Cerro Gordo County Inmate Population Overview
The Cerro Gordo County inmate population is centered at the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center, the sheriff-operated county jail in Mason City. The jail holds people arrested by the Sheriff's Office, Mason City Police, other local agencies, and by warrant when the person is booked into county custody. It also holds local sentenced inmates and people with bond or hold information listed on the sheriff's public population report.
The county does not publish a broad statistical dashboard for the Cerro Gordo County inmate population. The strongest current local source is the CGSO online population report, which is a live or rotating PDF. The strongest long-run source found in the research is the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset. Those two sources answer different questions. The roster helps locate a person now. Vera helps describe historic population, capacity, admissions, and demographic fields.
The facility map is simple. No Iowa Department of Corrections prison, Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, or ICE over-72-hour detention facility was found in Cerro Gordo County. When a Cerro Gordo case becomes a state prison sentence, the search shifts from the county jail roster to the Iowa Department of Corrections offender search.
Cerro Gordo County Inmate Population Statistics
Population figures need careful labels because a live jail report is not the same metric as annual average daily population. Research inspections of the CGSO online population report in June 2026 found counts in the 40s. Vera's last full pre-pandemic Cerro Gordo county row reported a jail population of 81 in 2019, rated capacity of 171, and admissions of 680.75. The current county site did not publish a newer official bed count.
| Measure | Figure | Source / year |
|---|---|---|
| Current roster count | 43-47 observed | CGSO online population report, June 2026 inspection |
| Jail population | 81 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2019 |
| Rated capacity | 171 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2019 |
| Admissions | 680.75 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2019 |
| County population estimate | 42,372 | Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 |
The Census figure gives local context, not a jail count. Cerro Gordo County had an estimated 42,372 residents in 2025, with Mason City as the county seat and Clear Lake as another major local community. Arrests from rural Cerro Gordo County and smaller communities can still appear on the same CGSO population report when the person is booked into the county jail.
Cerro Gordo County Inmate Population Trends
Vera's county trend rows show Cerro Gordo jail population figures in the 70s, 80s, and 90s before a lower pandemic-era row. The 2016 row was the highest listed in the 2015-2019 run, while the 2021 row reported 42. The research does not identify one local policy reason for the later drop, so the page should not assign a cause beyond noting the metric and source.
| Year | Jail population / ADP-style figure | Rated capacity | Admissions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 80 | 159 | 731.25 | Vera long-run row |
| 2016 | 92 | 162 | 723.25 | Highest listed 2015-2019 population |
| 2017 | 84 | 165 | 789 | Vera long-run row |
| 2018 | 76 | 168 | 692.5 | Vera long-run row |
| 2019 | 81 | 171 | 680.75 | Latest full Vera capacity/admissions row |
| 2021 | 42 | Not populated | Not populated | Vera pandemic/recent row |
| 2026 | 43-47 point-in-time | Current official figure not located | Not published | CGSO report inspections, June 2026 |
The 2019 Vera population of 81 compared with the 2019 capacity figure of 171 suggests the jail was below that historical dataset capacity in that year. That does not prove the current jail is under capacity. The county's current official capacity and current annual average daily population were not located in official county sources.
Cerro Gordo County Jail Population Makeup
Vera's 2019 demographic row gives the most detailed aggregate view found for the Cerro Gordo County jail population. It reported 37 pretrial people and 44 sentenced people in the 2019 jail population. The same row reported 64 male and 10 female people, plus race and ethnicity fields including 63 White, 8 Black, and 3 Latinx people. The sheriff's current public roster shows age and sex at the row level, but the county does not publish a current aggregate demographic table.
- Pretrial and sentenced: Vera reported 37 pretrial and 44 sentenced people in 2019.
- Sex fields: Vera reported 64 male and 10 female people in the same 2019 row.
- Race and ethnicity: Vera reported 63 White, 8 Black, and 3 Latinx people in 2019.
- Roster detail: CGSO row fields show age and sex, not a public aggregate report.
- Holds and transfers: A missing name may mean release, transfer, state sentence, federal custody, or delayed posting.
These fields should not be blended into one current claim. A 2019 Vera demographic row, a 2026 point-in-time roster count, and Census county population data answer separate questions.
Cerro Gordo County Jail Capacity Laws
Iowa law supplies the operating framework behind county jail custody and public access. Iowa Code Chapter 356 governs jails and municipal holding facilities, including sheriff and jail duties. Iowa Code section 356.43 gives the Department of Corrections and inspectors authority to inspect jails and order correction of violations. Iowa Administrative Code chapter 201-50 sets jail inspection standards covering admission, classification, security, health care, supervision, and operations.
Key statutes and rules:
Iowa Code Chapter 22 gives the general public-records framework for examining and copying records unless an exception applies.
Iowa Code Chapter 692 defines criminal-history, arrest, custody, and correctional data and limits some older arrest-data releases.
Iowa Administrative Code rule 641-127.3 requires a county medical examiner autopsy in certain jail, prison, correctional, or police-custody deaths.
Iowa's Death in Custody Reporting Act plan and the DCI releases in the research show why state-level sources matter when a local jail incident is reviewed. Those oversight sources do not replace the current roster for custody lookup.
Search Cerro Gordo County Inmates
The official current inmate lookup is the CGSO Jail Online Population Report, linked from the sheriff's jail page as the Inmate List. It is not a name-search portal. It is a PDF report with a printed date and a total-records count. That makes Cerro Gordo different from counties that use a vendor roster with last-name fields, filters, or clickable inmate profiles.
Use the PDF viewer or browser find command for a last name. For common names, compare age, sex, booking date, charges, bond, and the Jail ID field. If the person is not listed, call the jail, check Iowa Courts Online, and consider whether the person has been released, transferred to Iowa DOC, moved to federal custody, or placed in ICE detention.
