Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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.
Roanoke County, Virginia, has about 97,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Roanoke County comes from a judge of the Roanoke 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: Roanoke County public records, Roanoke County arrest records, Roanoke County inmate search, Roanoke County criminal records, Roanoke County court records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Roanoke County
In Virginia an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Roanoke County that means the Roanoke 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 Roanoke County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at roanokecountyva.gov/447/Search-Court-Cases-Online (page title: Court Cases | Roanoke 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 Roanoke County
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Roanoke County: the Roanoke County State Police (state police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
The agency that serves a warrant from Roanoke County is whichever one finds the person; a Virginia warrant is valid across Virginia.
Each agency and what it reported is in Roanoke County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Roanoke 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 held about 700 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at inmateinquiry.roanokecountyva.gov/Roanoke. The Roanoke County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County
Whether a warrant is out from Roanoke County shows in four 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 540-387-6174, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the sheriff's office at inmateinquiry.roanokecountyva.gov/Roanoke, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Roanoke 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 Roanoke County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Roanoke 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 Roanoke Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at roanokecountyva.gov, phone 540-387-6174.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Roanoke County?
Not from the Roanoke 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 Roanoke County?
The police agency that finds the person; a Virginia warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Roanoke County held?
At the county jail, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Roanoke 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 Roanoke 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.