Kossuth County Sheriff

The Kossuth County Jail opened in 2001 and is a 26 bed facility. The jail houses inmates that are awaiting trial or serving time for state, county, or municipal offenses. The Kossuth County Jail will also hold inmates for other jurisdictions that may be overcrowded or in need to separate inmates. Our jail currently employs 12 full-time jailers.

The VINE Service (PDF opens in new window) allows crime victims to obtain timely and reliable information about the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day.

VINE will allow you to check on the status of inmates housed in facilities outside of Kossuth County such as other Iowa Counties or the Iowa Department of Corrections. VINE is a part of the National Victim Notification Network.

Please visit the VINE Website to register for notification regarding the change in custody status of an inmate.

The Kossuth County Jail will offer public fingerprinting for persons required to be fingerprinted for employment or background checks. All public fingerprinting services are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call the jail staff at 515-295-9277 between the hours of 8am and 5pm on Monday through Friday. There is a $10.00 dollar charge for public fingerprinting.

*Bring your photo ID and your fingerprint card(s) to your appointment.

*Court ordered fingerprints can be arranged through the same process and there is no charge for court ordered fingerprinting.

Call the Kossuth County Jail (515-295-9277) to schedule when to serve your mittimus. The Jail Administrator will assign your date and time to serve.

What can you bring with you?

• Prescription medications: Your prescriptions must be in original container with your name, name of medication, and expiration date.
• Cash or money order for commissary use.
• Payment for room and board fees of $50 per day (no personal checks)

If you are arrested or booked into jail awaiting trial or hearing dates, there is no charge for room and board.

Once sentenced by the court to serve jail time (mittimus) there is a $50 per day room and board fee. We DO NOT accept personal checks, bring cash or money order.

Payments by money order can be mailed to:

Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Jail Fees
121 W. State St.
Algona, Iowa 50511  

(Do not mail cash. Cash payments should be dropped off at the Sheriff’s Office)

Contact the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office at 515-295-3514 for payment inquiries, such as:

• Balance due and/or payment amounts
• Adjust payment plan
• Receive copy of payment plan

Failure to make room and board payments or to keep payment arrangement plan on schedule will result in any or all of the following:

• Wage garnishment: your employer will receive legal notice to withhold a portion of your wages. This portion will be sent to the Sheriff’s Office until your debt is paid in full.
• Non-wage garnishment: If you are retired, unemployed or self-employed, your bank account may be garnished instead of a wage garnishment.
• Property Liens: If you own real estate, your judgement creditor may file a legal claim against your property. These liens notify lenders of the creditors rights to your property. If you sell your real estate property, the debt must be paid off from the proceeds of the sale.
• Property levies: Judgements may also allow some of your non-exempt personal property to be taken through a levy and sold at auction with the proceeds applied to your debt.

These are all civil procedures that a Sheriff can pursue in order to collect on room and board fees owed to the Sheriff’s Office.

If you wish to send mail to an inmate, use this address:

“Inmates Name”
Kossuth County Jail
121 W. State St.
Algona, IA. 50511

Rules for sending mail:

• All mail must be sent through the United States Post office.
• All mail is subject to inspection by Jail Staff.
• The inmate may purchase stamps and envelopes at the jail. The jail does not accept stamps and envelopes sent to an inmate or left at the jail by visitors.
• All incoming or outgoing mail shall have the complete forwarding address on the front center of the envelope and a complete return address on the front upper left hand side of the envelope. Any letter without a complete return address will be considered non-deliverable and will be placed in the inmate’s property.
• There will be no graffiti, written or picture style, anywhere on the envelopes.
• Magazines and Newspapers are NOT allowed to be mailed into the facility and will be placed in the inmates personal property locker until released.
• Visitors may bring new paperback books to an inmate during visitor hours, and these books will then be donated to the Kossuth County Jail library upon release.

Inmates may receive money for their commissary accounts by cash or money order. (Money orders must be filled out with the inmates name.)

Money orders can be mailed to:      (Do Not Mail Cash)

“INMATES NAME”
Kossuth County Jail
121 W. State St.
Algona, IA. 50511

• All monies received will be placed in the inmate’s account. Upon his/her release from jail, any balance left in this account will be given to the inmate.

Any person arrested, at the time of the booking procedure, will be allowed to use the telephone to contact family and/or an attorney. These calls will be monitored and documented by staff.

Once booked into jail or while serving time, family and friends can leave a short message on an inmate’s secure voicemail by calling: 641-548-8260

Inmates may purchase phone cards from the jail commissary. The Kossuth County Jail uses the Reliance Telephone Systems. You can visit www.reliancetelephone.com for more information on how this system operates. Phone cards, Inmate Wallet, and IPod for texting can all be funded by visiting www.reliancetelephone.com or calling 1-800-896-3201.

