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 9, 2026.
Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County, has about 415,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Tampa comes from a judge of the Hillsborough County Circuit Court or the County Court, 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 and common questions.
Related guides: Tampa public records, Hillsborough County warrants, Tampa arrest records, Tampa inmate search, Tampa police reports, Tampa property records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Tampa
In Florida an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Tampa that means the Hillsborough County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $50,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters; the County Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $50,000, issues its own warrants on the cases before it.
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 Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
Florida has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Tampa
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Tampa (filed by the FBI as Tampa Police Department) serve warrants in and around Tampa.
The FBI's agency list also places one campus police department, one other agency, seven state agencies and one state police unit in Hillsborough County (the arrest records guide names each one); each serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Hillsborough County is whichever one finds the person; an Florida warrant is valid across Florida.
Together, the three agencies in Hillsborough County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 40,381 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Tampa arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Tampa 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 Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, held about 3,600 people on an average day so far in 2026 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at webapps.hcso.tampa.fl.us/arrestinquiry, phone (850) 410-8109. The Tampa inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Tampa on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Tampa
The place to check for a warrant from Tampa is the State Attorney, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Hillsborough County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff'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.
Clearing a Warrant from Tampa
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Tampa that means appearing before the Hillsborough County Circuit Court or the County Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
A missed date in a case before the County Court is handled by that court, not by the Hillsborough County Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at hillsboroughsao.gov/about/the-office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Tampa?
Not from the Hillsborough County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court that issued it keeps the record; ask the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
Who serves warrants in Tampa?
The agency that reports for Tampa inside the city and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an Florida warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Tampa held?
At the county jail, run by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Tampa 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 Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
Is this the official Tampa 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.