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 October 4, 2026.
Franklin County, Pennsylvania, has about 159,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Franklin County comes from a judge of the Franklin 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: Franklin County public records, Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County inmate search, Franklin County criminal records, Franklin County court records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Franklin County
In Pennsylvania an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Franklin County that means the Franklin 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.
For Franklin County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at franklincountypa.gov/departments/clerk-of-courts (page title: Clerk of Courts -Franklin County), phone 717-261-3805, 14 North Main Street Chambersburg, PA 17201, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
Who Serves Warrants in Franklin County
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Chambersburg, Waynesboro, Greencastle and Mercersburg serve warrants in Franklin County.
The FBI's agency list also places four state agencies, one campus police department, three other agencies and one state police unit in Franklin County (the arrest records guide names each one); each serves warrants on its own ground.
The Shippensburg Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Franklin County, so its arrests are not broken out for Franklin County here.
The agency that serves a warrant from Franklin County is whichever one finds the person; a Pennsylvania warrant is valid across Pennsylvania.
Together, the six agencies in Franklin County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,244 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Franklin County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Franklin 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 Franklin County Sheriff's Office, held about 240 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at franklincountypa.gov/departments/jail, phone 717-264-9513. The Franklin County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Franklin 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 Franklin County
The places to check for a warrant from Franklin County:
- The court file of the case, through the Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases at 717-261-3805, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- UJS Web Portal, the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The District Attorney, phone 717-261-3827, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Franklin County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court'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 Franklin County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Franklin County that means appearing before the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas or the Magisterial District Courts, with the case put back on the calendar through the Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases.
A missed date in a case before the Magisterial District Courts is handled by that court, not by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at franklincountypa.gov, phone 717-261-3827.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Franklin County?
Not from the Franklin 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 file is the record of a warrant: ask the Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases at 717-261-3805.
Who serves warrants in Franklin County?
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; a Pennsylvania warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Franklin County held?
At the county jail, run by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Franklin 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 Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases at 717-261-3805.
Is this the official Franklin 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.