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 September 24, 2026.
Northampton County, Virginia, has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Northampton County comes from a judge of the Northampton 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: Northampton County public records, Northampton County arrest records, Northampton County inmate search, Northampton County police reports, Northampton County property records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Northampton County
In Virginia an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Northampton County that means the Northampton 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.
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 Circuit Court Clerk keeps that file.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Northampton County
The Northampton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Exmore, Cape Charles and Eastville serve warrants in Northampton County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Northampton County: the Northampton County State Police (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Northampton 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 four agencies in Northampton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 108 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Northampton County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Northampton 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 Northampton County Sheriff's Office, held about 63 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at co.northampton.va.us/government/departments_elected_offices/sheriff..., phone 757-678-0460. The Northampton County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Northampton 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 Northampton County
The place to check for a warrant from Northampton County is Online Case Information System, the Virginia courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
Not one of the Northampton County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff'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 Northampton County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Northampton 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 Northampton Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Northampton County?
Not from the Northampton 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 Northampton County?
The Northampton 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 Northampton County held?
At the county jail, run by the Northampton County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Northampton 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 Northampton 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.