• Clerk of District Court: 227 South 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA 51501 (mail to P.O. Box 476, Council Bluffs, IA 51502); 712-328-5604; CountyClerk.Pottawattamie@iowacourts.gov.
• Court scheduling (District Court Administration): same building; 712-328-5754.
• County Attorney: fifth floor, 227 South 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA 51501; 712-328-5649; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from noon to 1:00 for lunch p.m.
• State Public Defender, Council Bluffs office: 300 West Broadway, Suite 125, Council Bluffs, IA 51503.
• Jail: Pottawattamie County Jail, 1400 Big Lake Road, Council Bluffs, IA 51501; booking 712-890-2260.

If the arrest came without a warrant, a judge has to confirm probable cause within 48 hours. Release terms are set at that hearing, and anyone who wants appointed counsel fills out a financial affidavit there.

• Magistrates: the simple-misdemeanor calendar, including speeding and other tickets and violations of Council Bluffs or small-town ordinances.
• District associate judges: OWI along with every other serious or aggravated misdemeanor.
• District judges: all felony prosecutions plus juvenile court.

1. Booking at Big Lake Road, then the first video hearing.
2. Prosecutors charge by trial information, as a rule inside 45 days.
3. Arraignment, where many defendants plead in writing instead of appearing.
4. Discovery, depositions and motions.
5. A jury or bench trial; unless speedy trial is waived, Iowa expects it to start within 90 days after arraignment.
6. After a guilty verdict or plea, a probation officer writes a presentence report and the judge imposes sentence.

The County Attorney runs a traffic and misdemeanor diversion program and takes part in the Fourth Judicial District drug court, veterans treatment court and the Southwest Iowa mental health court. A defense lawyer can ask whether a case qualifies.

Public filings are on Iowa Courts Online by name or case number; juvenile and sealed files are hidden. For a hearing date or a copy, call the clerk at 712-328-5604 or e-mail the clerk's address above.

At the first hearing, say you can't pay for a defense attorney and fill in the financial affidavit. When the income test is met, the case usually goes to the State Public Defender's West Broadway office or to a contract lawyer; some or all of that fee may be billed back at the end.

Delinquency petitions are prosecuted by the County Attorney's juvenile division in juvenile court, part of the same district court. A youth held before a hearing stays at the Southwest Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 629 6th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501, 712-328-4893, a few blocks from the courthouse.

Federal prosecutions go to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Western Division, 2146 27th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501; the clerk's office main line is 515-284-6248. To track someone in federal custody, use the BOP locator.

Schedule amounts, posting and refunds are explained on our Pottawattamie County bail page.

The sheriff publishes a warrants list, and deputies serve those warrants; confirm anything you see at 712-890-2200, since lists can lag. Council Bluffs police keep their own warrants, and nothing statewide in Iowa pulls Council Bluffs and county records together. Iowa Courts Online shows the court case. For a missed hearing, the Clerk of District Court at 227 South 6th Street in Council Bluffs (712-328-5604) can discuss a new date.