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 1, 2026.
Effingham County, Illinois, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Effingham County comes from a judge of the Circuit Court of Effingham County, 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: Effingham County public records, Effingham County arrest records, Effingham County inmate search, Effingham County criminal records, Effingham County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Effingham County
In Illinois an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Effingham County that means the Circuit Court of Effingham County, 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 Circuit Clerk.
For Effingham County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at effinghamcountyil.gov/circuit-clerk/criminal-court (page title: Circuit Clerk | Criminal | Effingham County, Illinois), phone 217-342-4065, 120 West Jefferson Avenue Suite 101 Effingham, IL 62401, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Illinois has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Effingham County
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Effingham, Altamont and Teutopolis serve warrants in Effingham County.
The agency that serves a warrant from Effingham County is whichever one finds the person; an Illinois warrant is valid across Illinois.
Together, the four agencies in Effingham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,952 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Effingham County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Effingham 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 Effingham County Sheriff's Office, held about 51 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at inmates.bluhorse.com/Default.aspx?ID=ECJ. The Effingham County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Effingham 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 Effingham County
The places to check for a warrant from Effingham County:
- The court file of the case, through the Circuit Clerk at 217-342-4065, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The State's Attorney, phone (217)347-7741, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Effingham County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's and the prosecutor's) 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 Effingham County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Effingham County that means appearing before the Circuit Court of Effingham County, with the case put back on the calendar through the Circuit Clerk.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at effinghamcountyil.gov/states-attorney, phone (217)347-7741.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Effingham County?
Not from the Effingham County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Circuit Clerk at 217-342-4065.
Who serves warrants in Effingham County?
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Illinois warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Effingham County held?
At the county jail, run by the Effingham County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Effingham 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 Circuit Clerk at 217-342-4065.
Is this the official Effingham 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.