Clay County Criminal Records

Criminal · Arrest · Court · Sex offender

Use the official court, custody, police-record, and statewide paths for Clay County, Iowa; jurisdiction limits are explained.

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Searches are compiled from court, county, and statewide public-record sources.

Clay County public records: common questions

Where to search Clay County records

Clay County, Iowa court, custody, police, and statewide records are kept in separate systems. Start court research with official Iowa Judicial Branch court-system and judicial-district guide.

Court casesofficial Iowa Judicial Branch court-system and judicial-district guide
Current custodyConfirm the current jail or detention source with the local agency.
Statewide recordsUse the Iowa state-level source described below when available.
Federal recordsFederal court and custody records are outside county systems and require a separate federal search.

Verified local details

These details were drawn from the official sources linked in this guide. Reconfirm addresses, contacts, schedules, fees, and other time-sensitive details with the responsible agency.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is at 3115 West 4th Street, Spencer, Iowa 51301, and lists 712-262-3221 as its phone number.
The official sheriff page identifies Christopher L. Raveling as sheriff.
The Sheriff’s Office lists regular office hours as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays.
The sheriff site provides separate Civil Division, Investigation, Narcotics Division, Jail Division, and sheriff-sale resources.
The Iowa Judicial Branch guide places Clay County in Iowa’s Third Judicial District.

Clay County official record-source actions
Record type	Agency or source	Scope	Action	Last checked
Court cases	official Iowa Judicial Branch court-system and judicial-district guide	County or local	Open source	Not yet published
Police and incident records	county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources	County or local	Open source	August 10, 2026
Official records	official county government portal	County or local	Open source	August 10, 2026

How this guide is maintained: This matrix only republishes government and agency destinations supported by the researched guide or its reviewed county source registry. Page updated August 10, 2026. Agency sites and coverage can change, so confirm current rules with the source. Read our county source-review and correction policy.

If you are checking a Clay County record, start by identifying which agency created it. Court dockets, municipal cases, jail information, police reports, and state records are separate sources. This page brings those paths together for Clay County. Clay County has 16,202 residents (2025 estimate). The source map below identifies the relevant local courts and agencies. Offices and online systems change, so confirm details with the agency before relying on a record.

Quick facts

County-equivalent identity: 19-041
Population: 16,202 residents (2025 estimate)
Local detail: The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is at 3115 West 4th Street, Spencer, Iowa 51301, and lists 712-262-3221 as its phone number.
Local detail: The official sheriff page identifies Christopher L. Raveling as sheriff.
The Sheriff’s Office lists regular office hours as Monday through Friday, 8: 00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays.
Local detail: The sheriff site provides separate Civil Division, Investigation, Narcotics Division, Jail Division, and sheriff-sale resources.
Local detail: The Iowa Judicial Branch guide places Clay County in Iowa’s Third Judicial District.

What is specific about this local guide

Local detail: The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is at 3115 West 4th Street, Spencer, Iowa 51301, and lists 712-262-3221 as its phone number.
Local detail: The official sheriff page identifies Christopher L. Raveling as sheriff.
The Sheriff’s Office lists regular office hours as Monday through Friday, 8: 00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays.

How do I contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office?

For Clay County, start with official county government portal and county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources, then confirm the filing court or creating agency. How do I contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office depends on the record type and jurisdiction. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

Where can I find Clay County jail or visitation information?

For Clay County, start with official county government portal and county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources, then confirm the filing court or creating agency. Where can I find Clay County jail or visitation information depends on the record type and jurisdiction. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

How do I request a Clay County incident or civil-process record?

For Clay County, start with official county government portal and county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources, then confirm the filing court or creating agency. How do I request a Clay County incident or civil-process record depends on the record type and jurisdiction. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

Which judicial district handles Clay County court cases?

For Clay County, start with official county government portal and county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources, then confirm the filing court or creating agency. Which judicial district handles Clay County court cases depends on the record type and jurisdiction. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

What does the Clay County Sheriff’s Civil Division handle?

For Clay County, start with official county government portal and county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources, then confirm the filing court or creating agency. What does the Clay County Sheriff’s Civil Division handle depends on the record type and jurisdiction. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

How can I tell whether a Clay County arrest led to a conviction?

For Clay County, start with official county government portal and county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources, then confirm the filing court or creating agency. How can I tell whether a Clay County arrest led to a conviction depends on the record type and jurisdiction. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

Jail, booking, and custody records

For current custody information, start with county sheriff, law-enforcement contacts, civil division, and jail resources. The sheriff page links to jail resources but the reviewed material does not establish a complete current inmate roster, booking history, or jail capacity.

Finding Clay County criminal court records

Start with official Iowa Judicial Branch court-system and judicial-district guide for the official Clay County court path. County: The Clay County Sheriff’s Office provides county law-enforcement services and maintains county civil and jail functions. Court: Clay County matters are handled in Iowa’s unified district court system within the Third Judicial District; the local clerk of court maintains county court records.

Local courts, citations, and municipal records

Municipal and local court coverage is separate from the county trial-court path. Custody: The sheriff’s Jail Division is the county custody contact; state prison, federal, juvenile, and municipal custody are separate. Municipal: Municipal police and municipal courts operate separately from the county sheriff and Iowa District Court. The reviewed sources do not provide a complete municipal boundary map.

Local police and incident-report sources

Request a police or incident record from the sheriff or municipal police agency that created it. Iowa Courts Online and county agency pages should not be treated as substitutes for certified court records or a final adjudication.

City pages and jurisdiction boundaries

The relevant local courts and agencies may serve different incorporated municipalities, so confirm the filing locality before relying on a record.

Statewide Iowa criminal-record sources

Statewide Iowa sources are separate from Clay County local records. Do not treat a statewide search as a complete county docket, jail roster, or police-record database.

Related Iowa county guides

No adjacent county guide is live yet.

Nearby county links will be added after the neighboring pages pass the same source and content review.

Official Clay County and Iowa record sources

For an official starting point, use official county government portal. Confirm current access rules, fees, contacts, and jurisdiction with the responsible agency.

Disclosure: criminal.com may earn a commission when you use the people-search tool on this page, which is powered by a third-party background-check service. Results are for personal knowledge only and may not be used for employment, housing, credit, tenant screening, or any other purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. An arrest or booking record is not proof of guilt. This page is general information, not legal advice; for advice about a specific situation, consult an attorney.

Prefer an official source? For an official starting point, use official county government portal. Confirm current access rules, fees, contacts, and jurisdiction with the responsible agency.

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