Riverside Warrant Lookup

Riverside warrant records come from the Riverside County Sheriff and the Riverside County Superior Court system. The city of Riverside has its own police department but all warrants are issued by the county court and served by local law enforcement. With a population near 315,000 people, Riverside is the county seat and the largest city in the county. You can check for active warrants by calling the Sheriff Information Services Bureau or by searching the Superior Court online portal. The Sheriff runs what they call the total Warrant Repository Bank for all of Riverside County. That means every warrant from every city in the county gets logged into their central system.

Warrant Records in Riverside County

The Information Services Bureau is the main warrant hub for all of Riverside County. Their office is at 4095 Lemon Street, 5th Floor in the city of Riverside. Call them at 951-955-2400 if you need to check on a warrant. They keep a central file of every active warrant in the county. This includes arrest warrants from police investigations and bench warrants from court cases. If a judge in any Riverside County court issues a warrant, it goes into this system.

You can visit the office in person to do a warrant check on yourself. Bring a valid photo ID. They will not give you information about someone else unless you are a lawyer or have legal standing in the case. If you find out you have a warrant, ask them what the bail amount is and what court issued it. That tells you where you need to go to clear it. Some warrants have low bail and can be handled quickly. Others have high bail or no bail, which means you may be held in custody until a judge sees you.

The court has an online portal where you can search for case files. Go to epublic-access.riverside.courts.ca.gov and use the public access system. You can search by name or case number. If your case has a warrant, it should show in the case file. Not all warrants appear online right away. It may take a day or two after a judge issues the warrant for it to show up in the public portal.

The online portal is a good starting point but it is not always complete. Call the court if you have questions about what you see online.

Appearing on a Warrant in Riverside

To appear on a warrant in Riverside County, you must report to the Criminal Division that ordered the warrant by 7:30 am. This is a mandatory appearance. You cannot just call and ask them to cancel the warrant. You have to show up in person. The court says all warrants require a mandatory appearance. That means the judge wants to see you face to face before recalling the warrant.

Get to the courthouse early. Find the criminal clerk window and tell them you are there to surrender on a warrant. They will check you in and tell you which courtroom to wait in. Bring any paperwork you have. This might include a notice from the court, a copy of the warrant, or documents related to your case. Also bring money if you think you may need to post bail or pay a fine. Some courts take credit cards but not all of them do. Cash or a money order is safer.

The judge will call your case and ask why you missed court. Be honest. If you forgot the date or had an emergency, say so. If you did not get notice of the court date, explain that too. The judge may give you a new court date and recall the warrant. Or the judge may impose additional conditions like higher bail or electronic monitoring. It depends on the case and your record. If you have missed court multiple times, expect the judge to be less lenient.

California Penal Code section 978.5 covers the rules for bench warrants. A judge can issue a bench warrant when you fail to appear as ordered. The warrant stays active until you deal with it or until the judge recalls it. There is no statute of limitations on bench warrants. They do not expire. You have to clear them no matter how old they are.

Riverside Police Department

The Riverside Police Department handles local arrests and police reports for the city. Their records division can be reached at 951-826-5700 for general questions. For non emergency calls, use 951-354-2007. The police work with the Sheriff to serve warrants. If you have a warrant and police contact you, they can arrest you on the spot. Do not wait for them to come find you. It is better to turn yourself in on your own terms.

If you were arrested by Riverside PD, your case would be filed in Riverside County Superior Court. The police do not decide whether to issue a warrant. That is up to the judge. But police do serve warrants when they encounter someone with an active warrant. This can happen during a traffic stop, at your home, or at your job. Once you are arrested on a warrant, you go to county jail and wait for a court appearance. Depending on the charge and the bail amount, you may be released on your own recognizance or you may have to post bail to get out.

For old arrest records or police reports from Riverside PD, you request those through the records division. They can tell you what is on file. Warrant status is separate from arrest records. You check warrants through the Sheriff or the court, not through the police department.

Note: Police do not give out warrant information over the phone for safety reasons.

Legal Assistance and Public Defenders

If you have a warrant for a criminal case and cannot afford a lawyer, you can ask for a public defender. The Riverside County Public Defender has offices in Riverside and other cities. You apply for a public defender when you appear in court. Fill out a financial declaration form. The court reviews it and decides if you qualify based on your income and assets. If approved, a public defender is assigned to your case at no charge to you.

Legal aid organizations in the area focus mostly on civil issues like housing and family law. They do not usually take criminal cases. For criminal matters you need the public defender or a private attorney. Some private lawyers offer sliding scale fees or payment plans. Look for attorneys who do criminal defense and warrant recalls. Many will meet with you for a free consultation to go over your situation.

The State Bar of California has a referral service. You can find lawyers by city and practice type. When you call a lawyer about a warrant, ask how much they charge and what they can do for you. Some warrants can be recalled without you being present if the lawyer files the right motion. Other warrants require you to be there no matter what. The lawyer can tell you which type you have after they look at the case file.

Other Cities in Riverside County

Riverside County is large and has many cities. All of them use the same Sheriff and court system for warrants. Here are a few nearby cities with their own police departments.

Corona is to the west near Orange County. Corona Police are at 730 Public Safety Way. Warrants in Corona go through the Riverside County system. The Corona court district has its own courthouse but it is part of the county Superior Court.

Moreno Valley is just south of Riverside and has over 200,000 people. Moreno Valley is one of the largest cities in the county. Warrants there are served by Moreno Valley Police or the Sheriff depending on who made the arrest.

Murrieta is in the southwest part of the county near Temecula. Murrieta Police handle local law enforcement. Their station is at 2 Town Square. Clearance letters cost $15 for a non notarized version or $50 if you need it notarized.

All these cities plus many smaller ones rely on the Riverside County court system. If you have a warrant in any Riverside County city, check with the Sheriff warrant repository or search the court portal.