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 on September 24, 2026.
McKinley County, New Mexico, has about 69,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for McKinley County comes from a judge of the District Court for McKinley County or the Magistrate 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: McKinley County public records, McKinley County arrest records, McKinley County inmate search, McKinley County criminal records, McKinley County court records, New Mexico arrest records and New Mexico inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in McKinley County
In New Mexico an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For McKinley County that means the District Court for McKinley County, which hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, probate and juvenile matters; the Magistrate Court issues its own warrants on the cases before it. 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 the District Court.
For McKinley County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at co.mckinley.nm.us/190/County-Clerk (page title: County Clerk | McKinley County, NM), phone 505-863-6866, 207 West Hill Ave Gallup, NM 87301, Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, New Mexico Courts Case Lookup is the New Mexico Judiciary's free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in McKinley County
The McKinley County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Gallup serve warrants in McKinley County.
A warrant issued in McKinley County is good anywhere in New Mexico, 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 McKinley County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,776 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in McKinley County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from McKinley 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 McKinley County Sheriff's Office, held about 130 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at co.mckinley.nm.us/165/Sheriffs-Office, phone 505-863-1410. The McKinley County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in McKinley 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 McKinley County
Whether a warrant is out from McKinley County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of the District Court at 505-863-6866, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- New Mexico Courts Case Lookup, the New Mexico Judiciary's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The District Attorney, phone (505) 863-1400, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the McKinley 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 Mexico Department of Public Safety is not open to the public in New Mexico, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from McKinley County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from McKinley County starts with the Clerk of the District Court at 505-863-6866: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A missed date in a case before the Magistrate Court is handled by that court, not by the District Court for McKinley County.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at gallupnm.gov/146/City-Attorney, phone (505) 863-1400.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in McKinley County?
Not from the McKinley County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. New Mexico Courts Case Lookup is the New Mexico Judiciary's 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 the District Court at 505-863-6866.
Who serves warrants in McKinley County?
The McKinley County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an New Mexico warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in McKinley County held?
At the county jail, run by the McKinley County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from McKinley 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 the District Court at 505-863-6866.
Is this the official McKinley 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.