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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Watertown, South Dakota, in Codington County, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Watertown comes from a judge of the Circuit Court for Codington County, 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: Watertown public records, Codington County warrants, Watertown arrest records, Watertown inmate search, Watertown criminal records, Watertown court records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Watertown
In South Dakota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Watertown that means the Circuit Court for Codington County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with magistrate judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
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.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/codington-county-co... (page title: Codington County Court Services | SD UJS), phone 605-882-5110, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026. That page belongs to a lower court, not to the Circuit Court for Codington County.
Statewide, UJS Public Access Record Search is the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name.
Who Serves Warrants in Watertown
The Codington County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Watertown (filed by the FBI as Watertown Police Department) serve warrants in and around Watertown.
A warrant issued in Codington County is good anywhere in South Dakota, 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 Codington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,490 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Watertown arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Watertown 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 Codington County Sheriff's Office, held about 64 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at codington.sdcounty.gov/sheriff. The Watertown inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Watertown on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Watertown
The places to check for a warrant from Watertown:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of Courts at 605-882-5110, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- UJS Public Access Record Search, the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The State's Attorney, phone (605)882-6276, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The page of the Codington County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified at codington.sdcounty.gov/sheriff, which is a warrant or wanted list.
The statewide criminal history kept by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is not open to the public in South Dakota, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from Watertown
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Watertown that means appearing before the Circuit Court for Codington County, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of Courts.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at codington.sdcounty.gov/states-attorney, phone (605)882-6276.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Watertown?
Yes, in part: the page of the Codington County Sheriff's Office at codington.sdcounty.gov/sheriff is a warrant or wanted list. UJS Public Access Record Search is the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name, 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 Courts at 605-882-5110.
Who serves warrants in Watertown?
The agency that reports for Watertown inside the city and the Codington County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an South Dakota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Watertown held?
At the county jail, run by the Codington County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Watertown 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 605-882-5110.
Is this the official Watertown 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.