Search Arkansas Bench Warrants
Arkansas bench warrants are court orders issued when a person does not show up for a required hearing. Search Arkansas bench warrants through Circuit Clerks, Sheriff offices, and the statewide Search ARCourts portal. Each of the 75 counties keeps its own warrant data, and many sheriff offices post active warrant lists online. You can look up a name, case number, or charge. Most basic case details are free to view. This page maps out the main tools to find Arkansas bench warrants across the state.
Arkansas Bench Warrants Overview
Where to Find Arkansas Bench Warrants
Arkansas bench warrants live in two main places. The Circuit Clerk of each county keeps the court file. The county Sheriff holds the warrant for service and posts active lists on the office website. Both sources show active bench warrants, but each has its own format. The Clerk has the court docket and case number. The Sheriff often has the bond amount and charge details. You can also check the statewide portal for most participating courts.
The state's main public search tool is Search ARCourts, run by the Administrative Office of the Courts. This portal uses the Contexte Case Management System. You can look up cases by party name or case number. Basic case data shows the parties, the judge, filings, charges, hearings, and any judgments or bench warrants on file. All Circuit Courts supply case data through the system as required by Administrative Order 8. Many District Courts also post records there. Some older records may not be online.
Learn more at the Arkansas Circuit Courts page and the Arkansas District Courts page. Both pages list contact data, court rules, and links to the right court for each county.
The Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 19 sets the rules for public access to court records. Most bench warrant data is public. The rule lists some items that stay off-limits, such as social security numbers and juvenile data.
Note: For the full file on an Arkansas bench warrant, contact the Circuit Clerk in the county of the case. For service status, ask the Sheriff in that same county.
How to Search Arkansas Bench Warrants
You have a few ways to run a bench warrant search in Arkansas. Most are free. Some need a small fee for a certified copy or a full background check. Pick the path that fits your need.
Start with the Search ARCourts portal. Type a full name or a case number. The site returns a list of matches. Click a case to see the charges, hearings, and any bench warrant on the docket. The system works for most Circuit Courts and a growing number of District Courts. Records before the court joined the system may not show up. Results do not always include the warrant document itself. For a copy, call the Circuit Clerk who holds the case file.
Each county Sheriff also runs its own search tool. Many post an active warrant list on the office site. For example, the Baxter County Sheriff and the Boone County Sheriff post searchable lists that include warrant date, bond amount, and charges like "Failure to Appear" or "Contempt of Court." These lists are updated often, in some counties daily.
To get the most out of Search ARCourts, you may need:
- Full name of the person on the warrant
- County of the case, if known
- Rough date or year of the warrant
- A case number (speeds things up)
In-person visits work too. Go to the Circuit Clerk or the Sheriff in the right county. Bring photo ID. The Clerk can pull the case and make copies. The Sheriff can check warrant status. Some counties, like Bradley and Ashley, have public access terminals at the courthouse for self-service lookups. Fees range from $0.20 to $1.00 per page, with $5 for a certified copy in most counties.
For a full name-based criminal check, use the Arkansas State Police Online Criminal Background Check System. A name check costs $22. This pulls state arrest and conviction data, plus any pending felony arrests. It does not pull every local bench warrant. For that, you still need the Clerk or Sheriff in the right county.
Types of Arkansas Bench Warrants
Arkansas courts issue a few kinds of warrants. The most common is the bench warrant. This is a judge-issued order for arrest when a person skips a court date. A typical example is a missed arraignment, plea, or trial setting. The warrant tells any peace officer in the state to bring the person to court. Arkansas Rule of Criminal Procedure 6.3 governs how these are issued.
Arrest warrants differ from bench warrants. An arrest warrant starts a case based on sworn probable cause. A bench warrant comes later in a case, after a missed hearing. Both go to the Sheriff for service. Both appear in court records. Both can be found through the same tools.
