Contra Costa County Warrant Search

Contra Costa County warrant records are held by the Sheriff Office in Martinez and the Superior Court system. Over 1.1 million people live in Contra Costa County across cities like Richmond, Concord, Antioch, and Walnut Creek. Active arrest warrants and bench warrants are not available through an online public search tool. The Sheriff Office states on their FAQ page that they do not provide warrant information to the public. You must contact the court of jurisdiction or your local law enforcement agency to check for warrants. The Sheriff Office is at 1850 Muir Road in Martinez and handles all warrant service and custody operations. For bench warrants, call the Superior Court criminal division to find out if you have a warrant from a missed court appearance.

How to Check for Warrants

The Contra Costa County Sheriff Office does not give out warrant info to the public over the phone or online. Their FAQ page at contracosta.ca.gov says if you want to find out if you have a warrant for your arrest, you need to contact the court of jurisdiction or your local law enforcement agency.

This means you cannot call the Sheriff and get a simple yes or no answer about a warrant.

Instead, call the Superior Court criminal division. The court can tell you if there is a bench warrant in your name. If you know which courthouse your case is in, call that location directly. There are courthouses in Martinez, Walnut Creek, Richmond, Pittsburg, and Antioch. Each handles different types of cases. The main criminal court is in Martinez. Call them and ask the clerk if you have a warrant. They will look it up and tell you what the warrant is for and how to clear it.

You can also go to your local police department if you live in a city like Richmond or Concord. Walk in with your ID and ask them to check for warrants. They can look you up in the state system. If there is a Contra Costa County warrant, they will see it. Be aware that if you have a warrant for a serious charge, they may arrest you on the spot. If it is a minor warrant, they may let you go and tell you to contact the court.

Another option is to visit the courthouse in person. Go to the criminal clerk window and ask if you have any active warrants. Bring your ID. The clerk will look you up and tell you what they find. If you do have a warrant, you can ask about a clear warrant calendar. That is a special session where you can see the judge the same day without being arrested first.

Contra Costa County Sheriff Office

The Sheriff Office is at 1850 Muir Road in Martinez. This is the main facility for the Sheriff department and the county jail. The Sheriff handles all warrant service in Contra Costa County. They work with city police departments to arrest people with active warrants. The Custody Services line is 925-646-4496 if you need to ask about someone who is in jail.

The Sheriff does not post warrant lists online. They also do not confirm warrants over the phone for the public. This policy is in place to protect privacy and to avoid tipping off people who may be trying to evade arrest. If you want to turn yourself in on a warrant, you can go to the Sheriff Office. Bring your ID. Tell the front desk you are there to surrender on a warrant. They will take you into custody and book you. That means they take your photo, fingerprints, and put you in a cell until you see a judge or post bail.

The jail in Martinez is a large facility. It can hold over 1,000 inmates. Processing can take several hours depending on how busy they are. If your bail is set at a low amount, you may be able to post it and get out the same day. If the bail is high or if the warrant says no bail, you stay in jail until your court date. Bail can be posted at the jail or through a bail bondsman. A bondsman charges you 10 percent of the bail amount and covers the rest.

Note: The Sheriff Office handles county jail and warrant service but does not give warrant info to the public.

Superior Court and Bench Warrants

Bench warrants in Contra Costa County come from the Superior Court. A judge issues a bench warrant when you do not show up to court as ordered. This can be for any type of case. Traffic tickets, misdemeanor crimes, or felony charges all can lead to bench warrants if you skip your court date. California Penal Code section 978.5 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov covers how bench warrants work in California and says a judge can issue a bench warrant any time you fail to appear as ordered.

To clear a bench warrant, you go back to the court. Call the criminal clerk first. They can tell you if there is a clear warrant calendar. That is a special court session where people with warrants can come in and see the judge without being arrested first. You show up early in the morning and sign in. The judge calls your name later that day and asks why you missed the first date. If you have a good reason, the judge may recall the warrant and set a new court date. If not, the judge may increase your bail or order you to stay in custody.

