Hamilton County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Hamilton County does not post an inmate roster. The jail at 515-832-8629 can tell you who is being held and what bond is set. For automatic notice of a release or transfer, sign up on VINELink. Our inmate search page lists more ways to check.

Iowa uses one statewide uniform bond schedule for the first bond on most charges. Simple misdemeanors are $300, serious misdemeanors $1,000 and aggravated misdemeanors $2,000. For felonies, class D is $5,000, class C is $10,000 and class B is $25,000. Several charges mean several bonds.

People arrested on a forcible felony, a domestic abuse charge, or for disobeying a protective or no-contact order wait to see a magistrate. So do people facing stalking, sexual abuse in the first to third degree, a meth manufacturing, dealing or intent-to-deal count, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, or a felon-with-firearm charge. In the Second Judicial District, the magistrate considers the facts, the person's record and roots, and safety before choosing bond and conditions.

• Cash for the full bond, handed back after the last hearing when the defendant has kept every date.
• A surety bond from a licensed agent for an insurance company, the only commercial bail Iowa allows. The agent's fee is not refunded.
• Iowa property the owners sign over as security at the clerk's office.

Before you head to Superior Street, call 515-832-8629 to ask how they take payment at that hour.

Starting July 1, 2026, a person can walk out on a promise to come back only if the arrest is for a nonviolent, non-drug misdemeanor of the simple or serious grade. A medical need is the one exception. A judge who goes below the schedule, or frees someone by any other route, has to put the reasons in writing. Hamilton County's dollar figures have not changed. By July 1, 2027, the Judicial Council must give the Iowa Supreme Court a schedule updated for inflation.

The clerk is in Suite 9 of the courthouse, 2300 Superior Street, Webster City, IA 50595, 515-832-9600, countyclerk.hamilton@iowacourts.gov. Bond deposits and court files are handled there on weekdays. Clerk staff cannot act as anyone's lawyer.

A no-show usually leads to a warrant and possible bond forfeiture. Under Iowa Code 811.6 the bonding company gets a 30-day window, starting with notice, to bring the defendant in before it must pay. Iowa Code 811.2(8) adds a charge for failing to appear. Its level follows the original case: class D felony for felony defendants, serious misdemeanor for the rest.

After the case ends, cash bond is refunded to the person who posted it, as long as all hearings were attended. A judge's order can direct part of it toward fines, costs or restitution. Money on a jail account is handled separately. See our money guide.

The Hamilton County Jail also holds people for the U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Prisons and the State of Iowa. A federal case from this county is handled by the Central Division of Iowa's Northern District. Its clerk's office is 320 6th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101, 712-233-3900. County bond does not cover a federal or ICE hold. ICE detainers are honored here under Iowa Code chapter 27A. The ICE locator shows transfers.

No. A youth needing detention goes to the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 2317 Rick Collins Way, Eldora, IA 50627, 641-858-3852. Release is decided by a juvenile judge at a hearing within 1 working day.