• Cerro Gordo County Jail, 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401; 641-421-3019. Also houses Franklin County.
• Butler County Jail, 428 Sixth Street, Allison, IA 50602; 319-346-6621.
• Floyd County Jail, 101 S. Main Street, Suite 501, Charles City, IA 50616; 641-257-6217.
• Hancock County Jail, 875 State St., Garner, IA 50438; 641-923-2621.
• Mitchell County Jail, 211 S. 6th Street, Osage, IA 50461; 641-732-4740.
• Winnebago County Jail, 935 Hwy 69 N, Forest City, IA 50436; 641-585-3632.
• Worth County Jail, 1000 Central Ave., Northwood, IA 50459; 641-324-2481.
• Wright County Jail, 719 2nd Street SW, Clarion, IA 50525; 515-602-6152.

All visits are by video. Lobby visits run Wednesday 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 3 p.m., and must be booked a day or more in advance on the video provider's website, where visitors also send photos for approval. Each one lasts 15 minutes. Each person may have two visits a day, no more than two visitors each and four in all. Everyone must be 18 or older with a government ID; nobody younger may even wait inside. For a visit from home, the person in jail sends you a link by text or email, and the same days and rules apply. For help registering call 866-700-4545, option 7.

Calls are collect, or paid from money the person moves out of commissary into the phone system. Report phone trouble to 866-797-5778. Calls to a lawyer are free except at booking. Our phone guide and texting guide have more.

Write the person's name, then Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center, 17262 Lark Ave., Mason City, IA 50401. Your full name and address must be on the envelope or it may be held. Packages are refused, and newspapers must come straight from the publisher. Mail is opened and checked except legal mail and goes out the same business day. See our mail page.

Deposits work around the clock: use the kiosk in the jail lobby with cash or a card, or use the outside deposit website shown by the jail with a debit or credit card. The balance pays for commissary and can be moved to the phone account. Our money guide explains fees.

Teens are not kept in the county jail unless a judge has moved the case to adult court. Youth who need secure detention go to North Iowa Juvenile Detention Services in Waterloo, 1440 West Dunkerton Road, 319-291-2455. Juvenile court officers in Mason City, 641-423-8624, can tell a parent where the child went.

After sentencing, look in the Iowa DOC offender search; federal prisoners are in the BOP locator and immigration detainees in the ICE locator. Release steps are in our bail guide.

Yes. The sheriff's inmate report is a PDF with a mugshot beside each person currently held, so it is the quickest way to see who is in custody. If a reporter needs a photo that isn't in the report, the sheriff's office takes those requests. ICE pictures need an approved ICE FOIA request. Federal mugshots stay private at all, save for any the U.S. Marshals release.

Yes. The statewide Iowa VINE number, 888-742-8463, covers the Cerro Gordo jail at any hour.

Phone the Lark Avenue sheriff's office, 641-421-3019, and ask whether a warrant is active. The deputies serve county warrants; a Mason City police warrant would sit with that department. No names are posted, and Iowa has nothing statewide to search, though Iowa Courts Online shows the case. With a lawyer, he can be booked in by appointment at the Cerro Gordo County Jail. When he skipped a Mason City hearing, the clerk on North Washington (641-424-6431) can explain the next step.

In Mason City, most first bonds follow the statewide uniform bond schedule; for serious charges, Mason City's magistrate sets it. Call 641-421-3019 for amounts.

• How to pay at 641-421-3019: cash, surety or Iowa property.
• Guide: our bail guide.
• Hearings: our court guide, or the clerk at 641-424-6431.

Iowa Courts Online lists charges and dates by name; Mason City's clerk answers at 641-424-6431. Under Iowa Code 815.10 a judge can appoint the State Public Defender; Mason City's first appearance follows promptly (Iowa Code 804.22).

In Mason City, federal arrests go to the U.S. Marshals Service; its Sioux City office answers at 712-252-3077. Cases are heard by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa; its clerk is at 320 6th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101, 712-233-3900. After a federal sentence, check the BOP inmate locator. Bond at 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401 cannot lift a federal hold; only 712-233-3900 can.

1. The Cerro Gordo County Jail receives DHS Form I-247A from ICE.
2. Iowa Code chapter 27A makes the jail in Mason City honor it, holding someone 48 hours longer at most (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. After 48 hours without ICE at 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401, the hold ends.
4. The ICE detainee locator tracks transfers by A-number or name.

In Mason City, once bond clears at 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401, release usually takes a few hours; 641-421-3019 knows. Prison sentences move people to the Iowa DOC offender search. Another county's hold keeps them; ask 641-421-3019. Federal or ICE holds go via 712-252-3077.

In Mason City, new bookings can lag; call 641-421-3019. Anyone moved from Mason City, or released, may show in the Iowa DOC offender search, or the BOP inmate locator. Juveniles are never listed (Iowa Code 232.147). If unsure, ask 641-421-3019.

In Mason City, a magistrate reviews the arrest within 24 hours (Iowa Code 804.22). Bond can be changed later (Iowa Code 811.2). If money is short, the State Public Defender may be appointed. The clerk (641-424-6431) has the next date.

Yes. Mason City's judges may release on a promise (Iowa Code 811.2), or with conditions, sometimes supervised by the Department of Correctional Services. Skipping court means forfeiture (Iowa Code 811.6) and a warrant; Mason City's clerk (641-424-6431) has the terms.

In Mason City, the clerk (641-424-6431) refunds cash bail (220 North Washington, Mason City, IA 50401) at case end, to the payer. A 10% bondsman fee is never returned; call 641-421-3019.

In Mason City, misdemeanor terms are served at 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401 (Iowa Code 903.1). Longer terms mean prison; see the Iowa DOC offender search. Work release or weekends in Mason City, Iowa, need a judge's OK; 641-421-3019 schedules it.

In Mason City, judges can bar contact at hearings (Iowa Code 664A.3). Breaking it is a new crime (Iowa Code 664A.7). Only judges can change it; Mason City's clerk (641-424-6431) keeps a copy at 220 North Washington, Mason City, IA 50401.

In Mason City, a free lawyer depends on income (Iowa Code 815.9). Ask in court on day 1, or call 641-424-6431. The State Public Defender covers most cases in Mason City; families may hire private counsel.

In Mason City, the Cerro Gordo County Jail never takes gift cards or crypto; call 641-421-3019 before paying anyone. Mason City's bond goes only to the clerk (641-424-6431) or the jail at 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401. Report scam calls to the Iowa Attorney General.

• Cerro Gordo County Sheriff: 17262 Lark Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401; jail 641-421-3019.
• Mason City Police Department: 78 South Georgia Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401; 641-421-3636.
• Clear Lake Police Department: 511 1st Avenue North, Clear Lake, IA 50428; 641-357-2186.
• Iowa State Patrol District 8: 4425 S Washington Avenue, Mason City, IA 50401; 641-424-3625.