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 23, 2026.
Putnam County, Ohio, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Putnam County comes from a judge of the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas or the Municipal and County Courts, 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: Putnam County public records, Putnam County arrest records, Putnam County criminal records, Putnam County court records, Putnam County police reports, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Putnam County
In Ohio an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Putnam County that means the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas, which hears felonies, civil cases over $15,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters, each in its own division; the Municipal and County Courts issue their own warrants on the cases before them.
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 Courts keeps that file.
For Putnam County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at putnamcountyohio.gov/courts/municipal-court (page title: Municipal Court | Putnam County Ohio), phone 419.523.3110, 245 E. Main St, Ottawa, OH 45875, Monday: 8:30am - 4:30pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026. That page belongs to a lower court, the Municipal and County Courts, not to the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas.
Ohio has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Putnam County
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Ottawa, Leipsic, Columbus Grove, Kalida, Pandora, Continental and two more cities serve warrants in Putnam County.
A warrant issued in Putnam County is good anywhere in Ohio, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Together, the six agencies in Putnam County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,662 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Putnam County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Putnam 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 Putnam County Sheriff's Office, held about 25 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
A person arrested in Putnam 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 Putnam County
Whether a warrant is out from Putnam County shows in two places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of Courts at 419.523.3110, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The Prosecuting Attorney, phone 419.523.3600, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Putnam County pages SearchSystems verified (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 Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is not open to the public in Ohio, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from Putnam County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Putnam County that means appearing before the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas or the Municipal and County Courts, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of Courts.
A missed date in a case before the Municipal and County Courts is handled by that court, not by the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at putnamcountyohio.gov, phone 419.523.3600.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Putnam County?
Not from the Putnam County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Clerk of Courts at 419.523.3110.
Who serves warrants in Putnam County?
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Ohio warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Putnam County held?
At the county jail, run by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Putnam 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 Courts at 419.523.3110.
Is this the official Putnam 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.