Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
San Rafael, California, in Marin County, has about 60,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for San Rafael comes from a judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Marin, is served by whichever agency finds the person, and is recorded in the court file of the case it was issued in. This guide says who issues and serves warrants here, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one and how one is cleared.
This guide covers who issues warrants, who serves warrants, after a warrant arrest, checking for a warrant, clearing a warrant, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: San Rafael public records, Marin County warrants, San Rafael arrest records, San Rafael inmate search, San Rafael criminal records, San Rafael court records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in San Rafael
In California an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For San Rafael that means the Superior Court of California, County of Marin, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and juvenile case.
When a defendant misses a court date the judge issues a bench warrant, and either kind of warrant lives in the court file of the case, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at marin.courts.ca.gov/divisions/court-records-exhibits (page title: Court Records & Exhibits | Superior Court of California | County of Marin), phone (415) 444-7080, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
California has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in San Rafael
The Marin County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for San Rafael (filed by the FBI as San Rafael Police Department) serve warrants in and around San Rafael.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Marin County: Union Pacific Railroad in Marin County (other agency); Marin Community College (campus police); the Highway Patrol's Marin Area Office (state police); each serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Marin County is whichever one finds the person; a California warrant is valid across California.
Together, the seven agencies in Marin County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,134 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in San Rafael arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from San Rafael Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Marin County Sheriff's Office, held about 260 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at marinsheriff.gov/about-us/detention-bureau, phone (415) 473-6653. The San Rafael inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in San Rafael on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in San Rafael
Whether a warrant is out from San Rafael shows in two places:
- The court file of the case, through the Superior Court clerk at (415) 444-7080, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The District Attorney, phone (415) 473-6450, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Marin County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's, the prosecutor's and the records request page) is a list of open warrants, so a check means asking the court or the prosecutor about a case by name.
The statewide criminal history kept by the California Department of Justice is not open to the public in California, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from San Rafael
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from San Rafael starts with the Superior Court clerk at (415) 444-7080: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at marincountyda.org/our-team, phone (415) 473-6450.
More Official Wanted and Warrant Pages for Marin County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Marin County and California. These wanted and warrant pages from its Marin County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- California's Most Wanted Fugitives (oag.ca.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in San Rafael?
Not from the Marin County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Superior Court clerk at (415) 444-7080.
Who serves warrants in San Rafael?
The agency that reports for San Rafael inside the city and the Marin County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; a California warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in San Rafael held?
At the county jail, run by the Marin County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from San Rafael cleared?
By appearing before the court that issued it; the judge recalls the warrant in court. The case is put back on the calendar through the Superior Court clerk at (415) 444-7080.
Is this the official San Rafael website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.