No phone cards can be brought into the jail from the public.

Inmates may have up to four (4) visitors during one visit per week for up to 30 minutes. Contact the inmate or the Kossuth County Jail for the visitation day and time. THE KOSSUTH COUNTY JAIL STAFF RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE VISITOR ACCESS TO THE JAIL.

All visitors are expected to abide by the following rules:

• ALL visitors are subject to search before entering the facility.
• You must be listed on the inmates approved visitation list.
• You must have a valid photo ID.
• Visitors must be at least eighteen (18) years of age, unless accompanied by parent or legal guardian.
• Visitors must have not been incarcerated within the last 90 days.
• Victims of the inmate or persons subject to any protective orders involving the inmate will not be allowed to visit.
• There will be No profanity, cursing, and/or derogatory remarks allowed within the facility. Keep noise down to a minimum or staff may order you to leave the facility.
• Visitors, including children, who are disruptive will be ordered to leave the visitation area and visitation time will end.
• NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALLOWED WITHIN THE VISITATION AREA.
• NO TOBACCO OR VAPING PRODUCTS ARE ALLOWED WITHIN THE FACILITY.
• No family members, including children, will be allowed to loiter in the waiting area or other areas of the facility while visitation time is in progress.
• ALL visitors must be dressed in proper attire, including shoes and shirts.
• Only one (1) adult visitor will be allowed in the visiting area at a time, however, if a person is under the age of eighteen (18) a parent or legal guardian must accompany them. All children under 18 must stay with the adult at all times.
• Verbal or written messages between inmates and the public (visitors) WILL NOT be accepted or delivered.
• Personal property, such as purses, cell phones, cameras, bags, etc. are not allowed in the visitation area. These types of items must be left at the sign in table. ALL PERSONAL ITEMS, BAGS, CONTAINERS ARE SUBJECT TO BE SEARCHED BY JAIL STAFF. Please turn off your cell phones while in the facility.
• No mail, letters, cards, etc. will be delivered to the inmate by jail staff during visitation time. These types of items need to be sent through the US Post Office.
• Visitors who violate any of these rules may be removed from the inmates’ visitors list and not allowed future visits.
• THE KOSSUTH COUNTY JAIL STAFF CAN OR MAY TERMINATE VISITATION TIME, FOR SECURITY REASONS, AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.

All inmates arrested or booked into jail on a new charge will see a Magistrate Judge within 24 hours. The Magistrate sets his/her own schedule, and the inmate will be seen at the Judge’s discretion within that 24 hour period. The Judge will inform the inmate of their charge(s) and their rights and then determine if the inmate will be released and what type of bond will be required.

Once the Judge determines a bond amount and type, the inmate has two options to be released from jail.

Cash Bonds: If the Judge sets a cash bond and the inmate can have someone bring the cash to the jail, a “Cash Bond Release Form” will be filled out and completed by Jail Staff. You can call the jail at 515-295-9277 to confirm the amount of the cash bond. You must bring the EXACT amount of cash as the jail does not have funds to give change.

Surety Bond/Bonding Agency: Sometimes the Judge will set a cash or surety bond. This means the inmate can post bond through a Bonding Agency if they do not have the cash. Bonding Agencies within the area can be found in the phone book or online. The Bonding Agencies will work with you to come up with the terms and conditions of posting the bond for an inmate’s release. Bonding Agencies charge a fee for their services and may require collateral for certain bonds. Bonding Agencies are not associated with the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office does not recommend, discredit, or receive compensation from any bonding agencies.

When a person is booked into the Kossuth County Jail, all personal property is itemized and secured within the property confinement area of the jail.  The first 24 hours, a person may be detained within the holding cells of the booking area until a Judge determines if the person will be released and/or if a bond is required. If the person is released, their personal property will be returned at that time.

If the person is required to remain in jail longer than the initial 24-hour period, the inmate will then be showered and issued jail clothing and bedding. The inmate will be classified and assigned to a cell area of the jail that meets the needs of the classification. An inmate is given a copy of the Kossuth County Jail Rules at this time.

An Inmates personal property will be secured until that Inmate is released, or transferred to another facility, or sentenced to a state correctional facility.

If an Inmate is transported to another facility or to a state correctional facility, their personal property will be signed out by the Inmate and taken with them to the other facility.

*An Inmate may request to have their personal property released to a specified person (that is not incarcerated) of their choice. A release form and the Inmates signature will be required before the property is released. That property must be picked up within 30 days of the inmate’s transfer.

If an Inmate is released from the Kossuth County Jail, their personal property will be returned at that time after a release form is signed by the Inmate.