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 October 4, 2026.
McLean County, North Dakota, has about 9,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for McLean County comes from a judge of the McLean 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: McLean County public records, McLean County arrest records, McLean County inmate search, McLean County criminal records, McLean County court records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in McLean County
In North Dakota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For McLean County that means the McLean 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.
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 Clerk of District Court keeps that file.
For McLean County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at ndcourts.gov/court-locations/mclean-county (page title: North Dakota Court System | McLean County), phone 701-462-8541, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in McLean County
The McLean County Sheriff's Office serves warrants in McLean County.
The agency that serves a warrant from McLean County is whichever one finds the person; an North Dakota warrant is valid across North Dakota.
The McLean County Sheriff's Office reported 252 arrests to the FBI for 2025; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in McLean County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from McLean 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 McLean County Sheriff's Office, held about 30 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at mcleancountynd.gov/departments/sheriffs-office, phone (701) 462-8103. The McLean County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in McLean 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 McLean County
Whether a warrant is out from McLean County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of District Court at 701-462-8541, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- 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) 462-8832, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the McLean County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court'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 McLean County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from McLean County that means appearing before the McLean 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 mcleancountynd.gov, phone (701) 462-8832.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in McLean County?
Not from the McLean 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 file is the record of a warrant: ask the Clerk of District Court at 701-462-8541.
Who serves warrants in McLean County?
The McLean County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an North Dakota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in McLean County held?
At the county jail, run by the McLean County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from McLean 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 Clerk of District Court at 701-462-8541.
Is this the official McLean 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.