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 September 26, 2026.
Howell, Michigan, in Livingston County, has about 9,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Howell comes from a judge of the Livingston County Circuit Court or the 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: Howell public records, Livingston County warrants, Howell arrest records, Howell inmate search, Howell criminal records, Howell court records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Howell
In Michigan an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Howell that means the Livingston County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $25,000, divorces and family matters; the District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000, 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 County Clerk.
For Livingston County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at milivcounty.gov/courts (page title: Courts | Livingston County, MI), phone (517) 546-8079, 204 S Highlander Way Howell, MI 48843, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
Who Serves Warrants in Howell
The Livingston County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Howell (filed by the FBI as Howell Police Department) serve warrants in and around Howell.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Livingston County: the Livingston County State Police (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Livingston County is whichever one finds the person; an Michigan warrant is valid across Michigan.
Together, the eight agencies in Livingston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 906 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Howell arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Howell 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 Livingston County Sheriff's Office, held about 240 people on an average day in 2020 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at milivcounty.gov/jail, phone (517) 546-2445. The Howell inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Howell on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Howell
Whether a warrant is out from Howell shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the County Clerk at (517) 546-8079, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- MiCOURT Case Search, the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The Prosecuting Attorney, phone (517) 546-1850, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Livingston 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 Howell
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Howell that means appearing before the Livingston County Circuit Court or the District Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the County Clerk.
A missed date in a case before the District Court is handled by that court, not by the Livingston County Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at milivcounty.gov/prosecutor, phone (517) 546-1850.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Howell?
Not from the Livingston County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the County Clerk at (517) 546-8079.
Who serves warrants in Howell?
The agency that reports for Howell inside the city and the Livingston County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an Michigan warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Howell held?
At the county jail, run by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Howell 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 County Clerk at (517) 546-8079.
Is this the official Howell 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.