You can determine the existence of an outstanding warrant by looking up your name on the court website for your local court. A court website may have a searchable public records section. If the website does not have a searchable public records section, call the clerk of court or county clerk. States are divided up into circuits in which criminal cases are heard. Typically, these circuits are numbered. You should have some paperwork from the clerk of court, such as a letter or hearing notice. This should provide you with the number of the circuit and the phone number for the clerk of court.
Contacting the Clerk of the CourtWhen you call the clerk of the court, ask if there is an outstanding warrant for “Person X” (your name) in a criminal or civil case. Have your case number, name, birth date, and if possible, social security number, in hand. Avoid identifying yourself as the person for whom a warrant was issued. You should not have trouble getting an answer about a criminal case. Most data in criminal cases are public record.
Certain civil cases may not be public record. States have different rules about which civil cases are public record. The cases that are most unlikely to be public record are family (dependency or divorce) and juvenile delinquency cases. Civil domestic violence cases, which involve protective, peace, or restraining orders, are also unlikely to be public record. If you believe that records from your case will be restricted, consider working with a bail bondsman or an attorney.
Federal Cases and Outstanding WarrantsIf you believe you have an outstanding warrant in a federal case, call the federal clerk of court for your district. If you are uneasy about calling the clerk of court yourself, have another person call for you. This can be a friend, relative, attorney, or bail bondsman. You can also determine if you have an outstanding warrant by going to the courthouse. Look up your name on their computers in public records. If it is possible, have another person do this for you. If you have an outstanding warrant, you risk being taken into custody by the courthouse's security officers.
You may have multiple warrants out for your arrest in different circuits. The clerk of court for one circuit may not be able to tell you whether you have an outstanding warrant in another circuit. Consider working with a bail bondsman or an attorney to determine the existence of multiple outstanding warrants.