Maricopa County Warrant Search

A warrant search in Maricopa County, Arizona, investigates a person's wanted status, whether for committing a criminal offense or disobeying a judicial directive. Warrant searches help individuals verify their active warrant status or check that someone they know or have encountered has no outstanding legal obligations or debt. Such inquiries can be especially revealing when vetting a person for a sensitive position, such as a caregiver or nanny job, or when reviewing loan, credit, or housing applications.

Warrant searches are not the same as arrest record searches in Maricopa County. The latter looks into a person's previous contact with law enforcement authorities by examining the Maricopa County arrest records. However, it is possible to determine if a person was apprehended on a warrant in Maricopa through an arrest record check.

Are Warrants Public Records?

Yes. Warrants are public records in Maricopa County under Arizona Supreme Court Rule 123. Rule 123 governs the disclosure and maintenance of judicial records, of which warrant records are a case in point. Under the Supreme Court Rules, any member of the public can see or examine a Maricopa County warrant record. However, classified materials, data, or documents are not released to the general public.

For example, warrants issued under seal, unexecuted search warrants, special warrants, and information determined to be confidential by the Arizona Court Rules (e.g., Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, and health records) are exempt from public disclosure.

Types of Warrants in Maricopa County

Warrants are written orders from judges or magistrates that authorize a specific law enforcement action. In Maricopa County, a court can release several kinds of warrants, but the most common are bench, arrest, and search warrants. The Arizona Judiciary's Warrants page describes the state's popular warrant categories.

Do I Have a Warrant in Maricopa County?

Individuals curious about their warrant status in Maricopa County typically have the following methods to check for outstanding warrants:

• Search public records at the courthouse
• Access third-party aggregator databases
• Search law enforcement records
• Recruit an attorney or bail bonds service

Active Warrant Search in Maricopa

In the County of Maricopa, warrants originate from a court's adjudicative function, making them primarily judicial records. Accordingly, searches for warrants in the region are conducted mainly through the court system.

However, courts address warrants to law enforcement departments, the primary executors. For that reason, individuals may find active warrants by reviewing law enforcement records, which are accessible under the Arizona Public Records Law.

Arrest Warrant Search

When seeking a warrant search in Maricopa, the requester typically needs to possess a case number, name, or birth date, if known. An inquiry can be conducted as follows:

• Call or Email the Superior, Municipal, or Justice Clerk of the Court’s Office: Members of the public can contact the clerk's office (or the applicable unit/officer) of the court where a civil or criminal case is open to ask if a warrant was issued. For instance, people seeking outstanding warrants for a criminal case filed in the Maricopa County Superior Court can contact the Criminal Department's Information Desk.
• Access Online Court Case Information Systems: The Judicial Branch of Arizona recommends the Public Access to Court Information site to see if any Arizona court issued a warrant of arrest.

However, the site excludes several courts in Maricopa, including the Mesa Municipal Court, all local Justice of the Peace Courts, and the Maricopa Superior Court (specifically civil cases).

The unavailable Maricopa County courts maintain separate record search databases on their official websites. Examples include:

• The Maricopa County Justice Court Case History system
• The Maricopa County Superior Court's Public Access to Court Information tool
• The Mesa Municipal Court's ECourt website
• The Gilbert Municipal Court's Find a Case platform

The above court case search databases can only be used to view docket entries; these systems do not process document viewing or copying requests. To view or obtain copies of warrant records, one must submit a formal inquiry to a court clerk's office or visit the presiding courthouse during official hours.

• Search Law Enforcement Active Warrants Databases: The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office maintains Maricopa County's Most Wanted list and an online Warrant Lookup database that anyone can access by name, agency, city, or zip for outstanding warrants in Maricopa. Individuals can also check with municipal police departments.

Bench Warrant Lookup

Bench warrants are not issued because of an alleged criminal act, which is the purpose of a standard arrest warrant. However, they still demand a person's arrest. As a result, members of the public can find Maricopa County bench warrants in the same way they would any other arrest warrant issued in the county (as detailed in the previous section).

Free Warrant Search

Overall, the public has unrestricted access to warrant search databases provided by Maricopa County courts and law enforcement agencies. No fee is collected from individuals who explore these databases or inspect/print the search results. However, any inquiry to a court or police division that necessitates record duplication or copying has corresponding charges that the requester may be asked to pay.

Can You Check Warrants Online?

Yes. Multiple companies aggregate public records from official sources, like the courts, and create web applications for looking up various record categories, including warrants. These applications, commonly referred to as third-party aggregator websites, provide name and case number searches to users, and certain aspects of information can be viewed at no cost. However, any information deemed confidential by law is generally excluded from these databases, and users are cautioned against relying on any procured data as the basis for legal action.

Do Warrants Expire?

Yes, depending on the type of warrant. Arrest warrants issued in Maricopa County do not have an expiry date. They remain outstanding until the alleged suspect is taken into custody or the court approves a recall, effectively quashing (canceling) the warrant.

On the other hand, search warrants are bound to statutory limits imposed by Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-3918. Under this law, peace officers have five calendar days from the date of issue to execute a search warrant and three days from the date of execution to return it to the court. Any search warrant that passes the default five-day limit is legally void, except if the court extends the timeline. However, the extension cannot exceed five calendar days.

Furthermore, special inspection warrants (see Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 36-908, 49-433, 49-488) and administrative inspection warrants (Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 36-2541) typically have a 10-day execution timeline, the expiration of which renders the warrants void.

How to Clear a Warrant Without Going to Jail

To clear a warrant without going to jail in Maricopa County, an individual may:

• Post the bond amount set by the judge or magistrate. The warrant will be canceled once this amount is paid, and the individual [defendant] will be given a new court date (if the warrant was for missing court).
• Appear before the court during a walk-in docket (that is, make an unscheduled court appearance) or call the court clerk's office (or other designated court division) to schedule a time to appear before the judge.
• File a motion to quash the warrant. Concerned persons are advised to seek legal counsel to verify the facts of the warrant and determine whether such a motion can be filed. An attorney can also advise on other methods to address a warrant without imprisonment.

Failing to address active warrants proactively can lead to an arrest upon a police encounter. The outcome of any warrant arrest is jail time until the subject can see a judge or post bail to be released from custody (if accepted).