• Clerk of District Court: second floor, 100 South Main Street, Osceola, IA 50213; 641-342-6096.
• Clarke County Attorney: in the courthouse at 100 South Main Street, Osceola, IA 50213; 641-342-3423. The office prosecutes crimes but does not take fine payments or run court dockets; those questions go to the clerk.
• Clarke County Jail: Law Enforcement Center, 220 Townline Road, Osceola, IA 50213; 641-342-2914.

The defendant hears the charge, learns the release terms and can ask for a lawyer paid by the state. A person arrested without a warrant gets a probable cause review inside 48 hours. Jail inmates often appear on video from Townline Road.

• Magistrate: traffic tickets, simple misdemeanors, and city ordinance cases from Osceola, Murray or Woodburn.
• District associate judge: OWI along with serious and aggravated misdemeanors.
• District judge: all felonies and juvenile matters.

1. Arrest, booking in Osceola, and a first hearing.
2. Formal charging: the prosecutor has about 45 days from arrest to file a trial information.
3. Arraignment, frequently handled on paper with a not guilty plea.
4. Evidence exchange, depositions and motions.
5. A trial, due within 90 days of the formal charge unless the accused gives up that right.
6. After a conviction, a presentence report and then sentencing.

Use Iowa Courts Online, select Clarke County, then type a name or case number. You will see charges, the bond set, upcoming hearings and filed rulings, but not sealed or juvenile cases.

At the first hearing the defendant can request counsel and sign a sworn income form. A judge who finds the person eligible names a lawyer under the State Public Defender system, which for Clarke County usually means a contract attorney. The Special Defense Unit at 6200 Park Avenue, 1st Floor, Des Moines, IA 50321, 515-288-0578, takes class A felonies. Some of the cost may be charged back if there is a conviction.

Juvenile delinquency cases go before a district judge acting as juvenile court in Osceola. Juvenile Court Services can be called at 641-342-9812 and works from the courthouse, 100 South Main Street, Osceola, IA 50213. A youth who must be held goes to the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 2317 Rick Collins Way, Eldora, IA 50627, 641-858-3852.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Central Division, sits at 111 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309; the clerk answers at 515-284-6248. Federal docket entries are on PACER, and federal prisoners are listed on the BOP locator.

Our Clarke County bail page covers bond amounts, ways to post, refunds and the 2026 law.

For Clarke County, the clerk is 641-342-6096 and the fax is 641-342-2463. Hearing dates are handled by the district at 515-561-5819.

Clarke County deputies serve the warrants issued in Osceola; call the sheriff at 641-342-2914. Clarke deputies don't release names, and no Iowa statewide search exists for families; the case shows on Iowa Courts Online. When a missed Osceola hearing is the cause, call the Clerk of District Court at 100 South Main in Osceola, 641-342-6096. With a lawyer, a planned surrender at the county jail in Osceola keeps it calm.