Cherokee County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds
Cherokee County Bail and Bond, Cherokee, Iowa
To bail a friend out of the Cherokee County Jail, you need the bond amount and an approved way to pay it before release; this page lists both. Call 712-225-6738 first.
Cherokee County, home to roughly 11,500 people in Cherokee, Marcus, Aurelia, Quimby, Cleghorn, Larrabee and Meriden, keeps a single county jail at the sheriff's office, 111 North 5th Street, Cherokee, IA 51012. Anyone trying to post bond should start with the jail desk at 712-225-6738.
1. Is my relative in the Cherokee County Jail?
The sheriff does not post an online roster, so call the jail at 712-225-6738 and spell out the person's name and birthday. VINELink also shows custody status and can alert you at release. Our inmate search page lists more options.
↑ Back to the question list2. How is the bond amount set?
Until a judge rules, jail staff go by Iowa's uniform bond schedule. Simple misdemeanors are $300, serious ones $1,000, aggravated ones $2,000; a class D felony is $5,000, class C is $10,000, and class B is $25,000. Every separate charge has a separate amount, and a warrant may carry a figure a judge already chose.
↑ Back to the question list3. When does bond have to wait?
Certain bookings are held for a Third Judicial District magistrate: forcible felonies, domestic abuse, no-contact order violations and stalking, plus sexual abuse in each of its three degrees, meth making, dealing or possession to deal, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, and a gun in a felon's hands. The magistrate usually reaches them at the next session and considers community ties, record and safety before naming terms.
↑ Back to the question list4. Ways to post bond in Cherokee
- Cash for the whole amount.
- Surety: an agent backed by an insurance company posts the bond and keeps the premium.
- Iowa real estate of matching value, arranged with the clerk.
Ask the jail what it accepts at night before you drive over.
↑ Back to the question list5. Is Senate File 2399 in force?
It has been since July 1, 2026. Under it, a promise to return is enough for release only on simple or serious misdemeanors that carry no violence or drug element, plus a limited medical exception. Judges going below the schedule must put their reasons in writing. The Judicial Council has until July 1, 2027 to hand the Iowa Supreme Court a new schedule adjusted for inflation.
↑ Back to the question list6. Contacting the clerk of court
Reach the Clerk of District Court at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 520 West Main Street, Cherokee, IA 51012, phone 712-225-6744. The clerk receipts bond money, tracks hearing dates and holds case records, though legal advice is off limits.
↑ Back to the question list7. Missing a hearing in Cherokee
Expect a warrant, and the judge can order the bond forfeited. Iowa Code 811.6 then gives the bonding company 30 days from the notice to return the person to court or pay. Missing court is also its own crime under section 811.2(8), a class D felony in felony cases and a serious misdemeanor in misdemeanor ones.
↑ Back to the question list8. Getting bond money back
Once the case is over and all hearings were attended, the clerk refunds cash bond to its depositor. A judge may direct part of it toward fines and court costs first. Premiums paid to an agent are not returned. Money left on a jail account is separate; our money guide explains it.
↑ Back to the question list9. Federal charges and immigration holds
Cherokee County falls within the Northern District of Iowa's Western Division; the clerk sits at 320 6th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101, 712-233-3900. Release in a federal case belongs to a U.S. magistrate judge; posting county bond does nothing for it. Iowa Code chapter 27A requires the jail to honor ICE detainers; use the ICE locator to track a move.
↑ Back to the question list10. Can a minor arrested in Cherokee post bond?
No adult bond applies. Detained youths stay at Northwest Iowa YES Center, 1231 West Cedar Loop, Suite 110, Cherokee, IA 51012, 712-225-5777, and a judge reviews the hold within 1 working day.
↑ Back to the question listHow do Bail Bonds work at Cherokee County Jail
Getting Bail for a Cherokee County Defendant
Release terms for Sheriff Scott's prisoners are fixed by Third Judicial District magistrates and judges under Iowa Code chapter 811. The jail at 712-225-6738 can read out the figure attached to each Cherokee County count.
