How to Check If You Have a Warrant in Arizona: 5 Ways

If you have an active warrant against you, you want to find out about it. You can check if you have a warrant in AZ by conducting an online Arizona warrant search.

You can also learn about an outstanding warrant by working with a criminal defense attorney in Arizona. The Law Offices of Brandon White can help.

Why You May Get a Warrant in Phoenix

A person may have a warrant in Arizona for several reasons. Some of the most common reasons you may have a warrant issued in your name include the following:

• You haven’t complied with a court order.
• You’ve missed a court date.
• You’ve violated probation.
• You’re in contempt of court.
• You’re behind on child support payments.
• You were called as a witness in a trial and failed to appear.
• You’re a suspect in a crime.

Having a warrant against you in Arizona is serious and should never be ignored. If you’ve conducted a warrant search in Phoenix, AZ, and have a warrant against you, a criminal defense attorney can assist you.

Types of Warrants in Arizona

Multiple types of warrants exist. The following are the most common types of active warrants in AZ.

Arizona Active Bench Warrants

When you’re scheduled to appear in court, it’s not an optional invitation — you must appear. If you fail to show up for your court date, the court can issue an active bench warrant against you.

The point of a bench warrant is to compel you to appear in court. You can go to court yourself or law enforcement can arrest you and bring you before the judge.

Arizona Arrest Warrants

Under certain circumstances, law enforcement can’t just arrest you. They must go to court and present evidence of probable cause for the judge to grant an arrest warrant.

If there is an arrest warrant under your name, officers can go to your home, workplace, or anywhere else to arrest you.

To learn if there’s an arrest warrant out for you, perform an Arizona arrest warrant search.

Arizona Search Warrants

The Constitution affords rights to U.S. citizens. One of these rights, in the Fourth Amendment, is that law enforcement cannot search your home without a valid search warrant.

For law enforcement to obtain a search warrant from the court, there must be enough evidence to indicate a probable cause. Without a search warrant, it would be illegal for law enforcement to search your home.

Arizona Fugitive Warrant

The purpose of Arizona fugitive warrants is to try to prevent someone from fleeing after committing a crime. These warrants are issued in jurisdictions different from the jurisdiction where the suspect committed the crime.

A fugitive warrant serves to deter individuals from fleeing the area; they will not be able to escape arrest by going to a different city or state.

Warrants in Arizona Excluded from an Online Public Records Search

While you can find many warrants with a search, some warrants are excluded from public records searches. Warrants that are not available online include those related to probate and mental health cases.

To know if you have a warrant in Arizona that may not appear in an online public records search, speak to a criminal defense lawyer. An attorney can determine whether there’s any warrant against you in Arizona.

How to See If You Have a Warrant in Arizona

Are you wondering how to look up warrants in Arizona? Several online services can perform a state-wide warrant search. While some involve fees, there’s no need to pay for information that’s publicly available.

Here are 5 ways to conduct a free warrant search in Arizona:

1. Online Warrant Search through the Arizona Judicial Branch

If you’re looking for an active warrant, you can search court records online.

There are numerous ways to search, including by name, birth date, or case number. This search tool shows you warrant information along with general information regarding the case.

The Arizona Judicial Branch website allows you to search 177 of the 184 Arizona state courts. If you’d like to perform a Pinal County warrant lookup, you could do so through the Arizona Judicial Branch.

Some of the courts not available through the Arizona Judicial Branch website have their records search sites.

If you want to conduct a Pima County warrant search, including Pima Consolidated Justice or Pima County Superior, this information would not be available on the Arizona Judicial Branch’s website.

Additionally, some of the county courts not available to search on the Arizona Judicial Branch website include the following.

For a warrant check in Maricopa County:

• Gilbert Municipal
• Chandler Municipal
• Maricopa Superior Court
• Paradise Valley Municipal
• Mesa Municipal
• Tempe Municipal

Arizona state-level courts include:

• Court of Appeals Division 1
• Court of Appeals Division 2
• Arizona Supreme Court

To perform a Mohave County warrant search, you can use their online search tool. And if you have a Yavapai County warrant, an online search feature is not available.

It’s important to note that just because a search comes up empty doesn’t necessarily mean there are no warrants at all. There may still be outstanding arrest warrants or bench warrants. Additionally, certain case types may not be available publicly, so they would not show up in a search.

If you believe you may have a warrant for a case in one of the courts listed, you can contact the courts directly. You should also seek assistance from a criminal defense attorney, who can obtain this information for you.

2. Call the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS)

The AZ DPS warrant check department at the Arizona Department of Public Safety is dedicated to locating warrants.

You can find out whether you have a warrant by providing your full name and date of birth. With this information, DPS should be able to tell you whether there are any outstanding warrants and if so, in what jurisdiction.

3. Call the Criminal Court Administration Information Desk

Another way you can search for warrants is by calling the Maricopa County criminal court information desk to conduct a warrant check in Arizona. When you provide your full name and date of birth, they can search and inform you if you have an outstanding felony warrant.

The warrant hotline phone number in Arizona is (602) 506-8575.  

4. Contact Local Law Enforcement

While in many cases this should not be your first method, you can contact local law enforcement directly to inquire about outstanding warrants.

Speaking to law enforcement in person is also an option. However, if you have active warrants against you, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting arrested on the spot.

There are also private sites that search police records, but those come at a cost. To check warrants in Arizona for free, you can search police records online on the local law enforcement website or court websites.

Before contacting law enforcement directly, you should speak to a criminal defense lawyer. An attorney can perform an MCSO warrants search.

5. Work with an Arizona Criminal Defense Attorney

If you want to conduct an active warrant search in Arizona, a criminal defense attorney is your best bet. A skilled lawyer can conduct a warrant search and manage your case.

The criminal defense attorneys at The Law Offices of Brandon White have extensive experience with all types of warrants in Arizona. They can determine whether you have an outstanding warrant and how best to handle your situation to work toward a fair outcome.

What to Do If You Discover that You Have a Warrant for Your Arrest

If you discover you have an outstanding warrant, it’s normal to become stressed and overwhelmed. If you conduct a warrant search in Arizona and learn you have an active warrant, you should do the following:

• Speak to a criminal defense attorney as soon as you find out about your warrant.
• Don’t attempt to run away — it could backfire and negatively affect your case.
• Don’t turn yourself in right away.
• Don’t ignore the warrant — it won’t go away on its own.

Once you know there’s an active warrant for your arrest, you should start by getting as much information as you can about the warrant and the case. The more information you have, the better, and the quicker your criminal defense lawyer can start the next steps.

If you discover you have a warrant against you, contact the criminal defense legal team at The Law Offices of Brandon White. We can review the details of your warrant and criminal case to provide you with legal options.

Our criminal defense lawyers will use their knowledge and resources to handle your warrant and put you in the most favorable position.