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.
Washtenaw County, Michigan, has about 374,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Washtenaw County comes from a judge of the Washtenaw 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: Washtenaw County public records, Washtenaw County arrest records, Washtenaw County inmate search, Washtenaw County criminal records, Washtenaw County court records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Washtenaw County
In Michigan an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Washtenaw County that means the Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courts.michigan.gov/search/?searchQuery=washtenaw+county, 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 Washtenaw County
The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Milan and Chelsea serve warrants in Washtenaw County.
The FBI's agency list also places one other agency, three campus police departments and one state police unit in Washtenaw County (the arrest records guide names each one); each serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Washtenaw County is whichever one finds the person; an Michigan warrant is valid across Michigan.
Together, the eight agencies in Washtenaw County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,408 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Washtenaw County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, held about 320 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at washtenaw.org/sheriff. The Washtenaw County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County
The places to check for a warrant from Washtenaw County:
- The court file of the case, through the County Clerk, 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, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Washtenaw County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court'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 Washtenaw County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Washtenaw County starts with the County Clerk: 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 District Court is handled by that court, not by the Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at washtenaw.org/prosecuting-attorney.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Washtenaw County?
Not from the Washtenaw 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.
Who serves warrants in Washtenaw County?
The Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County held?
At the county jail, run by the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Washtenaw 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.
Is this the official Washtenaw 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.