Visalia Warrant Records

Visalia warrant records include arrest warrants and bench warrants issued through Tulare County Superior Court. Visalia is the county seat of Tulare County and the largest city in the county. The Visalia Police Department maintains warrant files for crimes that happen in city limits. Criminal cases from Visalia are heard at the Tulare County courthouse which is located in Visalia. If you need to check for a warrant in Visalia, you can contact the police department Records Division or the Tulare County Sheriff. The courthouse is also in Visalia, so you can walk to the court clerk office and ask about warrants. All three resources are in the same city, which makes it easy to search for warrant information in one trip.

Visalia Police Department Records

Visalia Police Department is at 303 S. Johnson Street in downtown Visalia. The Records Division handles all public records requests including warrant checks. You can call the Records Supervisor at 559-713-4219 for questions about how to request records or check for warrants.

If you want to know if you have a warrant in Visalia, you need to contact the police or go in person. Most police departments will not tell you over the phone if someone else has a warrant. They want to verify your identity first. Bring a photo ID if you plan to visit the Records Division. The clerk will search the Visalia PD database and can also check countywide systems to see if you have warrants from other parts of Tulare County.

Visalia PD keeps arrest records, booking sheets, and crime reports on file. If you were arrested in Visalia, your arrest record is with the police department. You can request a copy of your own arrest report. There may be a fee depending on how many pages need to be copied.

Tulare County Sheriff Handles Warrants

Tulare County Sheriff is at 2404 W Burrel Ave in Visalia. The Sheriff provides law enforcement for unincorporated areas of the county and serves warrants issued by Tulare County Superior Court. You can call 559-636-4625 for general information or 559-802-9538 for the Records Division.

At the time the Sheriff Warrant Unit was created, there were more than 50,000 active warrants in Tulare County. That is a huge number of outstanding warrants. The county has been working to reduce this backlog by serving warrants and encouraging people to turn themselves in or clear their warrants through the court. If you think you may have a warrant in Tulare County, it is better to check now than to get arrested later.

The Sheriff Records Division can tell you if you have a warrant anywhere in Tulare County. This includes warrants from Visalia and from other cities or unincorporated areas. Bring your ID if you go in person. The clerk will search the county database. If you have a warrant, they will tell you what it is for, which court issued it, and what the bail amount is.

Checking for Warrants in Visalia

Start by calling Visalia PD Records if your case is from the city. Ask what their process is for checking warrants. Some departments let you check over the phone if you give them your name and date of birth. Others want you to come in with ID. If you are not sure where your warrant is from or if you have lived in different parts of Tulare County, call the Sheriff instead. They can search countywide.

Another option is to contact the Tulare County Superior Court clerk. The courthouse is in Visalia. You can call and ask if a bench warrant was issued in your case. Give the clerk your name and case number if you have it. They can look up your case and tell you if a warrant is active. The clerk cannot give legal advice but can tell you facts like the warrant date and the bail amount.

Be aware that if you have a serious warrant, you could be arrested when you go in to check. For small traffic warrants or low level misdemeanors, the police may just give you the information and tell you to turn yourself in or deal with it at the court. For felonies or warrants with no bail, you may be taken into custody on the spot. Think about whether you want to bring a lawyer with you when you check for a warrant. A lawyer can help protect your rights and may be able to set up a time for you to surrender instead of being arrested right away.

How to Clear a Warrant in Visalia

If you find out you have a warrant from Visalia or Tulare County, you need to deal with it. You have several choices. You can turn yourself in to the police or Sheriff. You can post bail. Or you can go to court and ask to be on the calendar for a court surrender.

Turning yourself in means you go to the jail and tell them you are there to clear your warrant. They will book you into custody. You wait in jail until you see a judge. This can be the same day or the next court day depending on when you turn yourself in. If your warrant has bail, you can post it and get out. If there is no bail, you stay locked up until your hearing. Some people hire a lawyer to go with them when they turn themselves in. The lawyer can argue for lower bail or ask the judge to release you without bail.

Posting bail before you turn yourself in is another way to handle a warrant. You can pay bail at the courthouse or use a bail bondsman. A bondsman charges you 10 percent of the bail amount and puts up the rest. Once bail is posted, the warrant is stayed. You get a new court date. You must show up to that date or you will lose your bail and get another warrant.

