Tarrant County Warrant Search

When Tarrant County law enforcement agents suspect an individual's involvement in a crime, they may submit complaints to courts seeking warrants to arrest a suspect or search and seize properties or persons. Warrants are court orders that permit police officers to act against accused persons or properties. Judges can also issue warrants when people fail to show up in court or disobey other judicial orders, such as child support payments.

People who often conduct warrant searches in Tarrant County are those who have had run-ins with local law enforcement agencies and courts. By performing such inquiries, they can uncover pending legal issues and clear their warrants. Other members of the public may also seek outstanding warrants as part of a background check process to vet someone for personal or official purposes.

Ordinarily, warrants identify the wanted person and their offense, the warrant type, the issuing jurisdiction, and more. However, certain warrant information may also appear in the Tarrant County arrest records when a person is arrested on a warrant in the county.

Are Warrants Public Records?

Yes. Warrants are open to members of the public in Tarrant County under the Rules of the Supreme Court, common law, and the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (e.g., Article 15).

However, these laws and rules do not grant unlimited access to warrants. Record custodians usually deny requests for the following information:

• Warrants under seal
• Complaints/affidavits related to unexecuted search warrants
• Certain sensitive personal information about warrant subjects, such as social security numbers

Types of Warrants in Tarrant County

Tarrant County courts issue different warrants to enable various law enforcement actions. Warrants are typically categorized according to the purpose of issuance. However, the common kinds of warrants released to law enforcement officers are arrest, bench, and search warrants.

Do I Have a Warrant in Tarrant County?

Individuals can check if they or someone they know has an active or executed warrant as follows:

• Contact a licensed bail bonds agent
• Access warrant search portals provided by the District Clerk or other local authorities
• Request physical or electronic copies of Tarrant County court records
• Contact an attorney

Active Warrant Search in Tarrant

Active warrants are unexecuted orders for searches, seizures, or arrests. Of these warrants, only information about outstanding arrest warrants may be released to members of the public in Tarrant County.

Generally, people who intend to view a warrant can approach the appropriate records custodian. For warrant inquiries, one can approach any issuing court. In some cases, individuals can contact the Sheriff's Office or other law enforcement agencies, especially for arrest warrants.

Arrest Warrant Search

People seeking arrest warrants issued for serious crimes like felonies can approach the Tarrant County District Clerk's Office. These warrants are generally passed on to the Sheriff's Office for execution. However, the Sheriff's Office does not directly provide details about these warrants to members of the public. Instead, it disseminates such information to licensed bond agents and attorneys. As such, one can hire a bail bonds person or attorney to retrieve arrest warrant information.

On the other hand, anyone seeking warrants issued for Class A, B, and C misdemeanors can approach the Tarrant County Clerk or the municipal police agency within the specific issuing jurisdiction.

For class C misdemeanors, which are handled mainly by the local Justice of the Peace Courts, individuals can use options provided by the specific justice court. These options include visiting the issuing courthouse or accessing the court's warrant search database (where available). For example, Tarrant County's Justice of the Peace Court 1 uploads details of active warrants on a web-based database, which is accessible to any member of the public.

Additionally, individuals who have had run-ins with city police departments and municipal courts can check with these bodies to confirm whether they have active arrest warrants. Most courts and local law enforcement agencies provide easy and straightforward methods for looking up warrant information.

For instance, the Arlington Municipal Court maintains a dedicated site for active arrest warrants. The site lists suspects' names, offense dates, citation numbers, number of violations, offense descriptions, warrant types, and amounts (fines) owed. One can also contact the municipal court at (817) 459-6777 to inquire about or verify warrant information.

Bench Warrant Lookup

Bench warrants are arrest warrants distinguishable by their method and purpose of issue. They do not require the submission of complaints from law enforcement, as they are issued directly by magistrates/judges to apprehend individuals who have failed to meet certain judicial obligations, such as refusing to honor court appointments or pay court fines. People who abandon court-ordered programs or violate probation/parole conditions can also become subjects of bench warrants (sometimes called body attachments).

Like other arrest warrants, bench warrants are issued to law enforcement agencies for execution. As such, the process for obtaining or viewing these warrants is consistent with that of any other arrest warrant (as explained in the previous header).

Free Warrant Search

Arrest and bench warrants issued by Tarrant County's Justice of the Peace and Municipal Courts are free to view through official online sources. One can also visit any local courthouse to make inquiries without cost. Additionally, anyone can visit the District Clerk's portal to look up executed search or probable cause warrants for free.

However, hiring bondsmen and attorneys to provide information about warrants involves paying the required fees for each party’s services.

Can You Check Warrants Online?

Yes. Anyone can use third-party websites that offer public records to find details about Tarrant County warrants. Third-party sites are operated by independent vendors that may not maintain formal partnerships with government authorities. Instead, these vendors gather publicly available data, including records from official sources, and provide that information as a service to customers.

Individuals must usually provide the name of a warrant subject to query an independent database. Like official sources, private vendors do not disseminate non-public records, such as sealed warrants and unexecuted search warrants.

Because third-party public records websites collate information from various places, they typically allow users to find the information they need from a single database, which can be advantageous when searching across many jurisdictions.

Do Warrants Expire?

Yes. Some warrants, like search and administrative inspection warrants, have fixed validity periods. Per Texas statutes, such warrants must be executed within the following number of days:

• Warrants for searching and seizing DNA specimens for comparison and analysis are valid for 15 days
• Warrants issued for searching consumer data stored electronically last for 10 days
• Search warrants authorized for other purposes must be executed within 3 days
• Administrative inspection warrants authorized under Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 556.105 are executed within 10 days, except when a judge extends the allowed period

The above timelines do not include the day a warrant is issued and executed. Magistrates/judges can also set shorter execution windows.

On the other hand, arrest warrants do not expire. Such written orders remain valid until their subjects are apprehended and presented in court. However, courts can quash arrest warrants whose underlying fines or obligations have been settled.

How to Clear a Warrant Without Going to Jail

Generally, the process for clearing a warrant in Tarrant County depends on the type of warrant.

If a warrant is tied to a citation or issued by a Justice of the Peace or Municipal Court, a person can clear it by paying the attached fine. Each court has a different payment process, usually outlined on the respective court's official website. For instance, the Arlington Municipal Court’s warrant payment process is accessible on its website.

In other cases, the subject of a warrant can post the bond on the warrant to regain their freedom or clear the warrant.

However, if the warrant was issued for a serious criminal offense, the subject is advised to turn themselves in to clear their warrant and begin criminal proceedings. In such situations, it is always advisable to retain an attorney.