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Humboldt County, Iowa Public Records

Find the right office in Humboldt 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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Official

County court

Iowa Federal Cases

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.

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Official

Vital records

Iowa Death and Vital 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.

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Local record guide

About public records in Humboldt County

County profile

Humboldt County at a glance

State
Iowa
County seat
Dakota City
Population
9,597
Area
434 sq mi
Founded
1857
Cities and towns
2

Humboldt County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Humboldt County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order in Humboldt County's unincorporated areas.

Police Departments. Law enforcement in Humboldt County is provided by Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments in cities like Humboldt and Dakota City.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, Iowa 50529, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Humboldt County. Inmates housed at Humboldt County Jail can be located by contacting the Sheriff's Office directly during business hours, though online inmate roster services may be available through third-party providers. Arrest records in Humboldt County are public records subject to Iowa's public records law, codified in Iowa Code Chapter 22. Iowa Code Section 22.7 specifies certain exemptions to disclosure, including ongoing investigations and confidential informant information.

Criminal Records. For an authoritative source, see Humboldt | Judicial District 2 | Iowa Judicial Branch .

Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Humboldt County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Humboldt County

Old mine sites
13
Sites with no status in the records
6
Past producers, now closed
13
Producing when recorded
5
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; crushed stone
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
26
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, sand pit, quarry
Maps surveyed
1972 to 1980
Records behind them
52 records for 50 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 24 mine sites inside the county: 13 past producers, now closed, 5 sites producing when the record was made, 6 sites with no status in the record; the old survey maps add 26 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; crushed stone.

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.

Humboldt Gilmore Renwick Thor Rutland Livermore Bradgate Ottosen Hardy N 10 miles
Humboldt County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. The small open circles with a name are the towns and the pale shapes around the edge are the neighbouring counties, both from the Census Bureau. Hover a dot for its name.
Iowa mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Humboldt County (16 shown, 34 unnamed on the map)

Humboldt County lies on the edge of the Western Region coal field and the coal there is medium and high volatile bituminous, worked underground in many places. The two federal files record a shaft, an adit or a deposit where one was drawn on a survey sheet or catalogued as a site; neither file carries the outline of the workings, so the counts above are not the measure of what was mined under this county. The record that shows it is the mine map, held by Iowa DNR Iowa Coal Mines map and linked below.

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

Wage and hour cases in Humboldt County

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 7 investigations in Humboldt County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $31,597 in back wages agreed for 29 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.

Investigations closed
7
Back wages agreed
$31,597
Workers due back wages
29
Civil money penalties
$0
Employers on the record
7
EmployerCityCasesBack wagesWorkers
Hog Slat, Inc.Humboldt1$18,4099
North Central Iowa Service, LLCHumboldt1$8,0093
Fourteen Foods, LLC/Frauenshuh Hospitality GpHumboldt1$4,47215
Becker Construction Enterprises Co.Bode1$7072
MS & Sons, CorporationHumboldt1$00
2nd Generation Hospitality, LLCHumboldt1$00
OCM IncOttosen1$00

Every employer on the Humboldt County record, by back wages agreed; 1 employer has 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

Humboldt County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Humboldt County, Iowa?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Humboldt County Sheriff or a city police department in Humboldt County. Ask that agency for its record.

How do I get a criminal background check in Humboldt County, Iowa?

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.

How can I look up sex offenders in Humboldt County, Iowa?

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.

How do I register to vote in Humboldt County, Iowa?

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.

How do I look up property records in Humboldt County, Iowa?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Humboldt County are kept by the Humboldt County recorder. Property values are set by the local assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Humboldt County, Iowa?

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.

How do I find business license records in Humboldt County, Iowa?

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

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

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.