Out of State Warrant: How to find out if you have one

More than likely if a warrant is issued for you in another state because you lived there, worked there or have had some type of substantial contact with the state or some of the state’s residents. Keeping that thought in mind it makes it easier to find out-of-state warrants. There are online services that will allow you to search for warrants and even though the searches are reasonably priced, most people have no desire to search all fifty states regularly to find out if a warrant is issued for them. However, when you narrow down the list of states to be searched then it becomes easier, less expensive and less time-consuming to complete your search.

Leveraging Technology to Find Warrants

Today with advanced technology providing all types of information at our fingertips, it is very easy to find out if you have an out of state warrant. The first step is to choose one of the online services that provide background searches. Once you have chosen the service, decide which states you want to search and then input your information. Your results should be available in less than two minutes for each state that you searched. It may cost you a little bit of money but the investment is usually deemed worth it in light of the chances of finding out the hard way that you have an outstanding out-of-state warrant. Most people would agree that they would prefer to find out about pending warrants in the comforts of their living rooms, dens or offices rather than at a routine traffic stop for a burnt-out tail light.

The Traditional Method: Dial and Ask

If you are not tech savvy or do not want to spend the money to do the online searches, you can always let your fingers do the walking and your gift of gab do the talking. In other words, you can call the respective courthouses and ask if you have outstanding warrants. This method is not always effective because you may call one county courthouse but the warrant could be from the municipal court instead of the circuit court. Also, remember that some cities are situated in two different counties, so if you committed a crime in Carson City and one section of Carson City is in Penn County. Another section is in Dunn County you are going to have a problem still if you only called Penn County and your warrant is from the Dunn County judge.

Direct Courthouse Inquiry

the last method you might want to employ is actually going to the Courthouses and police stations to inquire as to whether you have a warrant. This method is only effective if you suspect that you have an out-of-state warrant in a nearby state because it is just not practical or economical to drive to three or more different states to ask the clerks if there is an arrest warrant for you. You also run the risk of being stopped and arrested before you can obtain the information. It is so much better to willingly turn yourself in than to be brought in by the police in handcuffs.