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.
Hillsborough County, Florida, has about 1.6 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Hillsborough County 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: Hillsborough County public records, Hillsborough County arrest records, Hillsborough County inmate search, Hillsborough County police reports, Hillsborough County property records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Hillsborough County
In Florida an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Hillsborough County 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.
A bench warrant follows a missed court date in any of those courts. Whichever kind it is, the warrant is part of the file of the case it was issued in, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller keep that file.
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 Hillsborough County
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace serve warrants in Hillsborough County.
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.
A warrant issued in Hillsborough County is good anywhere in Florida, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
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 Hillsborough County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Hillsborough County 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 Hillsborough County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Hillsborough County on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Hillsborough County
The place to check for a warrant from Hillsborough County 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 Hillsborough County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Hillsborough County starts with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
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 Hillsborough County?
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 Hillsborough County?
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Florida warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Hillsborough County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Hillsborough County 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 Hillsborough County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.