For traffic warrants, you may be able to pay a fine to clear the warrant. Call the court and ask if your case is eligible. If you pay the fine in full, the court will recall the warrant and notify the DMV if your license was suspended. You can also show up at the courthouse and pay at the clerk window. Bring cash, money order, or check. Some courts take credit cards but there may be a processing fee.

Contra Costa County has multiple courthouses. The main criminal court is in Martinez at 1020 Ward Street. There are also courthouses in Walnut Creek, Richmond, Pittsburg, and Antioch. Your case may be in any of these locations depending on where the incident happened and what type of case it is. Call the court and ask where your case is before you drive to the wrong courthouse.

Court fees for certified copies are around $40 plus 50 cents per page. If the clerk has to search records for more than 10 minutes, there may be a $15 research fee. Ask about fees before you request documents.

No Online Warrant Search Available

Contra Costa County does not have an online warrant search tool. You cannot look up warrants from home through a county website. The only way to check is to call or visit the court or local police. This is frustrating for people who just want a quick answer but the county has chosen not to make warrant info public online. Some larger counties like Orange, San Diego, and Marin have online search tools but Contra Costa does not.

Be careful with third party websites that claim to search warrants for you. They may charge a fee and give you old or inaccurate info. The best way to get accurate information is to go straight to the source. Call the court and ask them directly. It is free and you get the right answer.

If you want to check your own criminal history across all of California, you can request it from the California Department of Justice. The DOJ keeps records of every arrest and conviction in the state. It costs $25 to get your own record. You need to submit fingerprints and fill out a form. Visit oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/record-review to see how to order your record. This will show you any warrants or arrests from Contra Costa County or any other county in California.

Major Cities in Contra Costa County

Contra Costa County has several large cities. Each city has its own police department but warrants are handled through the county Sheriff and court system. Here are the main cities and what you need to know about warrant checks in each one.

Richmond is the largest city in the western part of the county. Richmond Police can check for warrants if you walk into their station with your ID. If you have a warrant, they may arrest you or tell you to contact the court depending on the charge.

Concord is in the central part of the county. Concord Police also can check for warrants. The courthouse in Martinez handles most criminal cases from Concord.

Antioch is in the eastern part of the county. Antioch Police can run a warrant check. There is also a courthouse in Antioch that handles some local cases.

Walnut Creek is a larger city in the central county. Walnut Creek Police can check for warrants. There is a courthouse in Walnut Creek as well.

Other cities in Contra Costa County include Pittsburg, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Brentwood. All of these cities have local police who can check for warrants. But the actual warrant records are kept by the Sheriff and the court, not by the city police.

If you live in one of these cities and you think you have a warrant, call the courthouse that serves your area. The clerk can tell you if there is a warrant in your name and what you need to do to clear it.

Nearby Counties

Contra Costa County is in the East Bay. Several counties border Contra Costa and each has its own warrant system.

Alameda County is to the south. Alameda County Sheriff is in San Leandro and their court uses an Odyssey Portal for case searches. Call their records office at 510-891-6005 for warrant info.

Solano County is to the northeast. Solano County Sheriff Records is at 530 Union Avenue in Fairfield. Call them at 707-784-7010 for warrant checks.

Sacramento County is to the east. Sacramento has a free online court case search at services.saccourt.ca.gov where you can look up criminal cases by name.

San Joaquin County is to the southeast. Their Sheriff Records office is at 7000 Michael N. Canlis Blvd in French Camp. Call them at 209-468-4408 for warrant checks.

Marin County is to the west across the bay. Marin County has an online warrant search at apps.marincounty.gov/warrantsearch where you can look up warrants by name.

If you are not sure which county has a warrant for you, check all the counties where you have lived or had legal issues. Warrants do not go away on their own. They stay active until you deal with them in court.