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 9, 2026.
Hanover County, Virginia, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Hanover County comes from a judge of the Hanover 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: Hanover County public records, Hanover County arrest records, Hanover County inmate search, Hanover County criminal records, Hanover County court records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Hanover County
In Virginia an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Hanover County that means the Hanover 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.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hanovercounty.gov/622/Courts (page title: Courts | Hanover County, VA), 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 Hanover County
The Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Ashland serve warrants in Hanover County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Hanover County: the Hanover County State Police (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Hanover 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.
Together, the two agencies in Hanover County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,020 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Hanover County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Hanover 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 Hanover County Sheriff's Office, held about 400 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at hanoversheriff.com/306/Find. The Hanover County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Hanover 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 Hanover County
Whether a warrant is out from Hanover County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Circuit Court Clerk, 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 804-365-6185, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Hanover 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 Hanover County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Hanover 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 Hanover Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at hanovercounty.gov, phone 804-365-6185.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Hanover County?
Not from the Hanover 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.
Who serves warrants in Hanover County?
The Hanover 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 Hanover County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hanover County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Hanover 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 Hanover 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.