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. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 24, 2026.
Putnam County, West Virginia, has about 57,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Putnam County comes from a judge of the Putnam County Circuit Court or the Magistrate 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: Putnam County public records, Putnam County arrest records, Putnam County inmate search, Putnam County criminal records, Putnam County court records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Putnam County
In West Virginia an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Putnam County that means the Putnam County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, the larger civil cases and juvenile matters; the Magistrate Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $10,000, 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.
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 Clerk keeps that file.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/putnam_county (page title: Putnam County Information | West Virginia Judiciary), phone 304-586-0262, 12093, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
West Virginia has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Putnam County
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Hurricane, Winfield, Eleanor and Poca serve warrants in Putnam County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Putnam County: the Department of Natural Resources in Putnam County and the State Fire Marshal in Putnam County (state agency); the Winfield State Police (state police); each serves warrants on its own ground.
The Nitro Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Putnam County, so its arrests are not broken out for Putnam County here.
The agency that serves a warrant from Putnam County is whichever one finds the person; a West Virginia warrant is valid across West Virginia.
Together, the three agencies in Putnam County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,661 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Putnam County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Putnam County Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the regional jail that serves Putnam County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the state's inmate search is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
A person arrested in Putnam 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 Putnam County
The places to check for a warrant from Putnam County:
- The court file of the case, through the Circuit Clerk at 304-586-0262, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The Prosecuting Attorney, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Putnam County pages SearchSystems verified (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.
The statewide criminal history kept by the West Virginia State Police is not open to the public in West Virginia, so it is not a route to a warrant check on someone else.
Clearing a Warrant from Putnam County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Putnam County that means appearing before the Putnam County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Circuit Clerk.
A missed date in a case before the Magistrate Court is handled by that court, not by the Putnam County Circuit Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at putnamcountywv.gov/prosecutor/about-us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Putnam County?
Not from the Putnam County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Circuit Clerk at 304-586-0262.
Who serves warrants in Putnam County?
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; a West Virginia warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Putnam County held?
In the regional jail that serves Putnam County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
How is a warrant from Putnam 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 Clerk at 304-586-0262.
Is this the official Putnam 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.