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 October 4, 2026.
Union County, South Dakota, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Union County comes from a judge of the Circuit Court for Union 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: Union County public records, Union County arrest records, Union County inmate search, Union County criminal records, Union County court records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Union County
In South Dakota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Union County that means the Circuit Court for Union 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 dakotaathome.sd.gov/search/a8ac8af5-881e-580b-8fa8-4a6d98d763ac (page title: Union County Clerk of Courts | South Dakota Unified Judicial System | Clerk of Courts), phone 605-356-2132, 209 E. Main Street, Suite 230, Elk Point, SD 57025, 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 Union County
The Union County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for North Sioux City, Beresford, Elk Point and Jefferson serve warrants in Union County.
A warrant issued in Union 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 four agencies in Union County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 323 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Union County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Union 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 Union County Sheriff's Office, held about 35 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at unioncountysd.gov/unioncountysdsheriff/inmates. The Union County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Union 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 Union County
Whether a warrant is out from Union County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of Courts at 605-356-2132, 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) 356-2666, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Union 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.
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 Union County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Union County starts with the Clerk of Courts at 605-356-2132: 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 unioncountysd.gov, phone (605) 356-2666.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Union County?
Not from the Union 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 605-356-2132.
Who serves warrants in Union County?
The Union 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 Union County held?
At the county jail, run by the Union County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Union 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 605-356-2132.
Is this the official Union 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.