Find Santa Barbara County Warrants

Santa Barbara County provides a warrant check phone line at (805) 681-4330 where you can choose the warrants option to find out if you have an active warrant. The Sheriff's Office maintains all warrant records for the county, and the jail division can be reached at (805) 681-4260. If you discover you have an outstanding warrant, the Santa Barbara Police Department allows you to turn yourself in at a specific time rather than being arrested unexpectedly. The department notes your cooperation in the official records. With over 448,000 residents, Santa Barbara County handles thousands of warrants each year for traffic violations, missed court dates, and criminal arrests. The county seat is in Santa Barbara, but the Superior Court has multiple locations throughout the region.

Checking for Active Warrants

Call (805) 681-4330 and select the warrants option. This automated line can tell you if there's an active warrant in your name. Have your full name and date of birth ready. The system searches Santa Barbara County records. If a warrant exists, the recording will tell you.

You can also check in person at the Sheriff's Office. Walk up to the front desk and ask for a warrant check. Bring valid photo ID. Staff will run your name through the system. Be aware that if you have a serious warrant, deputies may arrest you on the spot. For most bench warrants, they'll give you information about how to clear it in Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Barbara Police Department also has warrant information on their website at santabarbaraca.gov. The page explains what to do if you have a warrant. The key point is that turning yourself in shows cooperation. This gets recorded and may help your case later.

Voluntary Surrender

If you learn you have a warrant in Santa Barbara County, you can arrange to turn yourself in. The Santa Barbara Police Department will set a specific time for you to come in. This is better than waiting for police to find you at home or work. Your cooperation gets noted properly in official records.

Call the warrant line first to confirm the warrant. Then contact the police department or Sheriff's Office to arrange surrender. They'll tell you when to come in and what to bring. Usually you need valid ID and may need bail money if the warrant requires it. Some warrants allow citation release, meaning you get a new court date without being booked into jail.

For serious warrants with high bail or no bail, you will be booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail. The jail is located at 4436 Calle Real in Santa Barbara. Intake can take several hours. If you're concerned about jail time, talk to a lawyer before you surrender. An attorney may be able to arrange a court date without you having to go to jail in Santa Barbara County.

The main Sheriff's Office number is (805) 681-4260 for the jail division. For general information, call (805) 681-4100. Hours for walk-in service are typically Monday through Friday during business hours. Call ahead to confirm before you go to surrender on a warrant in Santa Barbara County.

Superior Court

Santa Barbara County Superior Court operates four locations. Your case may be at any of these depending on where the charges were filed. Most criminal cases go through the main courthouse in Santa Barbara or the branch in Santa Maria.

The court locations are:

• Santa Barbara: 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
• Santa Maria: 312-D East Cook Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454
• Lompoc: 115 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc, CA 93436
• Santa Barbara Anacapa: 1100 Anacapa Street (separate division)

Call the criminal division at the main Santa Barbara courthouse to find out where your case is. The clerk can look up your case by name or case number. They can tell you the next court date and the bail amount if there's a warrant. The criminal clerk number is (805) 882-4550.

If you want to clear a bench warrant, you can appear at the clerk's office early in the morning. Many courts in California allow same-day warrant appearances if you arrive before 8:30 AM. Check with Santa Barbara County to see if this option is available for your specific warrant type.

Types of Warrants Issued

Bench warrants are the most common. A judge issues a bench warrant when you fail to appear in court. This could be for any type of case. Traffic, criminal, or even civil matters can result in bench warrants. Penal Code Section 978.5 authorizes bench warrants for failure to appear.

Traffic warrants happen all the time. If you got a ticket and didn't show up for court or didn't pay the fine, there's likely a warrant. Under Vehicle Code 40508, failing to appear on a traffic citation is a misdemeanor. Santa Barbara County issues hundreds of traffic warrants each month. These usually have lower bail amounts, often a few hundred dollars.

Arrest warrants come from criminal investigations. A judge signs the warrant based on probable cause. This means there's reason to believe you committed a crime. Arrest warrants authorize police to take you into custody. Bail can be high or there may be no bail at all. It depends on the severity of the charges in Santa Barbara County.

Search warrants are for property, not people. Police get search warrants to look for evidence in homes, cars, or businesses. These don't affect the public directly. Santa Barbara County judges review search warrant applications to make sure there's probable cause. If approved, officers execute the search and seize evidence.

Costs to Clear Warrants

Bail is the main cost when you have a warrant. Bail amounts are set by the court or follow a bail schedule. A simple traffic warrant might be $250. A misdemeanor could be $5,000. Felonies can be $25,000 or higher. You can post bail at the jail or the courthouse. Santa Barbara County accepts cash, money orders, and credit cards for bail.

Court fees also apply. If you get your warrant cleared, the judge may add a warrant fee to your case costs. This can be $100 to $200. The fee covers administrative costs. Some judges waive it if you have a good reason for missing court. Always ask about fee waivers if money is tight in Santa Barbara County.

For court records, copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $40.00 plus the page fees. If the clerk has to search for more than 10 minutes, there's a $15.00 research fee. These are standard fees at California Superior Courts and apply in Santa Barbara County too.

If you hire a lawyer, expect to pay attorney fees. Criminal defense lawyers charge by the hour or a flat fee per case. A simple warrant recall might cost $500 to $1,500. Complex cases with serious charges cost more. Many lawyers offer payment plans. Some do free consultations where you can ask basic questions about your warrant in Santa Barbara County.

Finding Legal Help

Talk to a lawyer if you have a warrant. An attorney can review your situation and advise you on the best approach. Sometimes a lawyer can file a motion to quash and recall the warrant under Penal Code 166. This means the warrant gets removed without you having to appear in person.

The Santa Barbara County Bar Association has a lawyer referral service. They can connect you with local attorneys who handle criminal cases. The referral number is (805) 569-5511. Most lawyers offer a short consultation for free or a small fee. Even 20 minutes with a lawyer can help you understand your options in Santa Barbara County.

If you can't afford a lawyer, contact Legal Aid. The Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County provides free legal services to low-income residents. Call them at (805) 963-6754 for the Santa Barbara office or (805) 922-9909 for Santa Maria. They may not handle all warrant cases, but they can point you to resources.

The court self-help center has forms and general information. Staff can't give legal advice but they can help you fill out paperwork. Visit the self-help center at the Santa Barbara courthouse during business hours. Bring all your court documents with you. They can help you figure out next steps for your warrant case in Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara County Cities

Santa Barbara County has one city with population over 100,000. Santa Barbara is the largest city and the county seat. Other significant cities include Santa Maria, Lompoc, Carpinteria, and Goleta, but these have populations under 100,000.

All cities in Santa Barbara County fall under the jurisdiction of the county Superior Court. Your case location depends on where charges were filed, not where you live. Most cases file at the Santa Barbara or Santa Maria courthouse. Check your paperwork or call the clerk to find out which location handles your warrant in Santa Barbara County.

Nearby Counties

Santa Barbara County is on the central coast of California. It borders several other counties. Each county has its own court system and warrant procedures.

• San Luis Obispo County to the north
• Ventura County to the south
• Kern County to the northeast

Warrants don't automatically transfer between counties, but California has a statewide system. If you have a warrant in Santa Barbara County and get stopped in another county, that officer can see it. You could be arrested on a Santa Barbara warrant anywhere in California. This is why it's important to clear warrants as soon as you can.