Iowa County Jail Overview
The Iowa County Law Enforcement Center - Jail page identifies the jail as the county's main local detention facility. It is operated by the Iowa County Sheriff's Office and serves Dodgeville, Mineral Point, Arena, Ridgeway, Linden, and the rest of Iowa County. Municipal police arrests and sheriff's arrests can both move into this jail if the person must be booked, held for court, held on a warrant, or kept on a county sentence.
The jail population is mixed. The public roster has shown statuses such as Confined But Not Convicted, Convicted, and Parole / Probation Violator. That means Iowa County Jail custody can include a person awaiting first appearance, a person serving local jail time, a supervision hold, or a hold for another agency. A hold can affect release even when the roster shows a bond amount.
The official jail page is the best starting point for local custody because it links to the roster PDF, family and friends information, jail history, VINE, programming, jail diversion, the daily activity report, and the warrant list. For broader custody searches, use the Iowa County inmate records page to separate local jail custody from Wisconsin DOC, federal BOP, ICE, and court records.
The manifest image comes from the official jail source: Iowa County Law Enforcement Center - Jail.
The jail page matters because the roster is not a third-party search portal. It is an official county file linked from the sheriff's jail page.
Iowa County Jail Population Snapshot
Iowa County publishes a strong facility capacity figure but not a live daily population dashboard in the official sources. The county jail-history page describes the current Law Enforcement Center jail as a 102-bed facility that opened in spring 2022. The inspected public roster PDF was printed April 8, 2026 and showed 53 roster records. Those two figures can be read together only as a snapshot: 53 listed roster records against 102 beds on that print date, or about 52 percent of bed count. That is not an official average daily population.
The snapshot has limits. The roster does not show race, age, sex, booking time, housing unit, electronic monitoring status, or who may be away from the building under Huber privileges. Wisconsin DOC Office of Detention Facilities reporting tracks county jail data such as average daily population, capacity, head count, Huber figures, electronic monitoring, gender, and deaths in custody, but Iowa County's public jail pages do not present all of that detail as a local public dashboard.
Search Iowa County Jail Roster
The correct local lookup is the official Iowa County Jail inmate roster PDF. It is a static PDF, not a database form. There are no online search fields, filters, login screens, profile buttons, or exported result tabs. The practical search method is to open the PDF and use the browser or PDF viewer find tool for the person's last name.
- Open the Iowa County jail page and choose Inmate Roster, or open the roster PDF directly.
- Check the print date at the top of the first page because a PDF can lag behind a new booking, release, transfer, or bond posting.
- Use PDF find, often Ctrl+F on a keyboard, to search by last name. Mobile PDF viewers usually have a search icon or find menu.
- Match the name to the six-digit inmate number printed under it. Common names need extra care because the roster does not show date of birth.
- Read inmate status, charges, hold agency, and bond amount together. A hold or probation status can affect release.
- If the person is not listed, call the jail at 608-930-9500 Ext. 1, check VINELink, search Wisconsin DOC for sentenced custody, and use BOP or ICE tools when the case is federal or immigration-related.
A roster row is not a full booking file. The Iowa County Jail roster shows name and inmate number, status, charges, hold agency, and bond amount. It does not show a mugshot, booking time, date of birth, housing unit, court date, release date, arresting agency, or full bond order. For booking photos or reports that are not published on the PDF, use the sheriff's open-records process.
Other access channels serve different needs. The Iowa County VINE page links to Wisconsin VINELink for custody status and notification registration, with 24-hour operator help listed in the county source. The Iowa County Sheriff WI app for Apple and Google Play app listing advertise inmate information, tips, reports, interactive features, and public-safety news. The app is not for emergencies and the store listings do not prove that it shows more inmate fields than the roster PDF.
Iowa County Jail Contact
Use the jail line for current custody questions, intake timing, bond details, property-release questions, and visit scheduling. Staff can also explain whether a person is in intake, not yet on the PDF, blocked from visits by a no-contact order, or held for another agency.
