How to Check for a Clark County Warrant
Clark County has no official public online portal where anyone can type a name and get a live list of active warrants. That gap is common across Washington. Warrant status lives in court case files, in the docket the clerk maintains, and in law-enforcement systems that are not open to general public queries. Still, there are real steps you can take through official channels to find out whether a warrant exists.
The most reliable method is to contact the court that would have issued the warrant. For felony matters, that is Clark County Superior Court. For misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and some protection-order violations, that is Clark County District Court. For city code matters in Camas and Washougal, it is the Camas-Washougal Municipal Court. Each court has access to its own docket, and staff can confirm whether an open warrant appears on a case.
- Search the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal for any Clark County Superior Court case tied to the name you are checking. A warrant may appear in the docket entries of an open case.
- If you find a case number in Odyssey, review the docket for warrant-related entries. Look for terms like "bench warrant issued," "failure to appear," or "warrant recalled."
- Call Clark County Superior Court at 564-397-2150 or the County Clerk at 564-397-2292 to ask whether a warrant is active on a specific Superior Court case.
- For District Court matters, call 564-397-2424. District Court staff can check their own docket for active warrants on misdemeanor and infraction cases.
- Contact the Clark County Sheriff's Criminal Records and Warrants Unit at 564-397-2211 during public hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The unit can direct you to the right resource.
- If you want to provide a tip on a wanted subject rather than check your own status, call 564-397-2211 and select option 3.
An attorney can run the same checks and, in some cases, has faster access to case data. Anyone who suspects a warrant is outstanding should get legal advice before appearing at a courthouse or a law-enforcement office unannounced. See the Clark County court dockets page for more on reading docket entries in Odyssey.
Why There Is No Public Online Warrant List in Clark County
Many people expect a searchable online warrant database like a jail roster. Clark County does publish a public jail roster for current inmates, but warrants work differently. A warrant is a court order, not a booking entry. Warrant data lives in secure law-enforcement systems such as the Washington Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center, both of which are restricted to law enforcement. Courts hold their own warrant entries inside each case docket, not in a separate public-facing warrant list.
The Clark County Sheriff's Criminal Records and Warrants Unit enters wanted persons, missing persons, protection orders, and stolen items into state and national criminal information databases. Those entries are visible to patrol deputies and to other law-enforcement agencies, not to the general public. This is how warrant information works across Washington, not just in Clark County. The result is that a Clark County warrant search for the public means checking court case files and contacting the right office, not querying a live database.
Some third-party websites claim to show active warrants. Those sites pull from publicly available court data, which means they may show old, already-served, or recalled warrant entries. Treat any third-party result as a lead, not a confirmed status. Always verify with the court or Sheriff before acting on that information.
Important: People who believe they have a warrant should speak with an attorney before contacting any court or law-enforcement agency, and should not rely solely on information from public or third-party websites.
The Sheriff's Criminal Records and Warrants Unit
The Clark County Sheriff's Criminal Records and Warrants Unit is the main law-enforcement office that handles warrant entry and maintenance. The unit provides 24-hour support to patrol deputies and works closely with Clark County courts and other agencies. It enters wanted persons, missing persons, protection orders, and stolen items into both the Washington Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center. When a court issues a warrant, law enforcement enters it into those systems so deputies and officers statewide can see it.
The unit also handles public records requests that go through the Sheriff's Public Disclosure Unit. If you need records that involve a warrant-related matter and those records are held by the Sheriff rather than the court, you would submit a public-records request through that office. The two channels are separate: the Criminal Records and Warrants Unit handles warrant entry and law-enforcement queries, while the Public Disclosure Unit handles public-records requests under RCW chapter 42.56.
Clark County Sheriff
Sheriff John Horch
clark.wa.gov/sheriff/criminal-records-warrants
Phone: 564-397-2211
Tip line: 564-397-2211, option 3
Public hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
The screenshot below is from the official Clark County Sheriff Criminal Records and Warrants page, which describes the unit's role in state and national database entry.
That page confirms the unit enters wanted persons into state and national databases and directs tips to option 3 on the main Sheriff line.
Types of Warrants in Clark County
Courts in Clark County issue several kinds of warrants. Each one has a different legal basis and a different process for resolution. Knowing the type matters because the path to recall or quash depends on what triggered the warrant in the first place.
- Arrest warrant - A judge signs an arrest warrant when probable cause exists that a person committed a crime. Law enforcement can arrest the person named at any time.
- Bench warrant - A judge issues a bench warrant when someone fails to appear for a scheduled court date. It can also be issued for failing to comply with a court order.
- Failure to appear warrant - Similar to a bench warrant and sometimes used as the same term, specifically tied to a missed court date on an existing case.
- Search warrant - Authorizes law enforcement to search a specific place for specific items. Search warrants are not open to public view in the same way as arrest or bench warrants.
- Fugitive warrant - Issued when a person is wanted in another jurisdiction and Clark County law enforcement is asked to hold the individual.
- No-bail warrant - A warrant that includes no bail amount, meaning the person must appear before a judge before any release can be considered.
