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 30, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Howard County, Missouri, has about 10,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Howard County comes from a judge of the Howard County Circuit 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: Howard County public records, Howard County arrest records, Howard County criminal records, Howard County court records, Howard County police reports, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Howard County
In Missouri an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Howard County that means the Howard County Circuit Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with associate circuit judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims. A city with a municipal divisions of its own issues warrants on the tickets and ordinance cases it tries.
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 Circuit Clerk.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1599 (page title: Howard County Local Rules & Filing Information), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Howard County
The Howard County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Fayette and Glasgow serve warrants in Howard County.
A warrant issued in Howard County is good anywhere in Missouri, 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 Howard County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 54 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Howard County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Howard 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 Howard County Sheriff's Office, held about 16 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
A person arrested in Howard 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 Howard County
The places to check for a warrant from Howard County:
- Case.net, the Missouri courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The Prosecuting Attorney, phone 573.874.7229, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
The one Howard County page SearchSystems verified, the prosecutor's, is not a list of open warrants.
Clearing a Warrant from Howard County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Howard County that means appearing before the Howard County Circuit Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Circuit Clerk.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at como.gov/law/prosecutor, phone 573.874.7229.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Howard County?
Not from the Howard County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Case.net is the Missouri courts' 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 Circuit Clerk.
Who serves warrants in Howard County?
The Howard County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Missouri warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Howard County held?
At the county jail, run by the Howard County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Howard 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 Circuit Clerk.
Is this the official Howard 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.