Iowa, county records
Find the right office in Fayette County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
County court
Iowa has two federal trial courts, the Northern District at Cedar Rapids and Sioux City and the Southern District at Des Moines; their case files are searched through PACER.
Open official site Iowa Federal CasesState records
Search property and claim status by individual name or business thru the state treasurer.
Open official site Iowa Unclaimed PropertyVital records
Iowa HHS Vital Records issues certified birth, death and marriage records filed since July 1, 1880, by mail, in person or through VitalChek, for a fee per copy.
Open official site Iowa Death and Vital RecordsState records
Find active and inactive corporations by name from the Iowa Secretary of State.
Open official site Iowa Business & Corporation SearchVital records
Request a copy of a marriage certificates from the Iowa Bureau of Health Statistics.
Open official site Iowa Marriage SearchLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Fayette County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order in the unincorporated areas of Fayette County.
Police Departments. Fayette County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Fayette County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Oelwein Police Department and the West Union Police Department. Each agency has jurisdiction over its respective area, with the Sheriff's Office covering unincorporated regions and the city departments focusing on urban areas.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Fayette County Sheriff's Office, located at 114 N Vine St, West Union, IA 52175, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Fayette County. Fayette County Jail houses inmates awaiting trial and those serving shorter sentences; inmate information can be obtained by contacting the Sheriff's Office directly during business hours, though online inmate lookup systems may be limited compared to larger Iowa counties. Arrest records in Fayette County are public documents under Iowa Code Chapter 22, Iowa's Public Records Law, which establishes that most government records are open to public inspection unless specifically exempted.
Arrest Records. Arrest records in Fayette County are maintained by Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Residents and attorneys can request arrest records by contacting the Sheriff's Office directly, under the Iowa Open Records Law.
Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office, allowing family members and legal representatives to find information about current detainees.
Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Fayette County are taken and retained by Fayette County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by request.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 67 mine sites inside the county: 42 past producers, now closed, 19 sites producing when the record was made, 6 sites with no status in the record; the old survey maps add 64 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are crushed stone; construction sand and gravel; Barium-Barite.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Coal was mined in Iowa from the 1840s to 1994.
Iowa abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Labor Department file
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 12 investigations in Fayette County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $36,583 in back wages agreed for 35 workers. The county is the one the Census Bureau puts each employer's ZIP code in. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment.
| Employer | City | Cases | Back wages | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorcylcles Midwest Inc | Oelwein | 1 | $12,590 | 7 |
| Lynch Holding Companies | Waucoma | 1 | $8,200 | 3 |
| Schmitt Fertilizer Corporation | Waucoma | 1 | $2,315 | 1 |
| Hillandale Farms LLC | West Union | 1 | $1,570 | 5 |
| Birdnow Enterprises Inc. | Oelwein | 1 | $974 | 4 |
| Granger Construction INC. | West Union | 1 | $548 | 1 |
| WS Live llc | Oelwein | 1 | $255 | 1 |
| Brick City Bar & Grill LLC | Oelwein | 1 | $244 | 0 |
| Imperial Roof Systems Co. | West Union | 1 | $0 | 0 |
| Baker Enterprises, Inc. | Clermont | 1 | $0 | 0 |
| Gavin's IGA | Fayette | 1 | $0 | 0 |
Every employer on the Fayette County record, by back wages agreed; 2 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record in this row. The Iowa wage theft records page ranks the whole state.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Fayette County Sheriff or a city police department in Fayette County. Ask that agency for its record.
The Iowa criminal history record comes from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation. Name based request by mail, fax, email or in person with first name, last name and exact date of birth; the online request site is down for an upgrade and phone requests are not taken. Fee: $15 per last name.
Search the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the county auditor or through the Iowa Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Pre registration closes 15 days before the election; you may also register and vote on election day at the polling place for your address with proof of identity and residence.
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Fayette County are kept by the Fayette County recorder. Property values are set by the local assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.
Certified birth and death certificates for Iowa come from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Statistics. County Recorders can issue certified copies of all Iowa births from 1986 to the present and of deaths and marriages from 1954 to the present; earlier records come from the county where the event occurred. By mail or in person at Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Statistics, Lucas State Office Building, 1st Floor, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075, at a County Recorder, or online through VitalChek, the only authorized third party vendor. Fee: $20.00 for each certified copy.
Business entity filings are searched with the Iowa Secretary of State. Iowa does not have a general business license; licensing depends on the nature of the business or occupation.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.