• Clerk of District Court: 207 North Main Street, Leon, IA 50144; 641-219-4265; countyclerk.decatur@iowacourts.gov.
• Decatur County Attorney: in the courthouse at 207 N. Main Street, Leon, IA 50144; 641-446-3773; weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office files and prosecutes state charges.
• Decatur County Jail: 206 NE 2nd Street, Leon, IA 50144; 641-446-4111.

Within a short time of the arrest, the defendant hears the charge read, release conditions get set or reviewed, and the court asks about appointed counsel. If there was no warrant, the magistrate also checks that probable cause exists. Most of these hearings are short.

• Magistrates: simple misdemeanors, traffic citations and city ordinance cases from Leon, Lamoni and the other towns.
• District associate judges: serious and aggravated misdemeanor cases.
• District judges: felonies. Fifth District judges hold court in Leon on scheduled days.

1. Booking and the initial appearance.
2. The County Attorney files a trial information, normally within 45 days.
3. Arraignment, often waived with a written plea of not guilty.
4. Discovery, depositions and motions.
5. Trial, due within 90 days of that filing if speedy trial is not waived.
6. A presentence investigation and sentencing if there is a conviction.

Yes. In Iowa Courts Online, choose Decatur County and search by name or case number to see charges, bond, attorneys and hearing dates. Court calendar questions go to the clerk.

Ask for one when you first appear and fill out the financial affidavit. If the judge approves, the State Public Defender system provides counsel; in Decatur County that is usually a private attorney under contract, while the most serious felonies can go to a state public defender unit. If finances improve later, the court can order partial repayment.

Youth delinquency matters are tried in Leon by the district court sitting as juvenile court, with the County Attorney presenting the case. Juvenile Court Services for the county works from 100 S. Fillmore Street, Osceola, IA 50213, 641-342-9812. Most juvenile records are closed. Detained youths from Leon and the rest of the county are driven to the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 2317 Rick Collins Way, Eldora, IA 50627, 641-858-3852.

Federal charges from Decatur County go to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Central Division, 111 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309; clerk 515-284-6248. They are not listed on Iowa Courts Online. Sentenced federal prisoners appear on the BOP locator.

Our Decatur County bail page covers the schedule, ways to post, the 2026 law and refunds.

Decatur County's clerk answers at 641-219-4265. Papers can be faxed to 641-222-1913. Hearing dates are set by the Fifth District at 515-561-5819.

The Decatur County Sheriff's Office on NE Idaho Street in Leon serves the court's warrants, and its dispatchers answer at 641-446-4111 at all hours. Families won't find Decatur names online, and Iowa has no statewide public warrant search. Court filings sit on Iowa Courts Online. For a warrant over a missed date, phone the Clerk of District Court at 207 North Main Street in Leon, 641-219-4265.