754 puts cases on the calendar. For copies, filings or general help, try the clerk at 712-563-4275; the fax number is 712-563-4276.

A judge on Leroy Street signs the warrant, and the sheriff's deputies serve it; their office on Leroy Street is at 712-563-2631. There isn't a published warrant list, and no public statewide warrant search exists in Iowa. You can follow the court case on Iowa Courts Online. Should a skipped Audubon hearing be the cause, the Clerk of District Court is at 318 Leroy Street #6, 712-563-4275, and can describe the route back to a new court day.