How to Check for an Outstanding West Virginia Warrant

Attorney Answer

You can find out — but check through the court clerk or through a lawyer, not by walking into a police station or a sheriff's office. That is where warrants get served.

There is no single statewide lookup that reliably answers this question, and no West Virginia statute sets a procedure for a person to check on themselves. What matters practically is which of the two kinds you might have. An arrest warrant is issued on a new charge, usually on a sworn complaint. A bench warrant is issued by a judge when someone misses a court date or fails to comply with an order. Both stay active until the issuing court recalls them. Neither expires on its own, and neither goes away because time passed or because you moved. Most are entered in state and national law enforcement databases, which means an ordinary traffic stop in another state can turn into an arrest.

What you can do

1. Make a list of every West Virginia county where you have had a citation, a charge, an unpaid fine, or a missed court date — including cases you believe were resolved. 2. Call the magistrate court clerk's office in each of those counties. Give your name and date of birth and ask whether there is an active warrant and, if so, the case number and the issuing judge. 3. Also check the circuit clerk in the same counties, which handles felony matters and bench warrants out of circuit cases, and check the municipal court if the original citation came from a city officer. 4. Search the West Virginia Judiciary's public case search for cases filed in your name, which will often surface the underlying case even where the warrant itself is not listed. 5. Better than any of the above: hire a West Virginia criminal defense attorney to check for you. A lawyer can look without you appearing anywhere, and without putting your current location in front of the agency that would serve the warrant. 6. If a warrant exists, do not simply show up at the courthouse. Have the lawyer arrange a surrender time and, where the court allows it, a bond set in advance, so you are not held over a weekend. 7. If you are living outside West Virginia, get the West Virginia lawyer involved before you drive into the state, and do not assume distance protects you — warrants entered in national databases follow you. 8. Once you know, update your mailing address with the court in writing. Missed notice is one of the most common reasons a bench warrant issues in the first place.