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 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
Reading, Pennsylvania, in Berks County, has about 96,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Reading comes from a judge of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas or the Magisterial District 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: Reading public records, Berks County warrants, Reading arrest records, Reading inmate search, Reading property records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Reading
In Pennsylvania an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Reading that means the Berks County Court of Common Pleas, which hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, estates and juvenile matters; the Magisterial District Courts issue their own warrants on the cases before them.
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 Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases.
Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
Who Serves Warrants in Reading
The Berks County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Reading (filed by the FBI as Reading Police Department) serve warrants in and around Reading.
The FBI's agency list also places two other agencies, two campus police departments, three state agencies and one state police unit in Berks County (the arrest records guide names each one); each serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Berks County is good anywhere in Pennsylvania, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Together, the 24 agencies in Berks County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,758 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Reading arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Reading 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 Berks County Sheriff's Office, held about 720 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at berkspa.gov/departments/jail-system/inmate-services. The Reading inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Reading on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Reading
Whether a warrant is out from Reading shows in two places:
- UJS Web Portal, the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The District Attorney, phone 610-478-6000, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Berks County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the prosecutor's and the records request page) 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 Reading
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Reading starts with the Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases: 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 Magisterial District Courts is handled by that court, not by the Berks County Court of Common Pleas.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at berkspa.gov/departments/da, phone 610-478-6000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Reading?
Not from the Berks County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket 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 Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases.
Who serves warrants in Reading?
The agency that reports for Reading inside the city and the Berks County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; a Pennsylvania warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Reading held?
At the county jail, run by the Berks County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Reading 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 Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases.
Is this the official Reading 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.