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.
Washington County, Minnesota, has about 284,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Washington County comes from a judge of the Washington 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: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County inmate search, Washington County criminal records, Washington County court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Washington County
In Minnesota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Washington County that means the Washington 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 Washington County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at mncourts.gov/find-courts/washington (page title: Washington County District Court), phone (651) 413-8030, 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 Washington County
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Oakdale, Forest Lake, Stillwater, St. Paul Park and two more cities serve warrants in Washington County.
The Hastings Police Department and the White Bear Lake Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Washington County, so their arrests are not broken out for Washington County here.
A warrant issued in Washington 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 nine agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,944 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Washington County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Washington 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 Washington County Sheriff's Office, held about 190 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at washingtoncountymn.gov/3220/Daily-Jail-Booking-Report, phone 651-430-7900. The Washington County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Washington 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 Washington County
The places to check for a warrant from Washington 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 651-430-6115, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washingtoncountymn.gov, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Washington 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 Washington County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Washington County that means appearing before the Washington County District Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the court administrator.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at washingtoncountymn.gov/411/County-Attorney, phone 651-430-6115.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Washington County?
Not from the Washington 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 Washington County?
The Washington 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 Washington County held?
At the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Washington 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 Washington 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.