Iowa County Jail
109 East Leffler Street
Dodgeville, WI 53533
608-930-9500
Jail extension 1; sheriff administrative hours are listed as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Email: SheriffJail@iowacounty.org
Fax: 608-471-1075
The sheriff page lists Sheriff Michael Peterson and describes the office as operating through communications, corrections, patrol, and investigations. Jail-specific county pages list jail administrator Mike Peterson and the jail email. Emergencies should go to 911, not to the app, roster PDF, or records form.
Iowa County Jail Visits
The Iowa County Family and Friends page controls the current public visitation schedule. Onsite visits are kiosk visits at the Sheriff's Office. An appointment is required at least 12 hours in advance by calling jail staff or using the online visitation request form. The visit is not confirmed until the visitor receives a confirmation email from an officer. Inmates receive one 30-minute kiosk visit per week, and the visitation week starts Sunday.
| Day | Public Visit Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. | Last scheduled start around 3:20 p.m.; visitation week starts Sunday. |
| Monday | 6:35 p.m.-8:15 p.m. | Last scheduled start around 7:45 p.m.; appointment required. |
| Wednesday | 6:35 p.m.-8:15 p.m. | Last scheduled start around 7:45 p.m.; appointment required. |
| Saturday | 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. | Last scheduled start around 9:20 a.m.; appointment required. |
Up to three visitors may attend a single 30-minute visit if all visitor information is complete. Remote video visits use CIDNET, and the inmate or visitor must buy data. No-contact orders, intake status, probation or parole restrictions, discipline, or administrative segregation can block a visit. Older county visitation guidelines also say visitors must secure cell phones, purses, cameras, recording devices, and other prohibited items outside the facility, may be searched, must be sober, and can be denied for disorderly conduct.
The manifest image comes from the county source for visitation, deposits, and commissary: Iowa County Jail family and friends information.
The schedule and account instructions should be checked before travel because kiosk visits depend on an approved appointment and confirmation email.
Iowa County Jail Mail Money
Mail, phone, remote video, and money rules are separate from the roster. The older visitation guidelines say inmate mail may not be hand delivered and must arrive through the U.S. Postal Service or another certified carrier. Because the county page does not publish a full public mail-format rule in the inspected material, confirm the inmate name and inmate-number format with jail staff before mailing. Property drop-offs are not allowed; the inmate must request property release, and released property goes to one person rather than being split item by item.
| Service | Provider or Detail | Local Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa County Jail, 109 East Leffler Street, Dodgeville, WI 53533 | Use postal or certified carrier; confirm inmate-name and number format with staff. | |
| Phone | Inmate phone time purchased from commissary-account funds | Money can be added through JailATM. |
| Remote video | CIDNET | Visitor creates an account and buys data for offsite visits. |
| Money deposit | JailATM | Choose State WI, facility Iowa County Sheriff's Dept, and the inmate's last name. |
| Commissary | Stellar Services, LLC | Orders are made by inmates through the phone system and delivered Wednesday except holidays. |
| Lobby kiosk | Stellar kiosk noted in older county guidelines | Cash, Visa, and MasterCard were listed; no personal checks. Confirm current availability. |
Family and friends can deposit money or order commissary through JailATM. The county source lists 870-627-5476 for technical support, which is vendor help rather than jail staff help. Hygiene items must be purchased through commissary. If a visitor is trying to solve a property, phone, or visit issue tied to a specific inmate's restrictions, the direct jail line is still the safest channel.
Iowa County Jail Booking
Booking begins when a person is brought to Iowa County Jail after an arrest, warrant, court order, supervision hold, or transfer. Staff identify the person, check warrants and holds, collect property, screen for safety and medical needs, and process the custody basis. The current facility has six intake cells and a day-report room for book-and-release from court, out-of-custody DNA or UA collection, and public fingerprinting by appointment. Not every person processed at the jail stays overnight.