A bench warrant in Arkansas is tied to the underlying case. The charges can range from a small traffic issue to a felony. Failure to appear can also add a new charge. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 5-54-120, failure to appear on a felony is a Class D felony. On a misdemeanor, it is a Class A misdemeanor. Bail jumping is a related crime under §§ 5-54-121 and 5-54-122.
A bench warrant case file in Arkansas may hold:
- Full legal name and date of birth of the person
- Physical description and last known address
- Case number and date the warrant was issued
- Charge or reason for the warrant
- Bond amount set by the judge
- Name of the judge who signed it
- Service notes from the Sheriff
Most of this is public. Some items get redacted under Administrative Order 19. SSNs, driver's license numbers, and juvenile data are kept off public files.
Arkansas Bench Warrant Laws and Rules
The Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure set the rules for how bench warrants work. Rule 6.3 covers warrants for failure to appear. A judge may issue the warrant on the spot when a person skips court. Rule 7 covers warrant issuance in general. It requires probable cause backed by oath or affirmation for arrest warrants.
Bench warrants in Arkansas do not expire. They stay active until served, recalled by the court, or the person is deceased. That means a warrant from years ago can still be used today. This is why it pays to check for any open warrant even on old cases. A warrant can turn up during a routine traffic stop or a job background check.
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, at Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101 and following, gives the public a right to see most court records. Any citizen of Arkansas can request public records. The law lets you ask in person, by phone, by mail, or online. You do not need a reason. The agency has to respond right away or within three working days if the record is in active use. The Attorney General's FOIA Hotline at 1-800-482-8982 helps if you run into trouble.
Court records access is also shaped by Administrative Order No. 19. This order covers access to court records held by judicial branch offices. It names items that stay off public view, such as sealed cases, juvenile records under § 9-27-309, and some personal identifiers. If a record is sealed, the file will show that an item was redacted, but the content stays private.
No Statute of Limitations: An Arkansas bench warrant stays open until it is served, the court recalls it, or the subject dies. There is no expiration date under state law.
Amendment 80 to the Arkansas Constitution, in effect since 2001, did away with the old split between law and equity courts. All state trial matters now run through Circuit Courts, which have five divisions: criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and juvenile. All Arkansas bench warrants on felony cases come out of Circuit Court. District Courts handle bench warrants on misdemeanors, traffic, and small claims up to $5,000. Preliminary felony matters can also start in District Court. You can read more on the state's circuit court page.
Bench Warrant Fees in Arkansas
Search costs vary by county. A basic online search on Search ARCourts is free. So is a look at a Sheriff's online warrant list. Fees kick in when you want a copy of the court file or a certified document.
Circuit Clerks in most counties charge about $0.20 to $0.25 per page for plain copies. Certified copies are $5.00 per document, plus per-page charges. Faxed records run about $1.00 per page. For example, Boone County charges $0.25 per page with a $5 certification fee, while Ashley County charges $0.20 per page and $1.00 for faxed records.
For a name-based state criminal check, the Arkansas State Police CBC charges $22.00 per request, or $11.00 for a volunteer position check. A national FBI fingerprint check costs $13.00. All online requests go through the Information Network of Arkansas, which has a $75 annual registration fee. Mail-in requests use form ASP-122 with a $25.00 check or money order sent to the Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau in Little Rock.
A full case file copy can add up if the file is long. Bench warrant matters on felony cases can have hundreds of pages. Call the Clerk first to ask for a page count and total cost before you send a check. Most Clerks accept cash, check, or money order. Some now take credit cards.
Tip: If you only need to see if a person has an open bench warrant, the Sheriff's online list and the Search ARCourts portal are usually enough. Save the full copy fees for when you need proof on paper.
How to Clear an Arkansas Bench Warrant
You cannot ignore a bench warrant. It does not go away on its own. The fastest way to resolve one is through the court that issued it. Most people work with an attorney to file a motion to quash or to recall the warrant. The court may set a bond hearing or re-set the missed court date.
