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 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Valley City, North Dakota, in Barnes County, has about 6,600 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Valley City comes from a judge of the Barnes 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: Valley City public records, Barnes County warrants, Valley City arrest records, Valley City inmate search, Valley City police reports, Valley City property records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Valley City
In North Dakota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Valley City that means the Barnes County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case. A city with a municipal court 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 Clerk of District Court.
Statewide, North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Valley City
The Barnes County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Valley City (filed by the FBI as Valley City Police Department) serve warrants in and around Valley City.
A warrant issued in Barnes County is good anywhere in North Dakota, 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 Barnes County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 150 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Valley City arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Valley City 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 Barnes County Sheriff's Office, held about 4 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at barnescounty.us/index.php/sheriffs-office, phone 701-845-8530. The Valley City inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Valley City on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Valley City
Whether a warrant is out from Valley City shows in two places:
- North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry, the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The State's Attorney, phone 701-845-8526, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Barnes 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 Valley City
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Valley City that means appearing before the Barnes County District Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of District Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at ndcourts.gov, phone 701-845-8526.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Valley City?
Not from the Barnes County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota 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 Clerk of District Court.
Who serves warrants in Valley City?
The agency that reports for Valley City inside the city and the Barnes County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an North Dakota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Valley City held?
At the county jail, run by the Barnes County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Valley City 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 Clerk of District Court.
Is this the official Valley City 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.