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 30, 2026.
Dover, New Hampshire, in Strafford County, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Dover comes from a judge of the Strafford County Superior Court or the 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: Dover public records, Strafford County warrants, Dover arrest records, Dover inmate search, Dover criminal records, Dover court records, New Hampshire arrest records and New Hampshire inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Dover
In New Hampshire an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Dover that means the Strafford County Superior Court, which hears felonies, civil cases tried to a jury, and appeals; the Circuit Court issues its own warrants on the cases before it.
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 each court.
For Strafford County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courts.nh.gov/your-visit/find-court/strafford-superior-court (page title: Strafford Superior Court | New Hampshire Judicial Branch), phone 855-212-1234, 259 County Farm Road, Suite 301 Dover, NH 03820, Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
New Hampshire has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Dover
The Strafford County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Dover (filed by the FBI as Dover Police Department) serve warrants in and around Dover.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Strafford County: the Strafford County State Police (state police); the University of New Hampshire (campus police); each serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Strafford County is whichever one finds the person; an New Hampshire warrant is valid across New Hampshire.
Together, the 14 agencies in Strafford County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,280 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Dover arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Dover 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 Strafford County Sheriff's Office, held about 310 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at co.strafford.nh.us/jail-home-page, phone (603) 742-3310. The Dover inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Dover on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Dover
The places to check for a warrant from Dover:
- The court file of the case, through the clerk of each court at 855-212-1234, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The County Attorney, phone (603) 749-2808, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Strafford 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.
The statewide criminal history kept by the New Hampshire State Police Criminal Records Unit is not open to the public in New Hampshire, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from Dover
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Dover that means appearing before the Strafford County Superior Court or the Circuit Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the clerk of each court.
A missed date in a case before the Circuit Court is handled by that court, not by the Strafford County Superior Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.strafford.nh.us, phone (603) 749-2808.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Dover?
Not from the Strafford County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the clerk of each court at 855-212-1234.
Who serves warrants in Dover?
The agency that reports for Dover inside the city and the Strafford County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an New Hampshire warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Dover held?
At the county jail, run by the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Dover 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 each court at 855-212-1234.
Is this the official Dover 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.