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.
Northampton County, Pennsylvania, has about 323,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Northampton County comes from a judge of the Northampton 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: Northampton County public records, Northampton County arrest records, Northampton County inmate search, Northampton County police reports, Northampton County property records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Northampton County
In Pennsylvania an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Northampton County that means the Northampton 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 Northampton County
The Northampton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Bethlehem (township), Bethlehem, Easton, Northampton, Wilson, Hellertown and ten more cities serve warrants in Northampton County.
The FBI's agency list also places one other agency, three campus police departments, three state agencies and one state police unit in Northampton County (the arrest records guide names each one); each serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Northampton 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 25 agencies in Northampton County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 5,473 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Northampton County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Northampton 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 Northampton County Sheriff's Office, held about 570 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at norcopa.gov/sheriffs-department, phone (610) 829-6501. The Northampton County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Northampton 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 Northampton County
Whether a warrant is out from Northampton County 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) 829-6630, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Northampton County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff'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.
Clearing a Warrant from Northampton County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Northampton County that means appearing before the Northampton 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 Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at norcopa.gov/district-attorney, phone (610) 829-6630.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Northampton County?
Not from the Northampton 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 Northampton County?
The Northampton 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 Northampton County held?
At the county jail, run by the Northampton County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Northampton 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.
Is this the official Northampton 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.