Carry Out a Free El Paso Warrant Search (See Who’s Wanted)

Conduct a free El Paso warrant search in no time with the guidance laid out in this resource. You can use the tools below to find out information about someone in your life, learn if you have any outstanding warrants, or for whatever reason you want.

Access to warrant information is largely available under Texas’ Public Information Act. While warrant information is a public record under this law, you’ll want to know how to view or obtain it efficiently by being aware of who hosts these records.

This step-by-step resource covers the warrant search process, making an inquiry, and what to do with any information you uncover. Read on if you are looking to perform an effective search of warrant records in El Paso County, Texas.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

An Overview of Performing a Free El Paso Warrant Search

You should know some important information about warrants before you attempt to conduct your first search. You need to be aware of how this information is made available, where to find it and what you need when you go to conduct a warrant search.

There are several different warrants in El Paso (more on the various types will be detailed in a later section), and much of it is accessible to the general public through Texas’ Public Information Act.¹ However, restrictions, such as releasing confidential information or warrant data that may adversely impact an ongoing law enforcement investigation, do exist.

Sometimes, Texas’ Public Information Act exceptions are based on the type of warrant you want to access. For example, search warrants tend to be more restricted until after execution, as their premature release is highly likely to taint a criminal investigation. However, having an arrest warrant publicly available before execution can help law enforcement and safeguard the community from dangerous individuals.

You may access warrant data through various means if the data is not restricted. The quickest methods are typically searching online databases or calling the records custodian. However, you will likely get more detailed information by submitting a records request via mail or email or searching in person.

You can provide various information to obtain warrant data. However, the most helpful information is the person’s full name and the county where they live. Of course, you will need to know the county the warrant was issued from to ensure you do not waste time searching with the wrong government agency.

Other valuable information that can assist your warrant search is additional data about the person. This information may include a physical description of the person or other identifying information (e.g., date of birth). Other helpful information is anything you know about the warrant, such as the date it was issued or charges connected to it.

In addition to knowing how and what you need to conduct a warrant search, you need to know where to look. Even in the same state, one county may have a different type of record custodian than the next.

In El Paso, the record custodian for warrant information is the County Courts at Law or the District Court.^{2, 3} The District Court handles serious criminal cases (felonies), while the County Courts at law focus on misdemeanors. You may also find warrant information with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.⁴

Some cities and towns operate municipal courts that also issue warrants. This can be seen in the city of El Paso, the county’s largest city, where you can also search for warrants issued by their municipal court.

In the next section, you will take these tools and learn how you can specifically use them to conduct a search for warrant information in El Paso.

How To Tell if Someone Has a Warrant in El Paso County Texas

When you are ready to conduct a warrant search, a great option to access information quickly is to conduct an El Paso County Criminal Case Records Search. Using this tool, you will be able to access warrant information via criminal records.

To conduct a criminal case records search, you can enter the case number, the person’s name, or even their attorney. If you are conducting a name-based search there is also the option for including their date of birth along with a date range for when the criminal case was filed. Depending if you are looking for a current or past warrant, you can choose to narrow your search by the case status (open or closed) as well.

Once you get to the results page, you will see any records that match the search information you entered. Matching results will include the defendant’s name, case number, file location, status, and charges associated with the criminal record.

To view warrant information, you will need to view the complete online criminal record by clicking on the case number. In the “Events & Orders of the Court” section of the criminal record, you will see every action that occurred in a criminal case, from the application for a warrant to its final disposition. Here, you will be able to find any online information about a person’s warrant.

For additional warrant information, you will have to reach out to the specific district or county court at law that issued it.

There are several County Courts at Law that handle criminal cases in El Paso County.² You may also need to reach out to a District Court, depending on the type of criminal case.

For either court, a good starting point is to contact the El Paso District Clerk’s Office.³ You can email them at [email protected] or by calling them at 915-546-2021. You can also talk to someone in person or request an in-person search of warrant records at the address below:

El Paso District Clerk Office
500 East San Antonio Ave.
El Paso, Texas 79901

Another option for obtaining warrant information is to reach out to the El Paso Sheriff’s Office Criminal Warrants & Fugitive Apprehension Unit.⁴ You can contact them by phone at 915-546-2214 or by going to the address below:

El Paso County Detention Facility
601 E. Overland Ave., 1st Fl.
El Paso, Texas 79901

As was mentioned earlier, you can also conduct a warrant search at the municipal level in certain cities. In the city of El Paso, you can conduct a Municipal Court Online Warrant Search.⁷ To use this tool, start by clicking “Advanced search” and selecting only criminal cases.

Next, you can enter the individual’s name and, if you have it, their date of birth or driver’s license number. Lastly, you can set a case date range. The results will be highlighted in red if there are any outstanding warrants for the individual.

Next, click on the case number, and then on the far left-hand side there is an option to view all warrants. Here, you can see the type of warrants the person has, their status, issue date, number and associated bond.

For additional information, you can contact the El Paso Municipal Court. You can call them at 915-212-0000 or go to the address below:

El Paso Municipal Court
300 North Campbell St.
El Paso, Texas 79901

Some states have government agencies that maintain warrant information from every county. In Texas, this option is not available, and the broadest search you can conduct is at the county level.

Types of Warrants & What They Stand For

There are many different warrants that you may encounter when conducting a search in El Paso. Understanding what these different warrants are for and what they accomplish can be a great resource when conducting a search and reviewing your findings.

One of the most searched types is the arrest warrant. This type of warrant is issued to allow law enforcement to take someone into custody for the alleged commission of a crime. In order for a judge to issue an arrest warrant, probable cause must be established by the evidence law enforcement submits to the judge.

A blue warrant can also be used to take someone into custody for a violation of a person’s probation or parole. A bench warrant can be issued by a judge when a person fails to appear at a mandatory court hearing or otherwise violates a court order. A child support warrant may be issued for a person if they become delinquent on their court-order payments.

A capias pro fine warrant is used for a person who has a judgment entered against them, but they fail to make restitution payments in a timely manner.

A search warrant has to do with evidence and not a particular person. Upon the presentation of probable cause evidence, a search warrant allows law enforcement to look in a particular location for evidence of an identified crime.

If you see the term active warrant, this is not a different kind. It simply means that the warrant is still open and not fully executed.

How Do I Resolve a Warrant in El Paso County Texas?

While understanding how to conduct a warrant search is helpful, you still need some practical information on what you should do with any information you find in this process.

The situation where you must take action is if you discover that you have an outstanding warrant. While you may be able to resolve the warrant without having to turn yourself in (e.g., pay an overdue fine), you most likely will want to consult with a licensed criminal defense attorney to make sure. If it’s more serious, they will be able to help you understand the next steps you need to take.

If the warrant requires you to turn yourself in to law enforcement, make sure you let anyone in your family know who might try to get a hold of you. Also, if bail is an option, you will want to make sure you have everything ready to go. To prepare for posting a bond, you should also contact a bail bondsman before turning yourself in.

When you find out a person you know has an outstanding warrant, you certainly have the option to let them know. If they are not aware of the warrant, this notification may greatly assist them before the situation escalates. You can also pass along the information through another person if you want to do so anonymously.

If the outstanding warrant is for a violent or serious matter, you may want to consider bringing the information you know to law enforcement. One option would be to pass along this information to the El Paso Sheriff’s Office Criminal Warrants & Fugitive Apprehension Unit by calling them at 915-546-2214.⁴

An El Paso warrant search may uncover information you were not expecting to find; ensure you not only know how to conduct a search, but how to take appropriate action with the information you find.