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.
Adams County, Washington, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Adams County comes from a judge of the Adams 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: Adams County public records, Adams County arrest records, Adams County inmate search, Adams County criminal records, Adams County court records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Adams County
In Washington an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Adams County that means the Adams 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.
For Adams County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/124.html (page title: Washington State Courts | Court Directory), phone 509-659-3271, 210 W Broadway Ave Ritzville, WA 99169-1860, 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 Adams County
The Adams County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Othello and Ritzville serve warrants in Adams County.
The agency that serves a warrant from Adams County is whichever one finds the person; a Washington warrant is valid across Washington.
Together, the three agencies in Adams County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 573 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Adams County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Adams 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 Adams County Sheriff's Office, held about 23 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at co.adams.wa.gov/182/Jail-Roster-Release-Information, phone 509-659-3331. The Adams County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Adams 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 Adams County
Whether a warrant is out from Adams County shows in four places:
- The court file of the case, through the County Clerk at 509-659-3271, 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 509-488-2064, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Adams County Sheriff's Office at co.adams.wa.gov, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Adams 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 Adams County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Adams County that means appearing before the Adams 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 Adams County Superior Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.adams.wa.gov/m/directory/department?did=8, phone 509-488-2064.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Adams County?
Not from the Adams 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 509-659-3271.
Who serves warrants in Adams County?
The Adams County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; a Washington warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Adams County held?
At the county jail, run by the Adams County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Adams 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 County Clerk at 509-659-3271.
Is this the official Adams 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.