- Open the official jail page at cerrogordo.gov/sheriff/jail and select Inmate List.
- Open the CGSO online population report PDF and check the printed date near the report title.
- Use browser or PDF find for the last name. There is no roster search box.
- Read the row fields together, especially booking date, charges, bond, and Housed At.
- Call the jail at 641-421-3019 when bond, release, or a missing name needs live confirmation.
Cerro Gordo County Roster Fields
The current public report lists one row per person currently shown in the Cerro Gordo County inmate population. It does not show a full date of birth, home address, medical status, detailed cell assignment, court date, or release history. The Housed At field is a public location label, not a full classification record.
| Field label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search fields | None | N/A | The public roster is a PDF report, not an HTML form. |
| Mugshot | PDF column | N/A | Booking-photo thumbnail appears for listed people. |
| Name | PDF column | N/A | Full listed inmate name. |
| Age / sex | PDF columns | N/A | Identity-matching fields, not full demographic history. |
| Booking Date | PDF column | N/A | Jail intake timestamp, not necessarily offense date. |
| Housed At / Jail ID | PDF columns | N/A | Public housing label and jail identifier. |
| Charges / Bond | PDF columns | N/A | Booking charges and bond information subject to court updates. |
The sheriff's FAQ points users to Iowa Courts Online for filed case information. A roster charge is not the same as a final court disposition.
Cerro Gordo Jail vs Prison Lookup
Most search errors come from using the wrong custody system. The county roster is for current local custody. Iowa DOC is for sentenced prison or supervision records. BOP and ICE are separate federal systems. VINELink is a notification and custody-status channel, not a substitute for the roster.
| Question | Best first source | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Is the person in Cerro Gordo jail now? | CGSO population report | Current county custody list. |
| Did a court case get filed? | Iowa Courts Online | Court charges and hearings live in the court system. |
| Was the person sentenced to prison? | Iowa DOC offender search | State prison and supervision records are separate. |
| Is the person in federal custody? | BOP inmate locator | BOP covers federal inmates from 1982 to present. |
| Is immigration detention possible? | ICE detainee locator | ICE requires A-number/country or name/country/DOB. |
| Does a victim need alerts? | Iowa VINELink | VINE provides custody and case notifications. |
Cerro Gordo County Detention Facility
The local detention facility page for this project is the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center. The Sheriff's Office, jail mail, public roster, visitation, bond, phone, commissary, and property-release information all route through that Law Enforcement Center. The jail should not be confused with the Cerro Gordo Clerk of Court, which is a separate court office in Mason City.
Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center
17262 Lark Ave.
Mason City, IA 50401
641-421-3019
Jail operates 24 hours; public office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The jail page lists bond posting as available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also says to use the inmate population report for total bond and explains that cash/surety or c/s means a bondsman may be used. Always verify the current bond and any holds with the jail before travel or payment.
Cerro Gordo Jail Visits and Money
Jail operations data helps explain the inmate population because custody is not just a name on a roster. The official jail page lists family visit windows on Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visits must be scheduled 24 hours in advance through Prodigy, are limited to 15 minutes, and require valid government ID. Visitors must be 18 or older.
| Service | Official Cerro Gordo detail |
|---|---|
| Visit scheduling | Prodigy account; schedule 24 hours ahead. |
| Visit limits | 15 minutes; two visits per inmate per day; two people per visit; four total people per day. |
| Address to the inmate by name at the Law Enforcement Center; include sender full name and address. | |
| Money | Lobby kiosk 24/7 with cash, debit, or credit, or JailATM online deposits. |
| Phone issues | Inmate phone problems use 866-797-5778. |
Packages are not accepted. Incoming mail other than attorney and certain official mail may be opened and inspected. Newspapers must come directly from the publisher. The county page does not publish deposit fees, commissary spending limits, a visitor dress code, or a public jail handbook.
Cerro Gordo Inmate Lookup Sources
The official sheriff page identifies the Law Enforcement Center, jail phone line, and public hours used throughout Cerro Gordo County inmate population lookups. The captured source page is available at the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office website.
That page is the local starting point for the sheriff address, jail line, patrol/communications number, and civil number before moving to the jail information page.
The jail information page links the inmate list and gives the local rules for visits, bonds, mail, phone calls, commissary, and property. Its source is the official Cerro Gordo County jail page.
The jail page connects the public roster search with practical custody questions, including bond verification, Prodigy visit scheduling, and JailATM deposits.
Cerro Gordo County Inmate Population FAQ
How is the Cerro Gordo County inmate population counted?
The current public count comes from the CGSO online population report, which is a point-in-time PDF. Historic population, capacity, admissions, and demographic fields come from Vera's county dataset. The two sources should not be treated as the same metric.
How do I search the Cerro Gordo County inmate population?
Open the CGSO population report and use browser or PDF find for the person's last name. If the name is not listed, call the jail, check Iowa Courts Online, or search Iowa DOC, BOP, ICE, or VINELink depending on the custody type.
Does Cerro Gordo County have a separate jail app?
No official Cerro Gordo Sheriff or Mason City Police agency-branded app was located in the research. Use the official roster, jail phone, court portal, Iowa DOC locator, VINELink, BOP, and ICE channels instead.
Can the jail roster show court dates?
The inspected roster did not show a court-date field. The jail page directs court date and time questions to the Cerro Gordo Clerk of Court at 641-424-6431.
Are mugshots part of the Cerro Gordo roster?
Yes. The current population report displays mugshot thumbnails for listed people. No separate official historical mugshot archive or gallery was found.