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.
Butte County, South Dakota, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Butte County comes from a judge of the Circuit Court for Butte 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: Butte County public records, Butte County arrest records, Butte County inmate search, Butte County criminal records, Butte County court records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Butte County
In South Dakota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Butte County that means the Circuit Court for Butte County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with magistrate judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
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 Clerk of Courts.
For Butte County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at dakotaathome.sd.gov/search/f45278a2-1fd4-528f-bf30-cea718cadf6f (page title: Butte County Clerk of Courts | South Dakota Unified Judicial System | Clerk of Courts), phone 605-892-2516, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, UJS Public Access Record Search is the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name.
Who Serves Warrants in Butte County
The Butte County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Belle Fourche serve warrants in Butte County.
A warrant issued in Butte 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 Butte County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 153 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Butte County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Butte 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 Butte County Sheriff's Office, held about 12 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at buttesd.gov/sheriff, phone (605) 892-2737. The Butte County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Butte 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 Butte County
Whether a warrant is out from Butte County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of Courts at 605-892-2516, 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) 892-3337, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Butte County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, 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 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 Butte County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Butte County starts with the Clerk of Courts at 605-892-2516: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at buttesd.gov/attorney, phone (605) 892-3337.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Butte County?
Not from the Butte County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant 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 605-892-2516.
Who serves warrants in Butte County?
The Butte County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an South Dakota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Butte County held?
At the county jail, run by the Butte County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Butte 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 605-892-2516.
Is this the official Butte 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.