When a Third District officer withholds release on a written promise, Cherokee County defendants post either the entire cash figure or a qualifying surety bond. Iowa licenses no bail agents, and for a Cherokee County bond, section 811.3 qualifies just two sureties: insurers holding Iowa authority, and Iowa residents who put up property inside the state. Cherokee County lost the ten percent cash deposit, along with the rest of Iowa, when Senate File 2399 became law on July 1, 2026.
Cherokee County Jail
Address:
111 North 5th Street
Cherokee, IA 51012
Phone:
712-225-6738
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Cherokee County
Bail Questions for Sheriff Derek Scott's Jail
Is bail decided by Sheriff Scott's staff?
Can a Cherokee County defendant still get out by posting ten percent?
Who qualifies to sign a bond for a defendant in the Cherokee County Jail?
Is the Cherokee County clerk of court in the jail building?
Is bail decided by Sheriff Scott's staff?
No. A Third District magistrate or judge sets bail for Cherokee County charges under chapter 811; jail staff only carry out the order.
Can a Cherokee County defendant still get out by posting ten percent?
No. Since July 1, 2026, Senate File 2399 requires every dollar of a Cherokee County cash bond, with a qualifying surety as the alternative.
Who qualifies to sign a bond for a defendant in the Cherokee County Jail?
Only a company holding Iowa insurance authority, or an Iowa resident pledging enough in-state property to match the bond, meets section 811.3.
Is the Cherokee County clerk of court in the jail building?
No. The clerk works from 520 West Main Street, telephone 712-225-6744, fax 712-225-6749.
Conditions After Leaving the Cherokee County Jail
Getting out on bond does not end a Cherokee County case; the defendant answers to the Third District until it is resolved.
- Cherokee County first-appearance terms persist. Section 811.2 keeps the conditions set at a Cherokee County first appearance in effect for the rest of the case unless a judge changes them.
- Typical restrictions. Third District judges may add no-contact orders, travel limits or pretrial supervision, and breaking one can land the defendant back in Sheriff Scott's custody.
- A skipped Cherokee County court date. Section 811.7 lets the Third District declare the Cherokee County bond forfeited and order the absent defendant arrested.
- Following the docket. Teresa Parrish keeps the Cherokee County court calendar (712-279-6608), and each new setting is posted to Iowa Courts Online.
- Turning the defendant in early. Iowa Code section 811.8 frees the insurer or property owner standing behind a Cherokee County bond once Sheriff Scott's jail has the defendant back and before the court forfeits anything.
Defense counsel can walk through any condition; filing questions go to the West Main Street clerk at 712-225-6744, and every Iowa clerk is in the Judicial Branch court directory.
Instructions on how to post Bail or Bond in Cherokee County
Posting Bond at the Cherokee County Jail
Sheriff Scott's jailers (712-225-6738) can answer three Cherokee County bond questions once given the prisoner's name and birth date:
- the bond on every Cherokee County charge, together with any hold lodged by an outside county, an Iowa agency or a federal office that would outlast payment;
- where Cherokee County bond money is handed over, the 5th Street jail desk or the courthouse clerk's counter, and the hours for each;
- the cash, cashier's check or money order forms Sheriff Scott's jail accepts for Cherokee County bonds, and the payee line each should carry.
Too much to post in Cherokee County?
A section 811.3 surety may post it instead, or the defense lawyer may file a motion with the Cherokee County clerk (712-225-6744) asking a Third District judge to lower the bond or change its terms.
Sioux City public defenders and Cherokee County charges
A Class A felony is the one Cherokee County charge that the State Public Defender assigns to its 7th Street office in Sioux City (office page, (712) 279-0202). Eligible defendants facing any lesser charge are assigned private appointed counsel, and the clerk can tell families who was named.
Who can post Bail or Bond for a Defendant at Cherokee County Jail?
Cash bail for a Cherokee County prisoner can come from a parent, an employer, a friend or the defendant, with no relationship required; hold on to the jail's receipt until a judge closes the case.
Cosigning a Cherokee County bond makes the surety answerable to the Third District for the whole amount after any missed appearance. If a business offers to bond someone out of Sheriff Scott's jail, find out the name of its insurance company and verify with Iowa regulators that the company may write surety in the state.
Youth cases from Cherokee County are handled at the Juvenile Court Office, 1231 W Cedar Loop, Suite 120 (712-225-2669).