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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Manhattan, Kansas, in Riley County, has about 55,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Manhattan comes from a judge of the Riley County District 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: Manhattan public records, Riley County warrants, Manhattan arrest records, Manhattan inmate search, Manhattan property records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Manhattan
In Kansas an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Manhattan that means the Riley County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case. A city with a municipal court of its own issues warrants on the tickets and ordinance cases it tries.
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 District Court.
Statewide, Kansas District Court Public Access Portal is the Kansas courts' statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Manhattan
The Riley County Police Department serves warrants in and around Manhattan.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Riley County: Kansas State University (campus police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Riley County is whichever one finds the person; a Kansas warrant is valid across Kansas.
The Riley County Police Department reported 1,694 arrests to the FBI for 2025; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Manhattan arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Manhattan 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 Riley County Police Department, held about 66 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at rileycountypolice.org/342/Riley-County-Jail, phone 785-537-2112. The Manhattan inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Manhattan on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Manhattan
The places to check for a warrant from Manhattan:
- Kansas District Court Public Access Portal, the Kansas courts' statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The County Attorney, phone 785-537-6390, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Riley County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff'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 Manhattan
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Manhattan that means appearing before the Riley County District Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at rileycountyks.gov/61/County-Attorney, phone 785-537-6390.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Manhattan?
Not from the Riley County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Kansas District Court Public Access Portal is the Kansas courts' statewide case search, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court that issued it keeps the record; ask the Clerk of the District Court.
Who serves warrants in Manhattan?
The Riley County Police Department, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; a Kansas warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Manhattan held?
At the county jail, run by the Riley County Police Department, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Manhattan 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 District Court.
Is this the official Manhattan 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.