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 1, 2026.
Port Townsend, Washington, in Jefferson County, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Port Townsend comes from a judge of the Jefferson County Superior Court or the 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: Port Townsend public records, Jefferson County warrants, Port Townsend arrest records, Port Townsend inmate search, Port Townsend criminal records, Port Townsend court records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Port Townsend
In Washington an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Port Townsend that means the Jefferson County Superior Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $100,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters; the District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims and civil cases up to $100,000, issues its own warrants on the cases before it. A city with a municipal court of its own issues warrants on the tickets and ordinance cases it tries.
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 County Clerk.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/276.html (page title: Washington State Courts | Court Directory), phone 360-385-9395, 1820 Jefferson St Port Townsend, WA 98368-0920, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Port Townsend
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Port Townsend (filed by the FBI as Port Townsend Police Department) serve warrants in and around Port Townsend.
A warrant issued in Jefferson County is good anywhere in Washington, 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 Jefferson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 404 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Port Townsend arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Port Townsend 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 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, held about 20 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at co.jefferson.wa.us/174/Jail-Inmate-Search, phone 360-385-3831. The Port Townsend inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Port Townsend on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Port Townsend
The places to check for a warrant from Port Townsend:
- The court file of the case, through the County Clerk at 360-385-9395, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- Washington Courts Search Case Records, the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The Prosecuting Attorney, phone 360-385-5291, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at co.jefferson.wa.us/174/Jail-Inmate-Search, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Jefferson County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's and the prosecutor's) is a list of open warrants, so a check means asking the court or the prosecutor about a case by name.
Clearing a Warrant from Port Townsend
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Port Townsend that means appearing before the Jefferson County Superior Court or the District Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the County Clerk.
A missed date in a case before the District Court is handled by that court, not by the Jefferson County Superior Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.jefferson.wa.us, phone 360-385-5291.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Port Townsend?
Not from the Jefferson County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the 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 County Clerk at 360-385-9395.
Who serves warrants in Port Townsend?
The agency that reports for Port Townsend inside the city and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; a Washington warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Port Townsend held?
At the county jail, run by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Port Townsend 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 County Clerk at 360-385-9395.
Is this the official Port Townsend website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.