Wisconsin booking practice can include photographs and fingerprints, but Iowa County does not publish mugshots on the inspected roster PDF. The roster may appear after intake, yet the county does not publish a refresh-rate promise. Newly arrested people or people held on warrants who have not had a bond hearing are not allowed visitors under the older visitation guidelines. Release can occur through bond, sentence completion, court order, transfer, probation or parole action, or another agency clearing a hold.
Iowa County Jail Programs
The official Iowa County inmate programming page lists reentry professionals who work with incarcerated people before release. The available programming includes AA, NA, GED, job skills, Drug Treatment Court, BadgerCare and FoodShare help, religious church services, Bible study, a law library, Unified Counseling, and reentry resource connections.
Jail diversion is a distinct local program for eligible sentenced inmates with Huber privileges. Under the Iowa County Jail Diversion Program, a participant is confined at home and monitored electronically while allowed to leave for approved Huber purposes. The residence must be free of alcohol, alcohol containers, illegal drugs, and firearms. The person must be serving an Iowa County sentence, and the home must be within a 40-minute drive or less from the Sheriff's Office.
Eligibility is reviewed by jail administration. Current charges, pending charges, criminal history, institutional behavior, and a mandatory drug screen all matter. Violent felonies, habitual criminality, and crimes with victims are generally not accepted. Applications should be turned in two weeks before sentencing by email to jaildiversion@iowacounty.org or by drop-off or mail to Iowa County Jail Diversion at the Leffler Street jail address.
The manifest image comes from the county programming source: Iowa County Jail inmate programming.
Programming and diversion details matter because some people tied to the jail may be on approved release, electronic monitoring, or work-release status rather than sitting in a housing unit all day.
Iowa County Jail History
The Iowa County jail-history page gives the facility unusual local context. It traces the jail story to Mineral Point, including an 1838 jail near the early courthouse, then to the 1859 courthouse jail, the 1872 jail and sheriff residence at 218 North Iowa Street in Dodgeville, the Bequette Street jail built in 1960, the 1990 expansion, and the current Law Enforcement Center jail.
The 1960 jail area later served as a 12-inmate Huber dorm. The 1990 addition added 27 beds, bringing the older facility to 39 beds plus two holding cells. The current Law Enforcement Center jail, described by the county as opening in spring 2022, changed the operating footprint with 102 beds, intake cells, medical space, a kitchen, recreation area, programming rooms, and a non-secure day-report room near the lobby.
The manifest image comes from the official history source: Iowa County Jail history.
The history is more than background. It explains why older Iowa County capacity figures should not be confused with the current 102-bed Law Enforcement Center jail.
Iowa County Jail Records
The roster PDF is only one public record. For booking records, incident reports, officer reports, witness statements, accident reports, photographs, audio, or video, use the Iowa County Sheriff's Office open-records request form or mail a request to Iowa County Sheriff's Office, Attn: Records, 109 E. Leffler Street, Dodgeville, WI 53533. The form lists a Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. records-request window and says many requests should allow 10 to 14 days for a response.
Fees in the county form include $5.28 for accident reports and incident reports, $26.38 per DVD or CD of audio, video, or photographs, possible shipping, and possible added fees for long-term storage searches. Pending investigations or pending court actions generally will not be released without a court order or permission from the Iowa County District Attorney. Wisconsin accident reports are released when completed by the investigating deputy, even if other action is pending.
State law supports access but does not make every jail record public at once. Wisconsin public-records statutes allow inspection of records unless a law or public-records balancing test supports withholding or redaction. For filed charges and hearing dates, use Wisconsin Circuit Court Access through the court system rather than the jail roster. For custody alerts, Iowa County links to VINE and Wisconsin VINELink. For state prison or supervision custody, use the Wisconsin DOC Person in Our Care locator.
Note: Confirm custody, visits, bond, and records timing with Iowa County Jail before travel or payment.