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 4, 2026.
Washington County, Missouri, has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Washington County comes from a judge of the Washington 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: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County inmate search, Washington County criminal records, Washington County court records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Washington County
In Missouri an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Washington County that means the Washington 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.
A bench warrant follows a missed court date in any of those courts. Whichever kind it is, the warrant is part of the file of the case it was issued in, and the Circuit Clerk keeps that file.
For Washington County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1627 (page title: Washington 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 Washington County
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Potosi serve warrants in Washington County.
The agency that serves a warrant from Washington County is whichever one finds the person; an Missouri warrant is valid across Missouri.
Together, the two agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 527 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 61 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at wcso.net/arrests/intake.php. 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:
- Case.net, the Missouri courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The Prosecuting Attorney, phone 573-438-6111, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Washington County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's and the prosecutor's) 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 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 washingtoncountymo.us/prosecuting-attorney, phone 573-438-6111.
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. 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 Washington County?
The Washington 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 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 Circuit Clerk.
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.