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Found an item? Your responsibilities

What to do when you find someone else's property — your responsibilities and how to return it safely.

Found something in Dubuque? Handling it responsibly protects both you and the owner. Rules vary by location, but the principles are consistent.

  1. Make a reasonable effort to find the owner. Check for ID, contact details, or anything that identifies who it belongs to.
  2. Don't assume it's yours to keep. Keeping found property without trying to return it can have legal consequences. When in doubt, hand it in.
  3. Hand valuables to the authorities. Report significant or high-value finds to the police non-emergency line for Dubuque; they'll log it and may issue a reference.
  4. Store it safely. Keep the item secure and unchanged while you try to return it.
  5. Post a found listing. Add a found-item listing for Dubuque with enough detail for the real owner to identify it — while holding back one verifying detail.

Helpful resources for Dubuque

Recent reports in Dubuque

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Found photographs in downtown Dubuque

I found a bundle of old photographs on the sidewalk outside the Dubuque County Courthouse around 9:45 this morning. They show a family at a 1960s picnic, a wedding party by a church, and a riverfront scene with a vintage car. I can imagine the stories behind these images and feel hopeful about reuniting them with their owner. I’ve kept them safe and dry, and I’d love to help the rightful owner reclaim them through this site.

outside the Dubuque County Courthouse, Main Street 7 days ago
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Found Devices in Dubuque, Iowa

I was walking along the Mississippi Riverfront in Dubuque this morning around 9:30 a.m. when I spotted a black backpack slumped beside a bench under the Diamond Jo Casino sign. Inside I found a laptop, a smartphone, and a couple of chargers, all in one device-agnostic bundle. The devices appear to belong to someone who was in a hurry—no name tag, no obvious papers. I turned them in to the local lost-and-found, hoping the owner sees this posting and claims them there.

Riverfront near Diamond Jo Casino, Dubuque 10 days ago
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Found swimsuits near Riverwalk, Dubuque

I found these swimsuits this morning around 12:30 p.m., tucked beneath a bench along the Dubuque Riverwalk near the Julien Dubuque Bridge. They’re a bright pink bikini and a striped pair, damp from a recent rain and left neatly in a small tote. Seeing them there made me think of the person who might be missing them, and I felt a quiet relief that they weren’t abandoned. If you recognize these, please leave a note on the site so we can reunite them with their owner.

Riverwalk near Julien Dubuque Bridge about 2 months ago
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Found DeWalt 20V drill behind Diamond Jo Casino

I found a DeWalt 20V cordless drill this afternoon around 3:15pm in the parking lot behind the Diamond Jo Casino on West 2nd Street, Dubuque. It’s the yellow-and-black XR model, with a slightly beat-up plastic housing and a scuffed grip. It came with a charger and two spare bits, all tucked into a bright yellow hard case. One unique feature is a blue sticker on the battery labeled 'AK' in sharpie, plus a small dent on the left side of the handle. If this is your tool, shoot me a message and we can arrange a pickup.

Dubuque 4 months ago
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Tan lop rabbit found near Diamond Jo Casino

Found a small tan lop-eared rabbit this afternoon around 3:15pm behind the Diamond Jo Casino parking lot on 2nd Street in Dubuque. It has soft tan fur, a white belly, and long floppy ears that perk up when it hears a noise. It's wearing a sky-blue collar with a tiny silver bell and a small black dot on the left ear as distinguishing marks. The rabbit seemed healthy but a bit skittish, and I found it by the riverwalk railing near the parking area. If this is your bunny, please describe the collar and ear mark so I can get them home quickly.

Dubuque 4 months ago
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Canon VIXIA HF R800 camcorder with red strap

Category: Audio & Video Equipment. I found a black Canon VIXIA HF R800 camcorder this afternoon around 3:45pm in the parking lot behind the Carnegie-Stout Public Library on West 11th Street in Dubuque. It's in decent condition with a few scratches on the plastic body and the lens cap is missing, but the built-in mic and display screen still work when I tested it briefly. It has a bright red fabric strap, and there’s a small blue sticker with the initials 'DP' on the side near the battery compartment, which should help you spot it easily if you know what to look for. If this is yours, I’d be glad to arrange pickup at the library desk during open hours or meet you in the lot.

Dubuque 5 months ago