Howard County Jail

The sheriff does not put a list of inmates online; our inmate search page explains the other options. Call 563-547-3535 to confirm a booking, or search VINELink, the statewide custody service, which also answers at 888-742-8463. VINE can lag a new arrest by several hours.

For most charges, the starting figure comes from Iowa's uniform bond schedule, which ties the amount to the level of the offense. A simple misdemeanor is $300, a serious one $1,000 and an aggravated one $2,000. Class D felonies start at $5,000, class C at $10,000 and class B at $25,000. The magistrate in Cresco can change that figure at the first appearance.

Yes. Domestic abuse assault, forcible felonies, violating a no-contact or protective order and stalking are all left off the schedule. So are sexual abuse of the first, second or third degree, manufacturing or delivering methamphetamine (or holding it to deliver), intimidating with a dangerous weapon, plus any felon who has a firearm. Someone booked on one of these sits in the Howard County Jail until a judicial officer of the First Judicial District sets terms.

• Cash: paid in full, and given back after the final disposition as long as the defendant showed up each time.
• Surety: a licensed bail agent's bond. The agent's premium is a fee, not a deposit, so it does not come back.
• Real estate: equity in Iowa property, pledged under oath.

The jail staff at 563-547-3535 can say whether the release order is ready and where payment is accepted at that hour.

Senate File 2399 took effect July 1, 2026. Release on a signed promise alone, without posting money, now applies only to nonviolent misdemeanors, simple or serious, that do not involve drugs. When a magistrate sets bail below the schedule amount, the reasons must be put in writing. A revised schedule reflecting inflation is due from the Judicial Council to the Supreme Court on or before July 1, 2027.

The Clerk of District Court works in the Howard County Courthouse, 137 North Elm Street, Cresco, IA 52136. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and answers at 563-547-9206; the email is countyclerk.howard@iowacourts.gov. Cash bond and its return run through this office.

The judge can call in the bond and issue a warrant. Section 811.6 of the Iowa Code gives the defendant and any surety 30 days' notice before judgment is entered on the forfeiture. Skipping court on purpose is a separate crime: a class D felony if the underlying charge was a felony, or a serious misdemeanor if it was not.

Cash bond is returned once the matter is closed, provided the defendant made every appearance, though the court can first take out fines, costs or restitution. Ask the clerk at 563-547-9206 about timing. To put spending money on an inmate's account rather than post bond, read our money guide.

State bail does not cover a federal charge. A U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District of Iowa, Eastern Division, decides release; the clerk is at 111 7th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401, 319-286-2300. Under Iowa Code chapter 27A an ICE detainer obliges the Cresco jail to keep the person for federal officers, and posting the state bond can simply mean a transfer to immigration custody. The ICE locator shows people in ICE jail.

Not under the adult schedule. A youth who must be held is placed at North Iowa Juvenile Detention Services, 1440 West Dunkerton Road, Waterloo, IA 50703, 319-291-2455. The juvenile court has 1 working day to hold a hearing.

• Clerk of District Court: 137 North Elm Street, Cresco, IA 52136; 563-547-9206; weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Howard County Attorney: in the same courthouse at 137 North Elm Street; 563-547-9202; weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office brings state charges and does not advise private citizens.
• Howard County Jail: Law Enforcement Center, 124 South Park Place, Cresco, IA 52136; 563-547-3535.

The magistrate reads the charge, sets conditions of release and decides whether the accused qualifies for a court-appointed lawyer. After a warrantless arrest, the magistrate also checks that there was probable cause. People who are still in custody usually see the magistrate the next court day.

• Magistrate: simple misdemeanors, traffic tickets and city ordinance cases from Cresco, Elma, Riceville and the other towns.
• District associate judge: serious and aggravated misdemeanors, and many first OWI cases.
• District judge: felonies, on dates the First District sets for Cresco.

1. Arrest, booking on South Park Place, and the initial appearance.
2. Formal charging, normally inside 45 days, when the prosecutor files a trial information.
3. Arraignment, often waived in writing with a not guilty plea.
4. Discovery, depositions and pretrial motions.
5. A jury trial inside 90 days of formal charging, if the speedy-trial right has not been given up.
6. A presentence investigation report, then sentencing if there is a conviction.

Pick Howard County on Iowa Courts Online and type a name or case number. Charges, bond, hearing dates and filed orders appear there; sealed juvenile matters do not.

The defendant asks for counsel when first brought before the magistrate and completes a sworn statement of income and assets. Once eligibility is found, the appointment goes out through the State Public Defender, which uses contract attorneys for much of northeast Iowa. The clerk's office at 563-547-9206 can confirm that the appointment order was entered.

In Cresco a district judge handles delinquency petitions as the juvenile court. Juvenile Court Services keeps an office at 205 East 2nd Street, Cresco, IA 52136, 319-291-2506. A youth who must be held is taken to North Iowa Juvenile Detention Services, 1440 West Dunkerton Road, Waterloo, IA 50703, 319-291-2455.

Howard County belongs to the Northern District of Iowa's Eastern Division. Federal hearings for the division are held in Dubuque and Waterloo, while the clerk's office is at 111 7th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401, 319-286-2300. Federal filings appear on PACER, and sentenced federal prisoners on the BOP locator.

Our Howard County bail page covers the schedule amounts, forms of bond, the 2026 law and refunds.

Howard County sheriff's deputies serve warrants from the Cresco courthouse; the 24-hour line is 563-547-3535. Cresco deputies don't publish names; Iowa has no statewide public search; Cresco cases are on Iowa Courts Online. When a missed Cresco hearing caused it, call the Clerk of District Court at 137 North Elm Street in Cresco, 563-547-9206. An attorney can plan the surrender at the jail on South Park Place in Cresco.