Arkansas has an e-filing system called eFlex. Attorneys and self-represented parties can file motions online for most participating courts. A motion to quash a bench warrant, a motion to set bond, or a motion to reset a hearing can all go through eFlex. You need to register with the Arkansas Judiciary eFiling system first. The Administrative Office of the Courts runs the help desk.
Voluntary surrender is an option in many counties. You can walk into the Sheriff's office, show ID, and turn yourself in. Bradley County and a few others list voluntary surrender steps on the office website. Doing this can help at bond hearings and may show the court you acted in good faith. Still, talk to a lawyer first when you can.
If the warrant is a mistake, the Clerk can often fix it fast. A warrant may issue by mistake when the court sends notice to the wrong address or a hearing was reset late. Bring proof of the address or the reset order, and ask the Clerk to bring it to the judge. Some courts recall the warrant on a showing of good cause.
How to Get Copies of Arkansas Bench Warrant Records
To get a copy of an Arkansas bench warrant record, contact the Circuit Clerk in the county that holds the case. You can visit, call, or in some counties mail in a request. The Clerk can pull the case by name or by case number. Plain copies cost less than certified copies. Certified copies carry the court seal and work for other agencies or for immigration use.
You can also check case details online at Search ARCourts. The site shows party names, case status, hearings, and docket entries, including any bench warrant filed. Full document images are not always loaded, and older files may not be there. For the actual warrant document, the Clerk is the right source.
Some Clerks will take a mail request. Send a letter with the case details, a check or money order for fees, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Response time runs from a few days to a few weeks. In-person requests are often same day if the file is on hand. Busy courts may need an extra day or two to pull older files from storage.
For a quick check on wanted persons from state correctional facilities, see the Arkansas Department of Correction Escapee List. This list covers escaped inmates and parole violators with active warrants out for their arrest. You can also use VINELink to track custody status changes for offenders in Arkansas.
Legal Help for Arkansas Bench Warrants
Several groups offer legal help on bench warrant matters in Arkansas. Legal Aid of Arkansas serves low-income residents with free civil legal help. Their hotline is 1-800-9-LAW-AID. The Arkansas Judiciary Self-Help page has court forms, guides, and links to legal aid groups.
The Association of Arkansas Counties at arcounties.org lists contact data for county officials in all 75 counties. That is the best starting point to find the right Circuit Clerk, Sheriff, or County Clerk for a bench warrant search. The Arkansas Crime Information Center supports law enforcement with criminal data but does not do public background checks; those go through the Arkansas State Police.
If you run into trouble getting a public record, the Arkansas Attorney General's FOIA Hotline at 1-800-482-8982 offers free help. The Attorney General opinions page has guidance on how FOIA and Administrative Order 19 apply to court records, including bench warrant data.
Are Arkansas Bench Warrants Public
Yes. Most Arkansas bench warrants are public under the state Freedom of Information Act and Administrative Order No. 19. You do not need to be a party to the case. You do not need to give a reason. You can search by name at the Circuit Clerk or on Search ARCourts. Sheriffs post active lists in many counties. This keeps the public informed and helps people check their own status.
Some items in a bench warrant file are redacted. Social security numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth in some cases, medical data, and personal financial data come out before the record goes public. Juvenile records under § 9-27-309 are not open. Sealed cases under court order also stay out of public view. Records made before January 1, 2009, may or may not be redacted; the Clerk decides on a case by case basis under Order 19.
Most Arkansas bench warrants are open records. Some personal details are redacted for privacy and safety under state rules.
Browse Arkansas Bench Warrants by County
Each of Arkansas's 75 counties keeps its own bench warrant records. Pick a county below to find local Circuit Clerk and Sheriff info, warrant search tools, and related resources.
Bench Warrants in Major Arkansas Cities
Residents of major cities go to the Circuit or District Court in their county to check on bench warrants. Pick a city below to find out which courts and agencies handle warrant records for that area.