Iowa, county records

Wright County, Iowa Public Records

Find the right office in Wright County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

Start here

Most requested Wright County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

Filter by type

Showing 5 official sources

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.

uscourts.gov
Open official site Iowa Federal Cases
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.

hhs.iowa.gov
Open official site Iowa Death and Vital Records

Local record guide

About public records in Wright County

County profile

Wright County at a glance

State
Iowa
County seat
Clarion
Population
12,943
Area
583 sq mi
Founded
1851
Cities and towns
6

Wright County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Wright County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order throughout Wright County.

Police Departments. Wright County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Wright County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments in cities like Clarion, Eagle Grove, and Belmond. Each city department is responsible for maintaining law and order within its jurisdiction, handling local crimes, and collaborating with the Sheriff's Office on major investigations.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Wright County Sheriff's Office, located at 115 North Main Street in Clarion, Iowa 50525, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Wright County and provides support to municipal departments. Inmate lookup services are available by contacting the jail directly at the Sheriff's Office phone number during business hours; some booking information may be posted on Wright County website or through third-party inmate databases, though availability varies. Arrest records in Wright County are considered public records under Iowa Code Chapter 22, the Iowa Open Records Law, which establishes the right of citizens to access government records unless specifically exempted. To request arrest records, individuals should contact the arresting agency directly - either the Sheriff's Office or the appropriate municipal police department - and submit a written or in-person request describing the records sought. For current warrant information and active criminal cases, citizens should contact Wright County Clerk of Court or the relevant law enforcement agency directly.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Wright County are maintained by Wright County Sheriff's Office. Residents and attorneys can request arrest records through the Sheriff's Office, following the procedures outlined by the Iowa Open Records Law.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Wright County are taken and retained by Wright County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by direct request.

Wright County Treasurer's Office (phone: 515-532-3113) handles property tax collection, tax sale information, and payment records. Business and licensing records in Wright County, Iowa, are maintained by multiple agencies depending on the type of business activity and registration. For local business name registrations, including DBAs (Doing Business As) and fictitious name filings, Wright County Recorder's Office at 115 North Main Street, Clarion (phone: 515-532-3406) accepts and records these documents as required under Iowa Code Chapter 547. Wright County Assessor's Office, also located in the courthouse (phone: 515-532-3961), maintains property assessment records, parcel information, and valuation data used for property tax purposes.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Wright County

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

From the old mine records

What is on record in Wright County

Old mine sites
31
Sites with no status in the records
1
Past producers, now closed
31
Producing when recorded
9
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
48
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, sand pit
Maps surveyed
1972 to 1978
Records behind them
90 records for 89 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 41 mine sites inside the county: 31 past producers, now closed, 9 sites producing when the record was made, 1 site with no status in the record; the old survey maps add 48 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The mineral the records name is construction sand and gravel.

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.

Eagle Grove Clarion Belmond Goldfield Woolstock Dows Galt Rowan N 10 miles
Wright 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 Wright County (19 shown, 70 unnamed on the map)

Wright 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 Wright County

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 9 investigations in Wright County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $23,768 in back wages agreed for 46 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
9
Back wages agreed
$23,768
Workers due back wages
46
Civil money penalties
$0
Employers on the record
7
EmployerCityCasesBack wagesWorkers
Signature Masonry of Des Moines LLCBelmond2$24,54220
Stronghold Manufacturing, LLCClarion1$10,65229
Bloemky Pharmacy, LTDBelmond1$1,9939
Iowa Ag, LLCGalt1$00
AG Processing Inc a CooperativeEagle Grove1$00
Horizon EnvirionmentalEagle Grove1$00
W & H Cooerative Oil CompanyEagle Grove1$00

Every employer on the Wright 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

Wright County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

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

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

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

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Wright County are kept by the Wright 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 Wright 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 Wright 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.