A bench warrant is an open warrant that is typically the result of a missed court date, unpaid court fine or an unpaid traffic citation, which are all infractions. The court system, at least for most infractions, is designed to provide individuals with access to a judge in a timely manner. Over time, the meaning of timely has shifted, and many people have court dates months out from the time they receive an infraction.
For some people, simply staying on top of a court date for something minor like a moving violation can be tricky. For others, avoiding court is made easier due to long lead times before you have to go in front of a judge.
When a court date is missed or other laws of the court are violated, a bench warrant may be issued. Use this guide to learn more about bench warrants, how you can check to see if you have one and how to deal with it if you do.
A bench warrant is a type of warrant issued by a judge. This can happen when a person misses a court date where they were scheduled to appear. However, bench warrants can be issued for other infractions, and a broader definition allows judges to issue them when a person simply violates any of the rules of the court.
For all practical purposes though, bench warrants are issued when a person does not show up for a court date. Police can arrest individuals who have a bench warrant.
Even though bench warrants are public record, you cannot simply walk down to the courthouse and ask to run a warrant search on someone, if you even know what courthouse to go to and in what state. A simple way to verify if someone, including yourself, has an outstanding warrant is to use a resource like SearchQuarry.com. This type of search, that can be run on anyone as long as you have a first and last name, is intended for verification and unofficial purposes only.
Checking to see if you have a bench warrant can feel like a complicated process. If you fear that you may have one, you have a few options to help you get the information you need to act accordingly.
A bench warrant will be issued by a judge and the court where the judge presides. The police then enforce the bench warrant, helping to bring the individual to court. In many cases however, a bench warrant differs from an arrest warrant in the veracity with which the police pursue the issue.
Most bench warrants are issued because of failure to appear violations, many of which are resolved when the individual gets a notice from the court through the mail. Typically people are not arrested
A bench warrant is typically issued by a judge, which sets it apart from an arrest warrant, which will usually be issued by local police in the area where you live. Typically a bench warrant is issued because a person did not show up in court – on the bench in front of the judge – at the agreed upon time.
While a bench warrant is issued by a judge, it is the police who will enforce it and help ensure that the individual does end up in court. For all practical purposes, a bench warrant can be treated just like an arrest warrant.
Most of the time though bench warrants are resolved by the court and the individual without police intervention. Extradition or other similar actions are unlikely for most bench warrants.
Trying to figure out what to do when you’re served with a bench warrant can be a little confusing. While contacting the courts, the police or using a third-party website is best, it won’t help you actually clear up the matter. Your attorney can help with that, but if you want to do it on your own or you don’t have an attorney, you do have options.
Bench warrants are not something you want to mess around with since the police do enforce them. However, most people get bench warrants because they simply forget about a court date due to other life circumstances and long wait times. If that happened to you, simply contacting the court is your best bet.
Act quickly, ideally as soon as you remember that you missed a court date, and leniency may be granted. Some areas charge court fees and fines for missing court dates and bench warrants, but if you’re dealing with a traffic ticket or minor violation, you won’t be put in jail!
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Spencer, many people want to know what a bench warrant is and if they have one. We were able to process your request for a free bench warrant search and did not find anything active at this time in Tennessee.
Hello! Could you please check if there is a bench warrant for a “Spencer James Parks” who is 19? The warrant would be from North Carolina but the place of residence is in Tennessee.
Angel, we ran a Colorado bench warrant lookup for a Jack Daniels and found there is an arrest record from April this year out of Jefferson county however we did not find any active bench warrants at this time. If one is pending for a missed court appearance or failed court order, you might want to contact the clerk of the courts in Jefferson county to make your inquiry as well.
I was hoping you can check and see if there is a bench warrant for Jack Daniels. 10-9-1983
for aurora colorado, and possibly check Jefferson County Colorado
Please and thank you!
Michael, you have a fairly common name and there are multiple listings for people with your first and last name. Can you provide us with your middle name and age so we can filter our results for you?
Need to know if I have a bench warrant out of Dallas Texas for Michael Lynch
We are showing an arrest with some pending SC felony charges for a Kaitlyn Daine mason from April 2023, however we do not see an active bench warrant as of yet. If there was a missed court appearance then it’s possible there is one pending. You may want to check with the clerk of the court to be certain
Please check for warrent out of Horry County SC Kaitlyn mason
Can you search for any outstanding warrents for Isaiah Lee Monroe
dob: 8.6.87
We live in Indiana randolph county but was curious if you could do one for all states?
Corina, we ran a check in NY and could not find anything for you at this time. If there is something pending it will not show up, you may want to check with the relevant courthouse clerk to make your inquiry if you missed a court appeance
Can y’all check cortland county ny
Corinna burk
08/06/1992
Vanessa, we ran a Texas bench warrant search for you and did find an active serving bench warrant for a Vanessa Lyn McGraw for Franklin County, Kentucky
Hello, i am needing to see if i have a warrant please? Out of Simpson County, Kentucky.
Thank you!!
We ran the name Chris Cooper through our court records database and did not find anything active for this person
Hello I am not sure if I have a bench warrant out in Summit County Colorado making sure everything is cleared up.
i have an active warrant and dont know if its bench or arrest warrarnt for butler county ohio
Michelle, in Wyoming your name is fairly common and we show multiple listings for people with criminal records with your name however no active bench warrants that we can find. If you can provide your middle name we can elaborate more on what Wyoming criminal records we have found
Hi my name is Michelle Miller age 50 and I need to no if I have an active warrant in Casper Wyoming
I’m trying to find out if a family member has a bench warrant his name is Dan Jr Edward Isbell born 4/18/60 in 1990 he was charged with a DWI in Bellevue Washington
Howard, we ran a Louisiana bench warrant check for you and could not find anything in our resources. If you have a missed court appearance or have violated a LA court order or probation then you consider reaching out with the clerk of the court to find out how to mitigate the situation before a warrant is issued
I’m Howard Marshall Smith I live in winnfield Louisiana dob 03/30/1982 do I have any active warrants
Darrell, we do show an arrest record from Cook County Illinois however we are not able to find any active bench warrants at this time. If there is one pending, it’s might not be publicly available information yet. If this was from a missed court appearance then you may want to contact the relevant clerk of the court to inquire and/or reschedule
Im Darrell Molette I live in Chicago Illinois my D.O.B is 3-30-1985,do I have a active warrant
Please check for warrants in Peoria Illinois. Preston Shane Wells 04/12/1970
You will want to contact the clerk of the county court where you suspect you may have an outstanding bench warrant
A bench warrant has been issued, how do I find out what the bench warrant is for? I have never received a citation nor a ticket or anything in the mail that I have seen. What is the next step in finding out what it is for? Is there a site or someplace that I can look it up?
Ashley, we show a recent Kentucky contempt of court charge from April this year but we haven’t located any bench warrants for Heath in our system. If this was a recently issued Kentucky warrant then it’s possible there is a delay in it’s reporting
Gilbert, we rant the requested name through our database resources and did not find anything within our Tennessee warrant records
Hi i am trying to find out if i have any active warrants in kentucky. My name is Heath P. Mays and my DOB is 05-15-1990
Warrant check Bedford, Moore,and Lincoln counties,TN
Please and Thank You