Court surrender is when you show up at the Tulare County courthouse in Visalia early in the morning. Check in with the clerk and tell them you have a warrant and want to see a judge. The clerk puts you on the calendar for that day. You wait until your name is called. When you see the judge, the judge asks why you missed court. If you have a good reason, the judge may recall the warrant and let you go home. If not, the judge may set new bail or keep the warrant active. This is a good option if you cannot afford bail and do not want to sit in jail.

For traffic warrants, you may be able to clear the warrant by just paying the fine. Call the court traffic division and ask if you can pay by mail or online. Some courts let you pay and the warrant goes away. Others make you appear even after you pay. It depends on the charge and how long the warrant has been out.

Note: Bring all your case paperwork when you go to clear a warrant so the clerk can find your file quickly.

California Laws on Warrants

California Penal Code section 978.5 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov covers bench warrants. A judge may issue a bench warrant if you fail to appear in court when ordered. This law applies to all California Superior Courts including Tulare County.

Arrest warrants are covered by Penal Code sections 813 through 829 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. These sections lay out how police get a warrant from a judge. An officer must present facts showing probable cause that a crime was committed. The judge reads the information and signs the warrant if there is enough proof.

For traffic cases, Vehicle Code section 40508 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear on a traffic ticket. When you sign a traffic citation, you promise to appear in court or pay the fine. If you do not, the court can issue a warrant for your arrest. This is one of the most common types of warrants in Tulare County and across California.

Penal Code section 166 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov deals with contempt of court. Willful disobedience of a court order can be charged as contempt. If you have a warrant and do not deal with it, you could face additional charges on top of your original case.

Legal Help in Visalia and Tulare County

If you cannot afford a private attorney, you may qualify for a public defender. The Tulare County Public Defender Office represents people charged with crimes who cannot pay for a lawyer. You apply at your first court appearance. The judge asks about your income and assets. If you qualify, a public defender is appointed to your case at no charge.

Legal aid groups in the Central Valley mostly handle civil cases like housing and family law. They do not usually take criminal cases. But they may have referrals or self help resources. Check with local legal aid to see if they can point you to help for your warrant issue.

The Tulare County Law Library is open to the public. You can visit and look up laws, read case examples, and use legal forms. Librarians can show you where to find information but cannot give legal advice. This is helpful if you want to understand your charges or learn about the warrant process before you go to court.

Many private criminal defense attorneys in Visalia offer a free first meeting. You can sit down with a lawyer, explain your warrant, and get advice on what to do. Some lawyers will go with you when you turn yourself in. They can argue for lower bail or try to get you released without bail. Having a lawyer can make a big difference in how your case is handled and whether you end up in jail.

Other Records in Visalia

Visalia Police Department and Tulare County Sheriff both keep arrest records, booking sheets, and crime reports. If you were arrested in Visalia, your arrest record is on file with the police or the Sheriff depending on who arrested you. You can request a copy of your own arrest report by going to the Records Division and filling out a request form.

For your full California criminal history, go through the state Department of Justice instead of the local police. The DOJ charges $25 for a record review. You must submit fingerprints using a Live Scan service. Instructions are on the DOJ website at oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/record-review. This gives you a statewide summary of all your arrests and convictions, not just what happened in Tulare County.

If you need court records like a minute order or a case file, you must get those from the Superior Court clerk, not the police. The court charges its own fees for copies and certifications. Check with the clerk office for current fees and how to request documents.

Warrant Records in Nearby Cities

Visalia is in the Central Valley near several other cities. Each city may have its own police force or may be served by the Tulare County Sheriff. Here are nearby cities where you might need to check for warrants:

• Fresno is north of Visalia in Fresno County and has its own police and court system.
• Hanford is in Kings County just west of Visalia.
• Porterville is in Tulare County and has its own police department.
• Bakersfield is south of Visalia in Kern County.
• Tulare County has many unincorporated areas served by the Sheriff.

Each city and county keeps its own warrant files. A warrant from Visalia does not show up in Fresno County records. You must check each location separately if you have lived in more than one place or had cases in different cities.