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 25, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Owatonna, Minnesota, in Steele County, has about 27,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Owatonna comes from a judge of the Steele 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: Owatonna public records, Steele County warrants, Owatonna arrest records, Owatonna inmate search, Owatonna criminal records, Owatonna court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Owatonna
In Minnesota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Owatonna that means the Steele County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate 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 court administrator.
For Steele County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at mncourts.gov/find-courts/steele (page title: Steele County District Court), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Owatonna
The Steele County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Owatonna (filed by the FBI as Owatonna Police Department) serve warrants in and around Owatonna.
A warrant issued in Steele County is good anywhere in Minnesota, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Together, the three agencies in Steele County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 493 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Owatonna arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Owatonna 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 Steele County Sheriff's Office, held about 28 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at steelecountymn.gov/search.php?q=Inmate+Roster. The Owatonna inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Owatonna on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Owatonna
Whether a warrant is out from Owatonna shows in two places:
- Minnesota Court Records Online, the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The custody page of the Steele County Sheriff's Office at steelecountymn.gov/search.php?q=Inmate+Roster, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
The one Steele County page SearchSystems verified, the sheriff's, is not a list of open warrants.
Clearing a Warrant from Owatonna
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Owatonna starts with the court administrator: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Owatonna?
Not from the Steele County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free 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 court administrator.
Who serves warrants in Owatonna?
The agency that reports for Owatonna inside the city and the Steele County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an Minnesota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Owatonna held?
At the county jail, run by the Steele County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Owatonna 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 court administrator.
Is this the official Owatonna 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.