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 30, 2026.
Alpena County, Michigan, has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Alpena County comes from a judge of the Alpena 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: Alpena County public records, Alpena County arrest records, Alpena County inmate search, Alpena County criminal records, Alpena County court records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Alpena County
In Michigan an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Alpena County that means the Alpena 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.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at alpenacounty.org/188/Court-Information-Forms (page title: Court Information & Forms | Alpena County, MI), phone 989-354-9520, 720 W Chisholm Street Suite 2 Alpena, MI 49707, Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm, 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 Alpena County
The Alpena County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Alpena serve warrants in Alpena County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Alpena County: the Alpena County State Police (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Alpena County is whichever one finds the person; an Michigan warrant is valid across Michigan.
Together, the two agencies in Alpena County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 531 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Alpena County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Alpena 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 Alpena County Sheriff's Office, held about 50 people on an average day in 2020 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at alpenacounty.org/168/Corrections-Jail, phone 989-354-9830. The Alpena County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Alpena 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 Alpena County
Whether a warrant is out from Alpena County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the County Clerk at 989-354-9520, 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 989-354-9738, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Alpena 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 Alpena County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Alpena County that means appearing before the Alpena 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 Alpena County Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at alpenacounty.org/255/Prosecuting-Attorney, phone 989-354-9738.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Alpena County?
Not from the Alpena 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 989-354-9520.
Who serves warrants in Alpena County?
The Alpena County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Michigan warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Alpena County held?
At the county jail, run by the Alpena County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Alpena 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 County Clerk at 989-354-9520.
Is this the official Alpena 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.