• Clerk of District Court: 114 West State Street, Algona, IA 50511; 515-295-3240.
• Kossuth County Attorney: 114 West State Street, Algona, IA 50511; 515-295-9419.
• Kossuth County Jail: 121 West State Street, Algona, IA 50511; 515-295-9277.

Booked defendants go before a magistrate quickly to hear the charge, learn their release terms and ask for appointed counsel. Probable cause for a warrantless arrest must be found by a judge within 48 hours.

• Magistrate: tickets for traffic, city ordinances and other simple misdemeanors from Algona and the outlying towns.
• District associate judge: OWI along with other serious and aggravated misdemeanor counts.
• District judge: felony cases, and juvenile court too.

1. Arrest, booking on State Street and a first hearing.
2. A trial information, generally filed by the County Attorney within 45 days.
3. Arraignment, usually waived in favor of a written plea.
4. Exchange of evidence, sworn depositions and any defense motions.
5. A trial date no later than 90 days after arraignment, if speedy trial is kept.
6. Sentencing, normally after a presentence report, when there is a guilty finding.

Search Iowa Courts Online for Kossuth County by name or case number. Juvenile and sealed records are not shown.

Ask the magistrate for counsel and fill out the financial affidavit. A qualifying defendant is assigned a public defender or contract attorney, and some of that expense can later be assessed back.

Juvenile Court Services is at 109 West State Street, Algona, IA 50511, 515-295-7018. Youths needing secure detention are taken to the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 2317 Rick Collins Way, Eldora, IA 50627, 641-858-3852.

Algona-area federal cases are assigned to Iowa's Northern District, Central Division (Fort Dodge or Mason City); their clerk is at 320 6th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101, 712-233-3900. Dockets are on PACER, and the BOP locator covers federal custody.

Our Kossuth County bail page covers bond amounts, jail fees and refunds.

The Kossuth clerk is at 515-295-3240, fax 515-295-2820. To learn when a hearing is set, call district scheduling at 712-279-6608.

District court warrants usually go to Kossuth County deputies, and Algona police serve some city ones. The sheriff's line is 515-295-3514. Neither agency puts names online, and Iowa offers no statewide public warrant search. The case is readable on Iowa Courts Online. The Clerk of District Court at 114 West State Street (515-295-3240) can explain rescheduling a missed Algona hearing.