How to Find Out If You Have Warrants in Texas

An arrest warrant in Texas can be an unpleasant surprise, as the police might show up at your door one day or you might end up being arrested for a minor traffic stop. It's better to find out whether you have a warrant in Texas so you can deal with it up front.

Instructions

1. Review your records to see if you have any unpaid traffic fines or tickets that you might have forgotten about. An arrest warrant is only issued if you have committed a crime, violated probation, or gotten involved in some other legal matter that you did not resolve. Other than cases of identity theft, if you have no legal matters pending, you should not have any outstanding warrants.

2. Call or visit the local courthouse in the Texas city or county where you suspect there may be a warrant and ask them to conduct a search. Even if you have a warrant, you most likely won't be arrested unless it is for a very serious crime. If you're not sure of the location where the warrant might exist, you will need to visit all of the possible courthouses in the relevant locations.

3. Subscribe to an online public records database (see Resources). This is much easier than calling or visiting multiple courthouses all over the state of Texas and it eliminates any risk of arrest because searches are confidential. Many online providers cover all 50 states, so you will be able to tell if you have an arrest warrant anywhere in Texas or elsewhere in the country.

4. Ask any police officer to do a warrant search for you. While this step is quick and free, it should be your last resort. If the officer checks his database and finds that you do have a warrant, he will likely arrest you. If you use this step, be prepared for the risk.

Tips & Warnings

• If you suspect that you might have an arrest warrant in Texas and you are still living in the state, you may not have to do anything to find out if your suspicion is true. If you simply wait, the police are likely to pay you a visit in order to arrest you. This can be unpleasant and costly, so it's better to find out about the warrant beforehand and deal with it before the police come to you.

• If you have been a victim of identity theft, you should check for arrest warrants in your name regularly. If the criminal who is using your identity is arrested, he may present himself as you and then flee before his scheduled court appearance. This could lead to an arrest warrant issued in your name.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Online public records database