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.
Arlington County, Virginia, has about 240,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Arlington County comes from a judge of the Arlington Circuit Court or the General District Court, 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: Arlington County public records, Arlington County arrest records, Arlington County inmate search, Arlington County police reports, Arlington County property records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Arlington County
In Virginia an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Arlington County that means the Arlington Circuit Court, which hears felonies, divorces, the larger civil cases and appeals from the district courts; the General District Court issues its own warrants on the cases before it.
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 Circuit Court Clerk.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Arlington County
The Arlington County Police Department serves warrants in Arlington County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Arlington County: Reagan National Airport (other agency); the Arlington County State Police (state police); each serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Arlington County is good anywhere in Virginia, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
The Arlington County Police Department reported 3,611 arrests to the FBI for 2025; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Arlington County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Arlington 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 Arlington County Police Department, held about 330 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at inmatewebquery.arlingtonva.us/NewWorld.InmateInquiry/VA0070000. The Arlington County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Arlington 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 Arlington County
Whether a warrant is out from Arlington County shows in three places:
- Online Case Information System, the Virginia courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The Commonwealth's Attorney, phone 703-228-4410, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Arlington County Police Department at inmatewebquery.arlingtonva.us, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Arlington County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff'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 Virginia State Police is not open to the public in Virginia, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from Arlington County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Arlington County starts with the Circuit Court Clerk: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A missed date in a case before the General District Court is handled by that court, not by the Arlington Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at arlingtonva.us, phone 703-228-4410.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Arlington County?
Not from the Arlington County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case 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 Circuit Court Clerk.
Who serves warrants in Arlington County?
The Arlington County Police Department, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; a Virginia warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Arlington County held?
At the county jail, run by the Arlington County Police Department, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Arlington 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 Circuit Court Clerk.
Is this the official Arlington 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.