The Story County Jail Roster is a public resource that allows anyone to check who is currently in custody at the county jail in the state of Iowa. StoryCourt.us provides access to public information about current and recently arrested individuals. Additionally, data can be obtained through the official sheriff's office website, by visiting the jail in person, or by calling the facility. The registry search allows you to find out about custody status, charges filed, and booking date. The Story County Sheriff's Office maintains the roster through the Police to Citizen system, and it is regularly updated to reflect the current inmate population.
Search Current Inmates in Story Jail
There are several ways to find out if a specific person is in custody at the Story County Jail.
Online Search
- Go to the Current Inmate Roster page on the official Story County website. This page redirects to the Police to Citizen portal, where the "Inmate Inquiry" feature is available.
- Click on the inmate search icon. The system will open a form where you can enter the person's last name and first name.
- If you know the booking number, enter it — this is the fastest way to find a specific record.
- The results will show basic information: full name, booking date, charges filed, and custody status.
To search for related court cases, use StoryCourt.us, where publicly available information about court records is collected.
Juvenile offenders are not displayed in the public registry.
By Phone
Call the jail directly. The staff can confirm if a specific person is in custody if you provide the full legal name.
In-Person Visit
Visit the jail lobby during business hours. Approach the information window — the staff will provide current data on the inmate's status.
Contact Information and Address
Story County Jail
Additional information about the facility's operations can be found on the Jail Information page of the official county website. The Story County Sheriff's Office is a full-service law enforcement agency with 90 full-time employees responsible for maintaining the jail and managing the roster.
Find Story Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created at the moment a detained person is officially processed into the jail. It is the first document that records the person's custody.
During booking, the following data is generated:
- Unique booking number
- Date and time of admission to the facility
- List of charges filed
- Name of the arresting agency (sheriff, Ames police, Iowa State University police, etc.)
- Basic personal information of the detainee
Most of this information is displayed in the online inmate roster through the Police to Citizen portal. If you need additional documents — such as a full arrest report or copies of protocols — submit a request through the Open Records Requests page. Story County operates in accordance with the Iowa Open Records Law and is required to provide public documents upon request.
To check criminal history at the state level, contact the Iowa DCI Division of Criminal Investigation. If the person has been transferred to the state correctional system, they can be found through the Iowa Offender Search.
Search the Story Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The Inmate Inquiry portal supports two main search methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter the last name in the appropriate field. Optionally, add the first name to narrow down the results. A few tips:
- Check the spelling — even one mistake can lead to no results.
- If the last name is common (e.g., Smith or Johnson), be sure to include the first name.
- Try entering just the first few letters of the last name — some systems support partial search and will show all matches.
Search by Booking Number
If you have a booking number, enter it directly. The system will return one specific record without unnecessary results. This is the most accurate method.
If the Search Yields No Results
The absence of a record does not always mean the person was not detained. Possible reasons:
- The person has already been released, and the record has been removed from the active roster.
- The booking is not yet complete, and the data has not been entered into the system.
- The name is entered incorrectly or in a different format than in the system.
- The person is being held in another facility (e.g., Ames municipal jail).
In such cases, call the jail at 515-382-7463 to clarify the information verbally.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Story
The Story County inmate roster is updated regularly throughout the day, but it does not happen instantly. There can be a delay from a few minutes to several hours between the actual booking and the appearance of the record in the online system, depending on staff workload and time of day.
It is important to understand the limitations of this tool:
- The roster only reflects the current inmate population. Once a person is released, their record disappears from the list. This is not an archive of all past arrests.
- Delay in data entry. If an arrest occurs late at night or on weekends, the record may only appear the next morning.
- Technical interruptions. The Police to Citizen portal may sometimes be temporarily unavailable due to updates or maintenance.
- Privacy limitations. Some records may be temporarily hidden — for example, if the case is related to an ongoing investigation.
For historical arrest data or archived records, contact the Sheriff's Office with an official request in accordance with the Iowa Open Records Law. Court records related to criminal cases are available separately through Iowa Courts Online — the electronic search system of the Iowa Judicial Branch.