What Kind of Warrant Do You Have?
Before you do anything else, you need to know what you are dealing with. Not all warrants are the same — and the difference determines everything about how you should respond.
The Bench Warrant
A bench warrant is issued by a Judge — not because you committed a new crime, but because something went wrong with an existing case. The word "bench" simply means the warrant came from the Judge's bench — from inside the courtroom. You were already in the system. The Judge is looking for you because you fell off the radar.
The most common reasons a bench warrant is issued:
- You missed a court date
- You failed to pay fines or court costs on time
- You were placed on probation and violated a condition
- You were cited and released by an officer and never appeared
- Your General Sessions case was sent to Criminal Court and you missed the Bond Arraignment date
The good news: Many bench warrants can be resolved without an arrest. In some situations — particularly when the issue is unpaid court costs or a missed court date on a minor charge — you may be able to contact the Court Clerk directly, make a payment arrangement, or get a new court date scheduled without ever being taken into custody. The Court is often willing to work with defendants who come forward voluntarily.
When the situation is more serious, an attorney can appear before the Judge on your behalf and request that the warrant be recalled, your bond reinstated, and a new court date assigned. If the Judge agrees, you walk out of that courtroom with your warrant resolved — without an arrest.
The worst thing you can do with a bench warrant is nothing. It will not go away on its own. Every traffic stop, every background check, every encounter with law enforcement is an opportunity for someone to find it.
Options Often AvailableThe State Arrest Warrant
A state warrant — sometimes called an arrest warrant — is a different matter entirely. It means a Judge or Magistrate has reviewed a sworn complaint and determined there is probable cause to believe you committed a crime. This is not about a missed court date. This is a new criminal charge.
Once an arrest warrant is issued, any law enforcement officer in Tennessee can take you into custody — at your home, at your job, during a routine traffic stop, or anywhere else. There is no warning. There is no scheduled time. It happens when it happens.
State warrants do not resolve themselves. You will be arrested eventually. The only question is whether it happens on your terms or theirs.
This is where an attorney becomes essential. Understanding what the warrant says, what the charges are, what your bond situation looks like, and how to navigate the system from the moment of arrest — none of that happens automatically. Someone has to be working for you before the handcuffs go on.
Act Promptly201 Poplar — Shelby County Criminal Justice Center
This is the building at the center of the Shelby County warrant process — where bonds are set, where you surrender, where Judges hold hearings. Knowing what it looks like before you arrive makes a real difference.
Left: Trinity Lutheran Church in the foreground with 201 Poplar behind it — an iconic Memphis view. Top center: Sheriff vehicles outside the main entrance. Top right: The Washington Avenue corner showing bail bond offices across the street. Bottom center and right: The Jail Annex entrance where surrender and processing takes place.
Checking for a Warrant — and Understanding the Limits
Start here: warrants.shelby-sheriff.org — the official Shelby County Sheriff's Office warrant search. It is free, it is public, and checking it does not alert anyone that you looked.
However, this site has real limitations you need to understand before you rely on it.
This database covers Shelby County, Tennessee only. It will not show you:
- Warrants issued in any other Tennessee county — including Davidson (Nashville), Shelby's neighboring counties, or anywhere else in the state
- Warrants from other states — including Mississippi (Tupelo, Jackson), Arkansas (Little Rock, West Memphis), or any other jurisdiction
- Federal warrants issued by U.S. District Courts
- Warrants that have been issued but not yet entered into the system
Grand Jury Warrants — The Hidden Danger. Certain warrants based on Grand Jury indictments will NOT appear in the Shelby County warrant database at all. These are called "secret indictments." The Grand Jury meets in private, hears evidence presented by the prosecutor, and votes to indict. Once an indictment is returned, a warrant is issued — but because the proceedings are sealed, the warrant does not appear publicly. Most people who are the subject of a secret indictment have no idea it exists. They find out when a warrant officer knocks on their door, when they are pulled over, or when they attempt to board a plane. If you have any reason to believe you may be under investigation for a serious crime, a clean result on the warrant database is not a clean record. Call us.
A clean result on this site means there is no active warrant on file in Shelby County at this moment in the public system. It does not mean you are clear everywhere, and it does not mean there is no sealed warrant. If you have reason to believe a warrant may exist somewhere other than Shelby County — or if you are simply not sure — call our office. A few minutes on the phone could save you from a very unpleasant surprise.
If you have a warrant in another jurisdiction — a different Tennessee county, another state, or federal court — call us. We can help you think through where a potential warrant might have originated and what steps to take next, even if that process involves attorneys in another jurisdiction.
