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 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Clarke County, Virginia, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Clarke County comes from a judge of the Clarke 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: Clarke County public records, Clarke County arrest records, Clarke County inmate search, Clarke County criminal records, Clarke County court records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Clarke County
In Virginia an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Clarke County that means the Clarke 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.
For Clarke County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at clarkecounty.gov/government/court-system/circuit-court (page title: Circuit Court | Clarke County, VA), phone (540) 955-5136, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Clarke County
The Clarke County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Berryville serve warrants in Clarke County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Clarke County: the Clarke County State Police (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Clarke County is whichever one finds the person; a Virginia warrant is valid across Virginia.
Together, the two agencies in Clarke County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 207 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Clarke County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Clarke 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 Clarke County Sheriff's Office, held about 44 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at clarkecounty.gov/government/sheriff-s-office, phone (540) 955-1234. The Clarke County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Clarke 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 Clarke County
Whether a warrant is out from Clarke County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Circuit Court Clerk at (540) 955-5136, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- 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 (540) 955-5120, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Clarke 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 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 Clarke County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Clarke County that means appearing before the Clarke Circuit Court or the General District Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Circuit Court Clerk.
A missed date in a case before the General District Court is handled by that court, not by the Clarke Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at clarkecounty.gov, phone (540) 955-5120.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Clarke County?
Not from the Clarke 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 file is the record of a warrant: ask the Circuit Court Clerk at (540) 955-5136.
Who serves warrants in Clarke County?
The Clarke County Sheriff's Office, 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 Clarke County held?
At the county jail, run by the Clarke County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Clarke 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 at (540) 955-5136.
Is this the official Clarke 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.