Bench warrants are the most common type the public encounters. They arise when someone misses a court date and can be resolved only by a judge. A defendant cannot pay a fee to clear a bench warrant without appearing before the court. An attorney can often appear on behalf of a client to request recall, but the judge must issue the recall order.
What a Clark County Warrant Record Contains
When warrant information appears in a court case file or in a law-enforcement record, it typically includes a standard set of fields. The table below shows the fields that appear in Clark County warrant records, drawn from court docket data and law-enforcement database conventions used across Washington.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name / Date of Birth | Used to identify the subject of the warrant. Name searches alone are not always conclusive; date of birth helps narrow results. |
| Case Number | The court case tied to the warrant. Clark County Superior Court case numbers end in -06 to mark Clark County. |
| Warrant Type | Arrest, bench, failure to appear, search, fugitive, or no-bail. |
| Issuing Court | Superior Court, District Court, a municipal court, or an external jurisdiction. |
| Charge / Allegation | The underlying charge or the reason the warrant was issued, such as the missed court date or the criminal allegation. |
| Bond / Bail | The bail amount set, if any. A no-bail designation means no amount is listed and the person must see a judge. |
| Issue Date | The date the judge signed the warrant. |
| Status | Active, served (executed), or quashed/recalled by court order. |
| Protection Order / No-Contact Linkage | May appear when the warrant relates to a violation of a protection order or no-contact order. |
Not every field appears in every public-facing record. Court dockets may show only warrant status entries and a date. Full warrant details, including bail amount and charge description, are more likely to appear in the case file itself or in a law-enforcement record. For underlying charge and case history, the Clark County arrest records page covers what court case records and jail records include.
Bail and Bond on Clark County Warrants
Bail on a warrant means a court has set a dollar amount that, if paid, allows a person to be released from custody while the case continues. A no-bail warrant has no set amount, so release is not available until the person appears before a judge. Clark County Jail Services states that full bail amounts for all charges must be paid before a person is released from custody.
Bail can be paid at the Clark County Courthouse during regular business hours. After hours, payment is accepted at the Jail Records window. The 24-hour information line for jail matters is 564-397-4996. That line can answer questions about bail status and the payment process at any time of day.
A bail bond agent can post bail on behalf of a defendant for a fee, typically a percentage of the total bail amount. Bond agents are licensed by the state and operate independently of the court. The court and the Sheriff do not recommend specific bond agents. Once bail is posted, the defendant is released but remains obligated to appear at all future court dates. Failure to appear after bail is posted can result in a new bench warrant and forfeiture of the bail amount.
Note: Bail amounts for no-bail warrants are not set at the time of issue; only a judge can set or modify bail at a subsequent hearing.
What to Do If You Have an Outstanding Warrant
Finding out you have an outstanding warrant can be stressful. The right path depends on which court issued the warrant, what type it is, and whether bail is set. The steps below reflect what the official Clark County courts and the Sheriff's unit describe for resolving a warrant. An attorney should be consulted before you take any of these steps.
- Verify with the issuing court or an attorney. Do not rely on third-party websites. A court clerk or attorney can confirm whether a warrant is active and what case it is tied to.
- If tied to a Clark County Superior Court case, use the Odyssey Portal to find the case number, then contact the County Clerk at 564-397-2292 or speak with an attorney about next steps.
- If tied to Clark County District Court, call District Court at 564-397-2424 or review the case status. District Court handles misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and many traffic matters where bench warrants arise from missed court dates.
- If you want to provide information on a wanted subject rather than resolve your own warrant, call the Sheriff's Criminal Records and Warrants Unit at 564-397-2211 and select option 3.
- If bail is set and you are in custody, full bail amounts for all charges must be paid before release. Bail can be paid at the Clark County Courthouse during business hours or at the Jail Records window after hours. The 24-hour jail information line is 564-397-4996.
- Appear as ordered. A judge must recall or quash a bench warrant. The warrant does not go away on its own, and only a court order ends it.
- Confirm the recall is updated. After a judge recalls or quashes a warrant, verify that the change has been entered in both the court system and the law-enforcement databases. Ask the clerk for a copy of the recall order.
Important: People who believe they have an outstanding warrant should speak with an attorney before contacting any court or law-enforcement office and should not rely solely on public websites or third-party services to confirm warrant status.
Providing a Tip on a Wanted Subject
Clark County provides a direct line for the public to report information on wanted persons. The Sheriff's Criminal Records and Warrants Unit accepts tips at 564-397-2211, option 3. This line is for people who have information about someone who is wanted, not for people checking on their own warrant status.
The Sheriff's Office homepage at clark.wa.gov/sheriff lists general contact information for the department and links to the Criminal Records and Warrants Unit page. The screenshot below shows that homepage, which covers the full range of Sheriff services including warrant and criminal records functions.
Tips can help law enforcement locate wanted persons who are entered in state and national databases through the Criminal Records and Warrants Unit. The unit handles wanted-persons entries alongside missing persons, protection orders, and stolen items in those databases. If you have information about someone you believe is listed as a wanted person, the tip line is the right contact. You do not need to give your name if you choose not to.
For underlying case records tied to a wanted person, see Clark County court records or the Clark County inmate records page if the person has been booked into the jail.