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 October 2, 2026.
Pennington County, Minnesota, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Pennington County comes from a judge of the Pennington 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: Pennington County public records, Pennington County arrest records, Pennington County inmate search, Pennington County criminal records, Pennington County court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Pennington County
In Minnesota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Pennington County that means the Pennington 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 Pennington County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at mncourts.gov/find-courts/pennington (page title: Pennington 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 Pennington County
The Pennington County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Thief River Falls serve warrants in Pennington County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Pennington County: the State Patrol at Thief River Falls (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Pennington 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 two agencies in Pennington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 171 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Pennington County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Pennington 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 Pennington County Sheriff's Office, held about 40 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at incustodysearch.penningtonsheriff.org/ResponsiveInCustody.aspx. The Pennington County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Pennington 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 Pennington County
The places to check for a warrant from Pennington County:
- Minnesota Court Records Online, the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The County Attorney, phone 218-683-7000, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Pennington County Sheriff's Office at incustodysearch.penningtonsheriff.org, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Pennington County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff'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 Pennington County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Pennington County starts with the court administrator: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.pennington.mn.us, phone 218-683-7000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Pennington County?
Not from the Pennington 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 Pennington County?
The Pennington County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Minnesota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Pennington County held?
At the county jail, run by the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Pennington 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 court administrator.
Is this the official Pennington 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.