Active Warrants in San Mateo County
Active warrants in San Mateo County come from the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo. A judge of the Criminal Division signs the order. The Sheriff and local police then carry it out. The Superior Court keeps an official Active Warrants page for outstanding warrants on Northern and Southern criminal cases. The page is not a name roster. It is a set of steps for people who think they missed a court date and may now have a bench warrant tied to a misdemeanor citation or other criminal matter.
The court tells anyone in that spot to appear in person at the criminal clerk's office. Southern Branch check-in at the Hall of Justice, 400 County Center in Redwood City, must be no later than 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. Northern Branch check-in at 1050 Mission Road in South San Francisco must be no later than 9:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Both clerk's offices keep phone hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The main court phone is (650) 261-5100 option 1. Phone requests to be added to the calendar are taken only from the attorney of record. Warrant data on the Inmate Locator and the Odyssey public portal lags real life because court status changes during the day. The official page is the safest start. For full case context, pair the warrant check with a search through San Mateo County court records.
Sheriff Kenneth Binder leads the agency that serves and clears warrants once a person is found or surrenders. Binder was sworn in as the county's 27th Sheriff on November 12, 2025. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office sits at 400 County Center in Redwood City.
Below is the official court page that frames every active warrant search in San Mateo County. The Criminal Division Active Warrants page spells out the in-person rules.
That single page drives most San Mateo County warrant search efforts that end in a court appearance the same day.
Types of San Mateo County Warrants
San Mateo County warrants fall into a few clear groups. Each type has its own trigger, its own form, and its own way to clear. A bench warrant comes from a failure to appear. An arrest warrant comes from a sworn declaration of probable cause. A search warrant lets police look at a place or device. A capias or body attachment can pull a witness to court. The Criminal Division of the Superior Court issues all of these.
- Arrest warrant - A judge signs this after a sworn statement shows probable cause that a person has broken the law. Police may then arrest the named person.
- Bench warrant - The judge signs this from the bench when a defendant fails to appear, fails to obey a court order, breaks probation, or skips a fee or fine due to the court.
- Search warrant - A judge signs this to let police search a place, a vehicle, or a phone for stated items. Most search warrants are sealed until they are returned and the case is filed.
- Failure to appear (FTA) warrant - The court issues this when someone misses a court date set in a traffic, misdemeanor, or felony case. FTA warrants on traffic cases tie back to San Mateo County traffic court records.
- Probation or PRCS violation warrant - These come when a person on probation or post-release community supervision breaks a term of supervision. The court can set bail or order no bail.
A warrant can name one or many people. The face of a typical warrant shows the case number, the charge, the bail amount, and the judge or department that signed it. Some warrants set "no bail." Others list a fixed cash amount drawn from the local bail schedule. The court keeps a public set of bail schedules for that very purpose.
The Local Bail Schedules page from the Criminal Division shows the cash figures tied to common charges. Bail amounts on warrants often match those figures, but a judge can set bail higher or deny it for serious cases.
Note: A bail amount on the face of a San Mateo County warrant can change at the first court hearing once a judge reviews the case.
Arrest, Bench, and Search Warrants
Many people use "warrant" as one word, but the three main types do very different jobs. An arrest warrant is about a person. A bench warrant is about a missed court duty. A search warrant is about a place or a thing. The chart below sets them side by side so the right step is clear.
| Feature | Arrest Warrant | Bench Warrant | Search Warrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Sworn probable cause that a person committed a crime | Failure to appear, failure to comply, or probation breach | Sworn probable cause that evidence sits at a place or on a device |
| Who signs | Judge of the Superior Court Criminal Division | Judge from the bench at a missed hearing | Judge or duty magistrate, often after hours |
| Target | A named person | A named person already in a case | A place, a vehicle, or a device |
| Public visibility | May show on Odyssey or Inmate Locator after booking | May show on Odyssey register of actions | Sealed before execution; case may be sealed after |
| How to clear | Surrender, post bail, or appear with counsel | Appear at the criminal clerk by 9 a.m. or recall through counsel | Served by police; challenged through a suppression motion |
Bench warrants are the type most people in San Mateo County run into. A missed traffic court date, a missed misdemeanor arraignment, or a missed probation review can all trigger one. The fix is often a check-in at the right clerk's window before 9:00 a.m.
How to Search for an Active Warrant
San Mateo County does not run a single public warrant name search. People build a search from a few official tools. The Criminal Division page sets the in-person path. MIDX and the Odyssey public portal show case status, including a "warrant active" flag for some cases. The Inmate Locator shows current custody once someone is booked. A short call to the clerk's office can confirm a court date.
- Open the Active Warrants page on the Superior Court site. Read the in-person check-in rules for the Northern and Southern Branches.
- Use MIDX to look up the case by party name, business name, case number, or filing date. Note the case type and case number for the next step.
- Open the Odyssey Public Portal and pull the register of actions for the same case. Watch for a "warrant issued" or "FTA" docket line.
- Search the Sheriff Inmate Locator by first and last name. A hit means the person is in custody, and the court dockets table will list bail and the next court date.
- Call the Criminal Division at (650) 261-5100 option 1 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for a status read on a warrant. The court accepts general warrant questions by phone.
- If a same-day hearing is the goal, appear at the Southern Branch by 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday or the Northern Branch by 9:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday with valid photo ID.
- If the person is represented, route the request through the Private Defender Program or retained counsel. Only the attorney of record can add a case to the calendar by phone.
For a deeper view of related case history, link the warrant search to San Mateo County criminal records. Many bench warrants live inside open misdemeanor or felony files that show prior orders, fines, and hearing dates.
San Mateo County Warrant Search Fields
The Superior Court Active Warrants page is not a fielded form. To run a name-based check, most users rely on MIDX, the Odyssey public portal, and the Sheriff Inmate Locator. The table below shows the fields a person can use to triangulate a San Mateo County warrant search across those tools.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name (last, first) | Text | Yes for Inmate Locator and MIDX party search | Locator caps each name at 35 characters. Use the legal name on file. |
| Date of birth | Date | No on portals; yes on the 24/7 jail phone line | Maguire Correctional Facility at (650) 363-4000 ext. 6070 needs name plus correct DOB. |
| Warrant type | Filter | No | Use the Odyssey register of actions to find "warrant active," "FTA," or "bench warrant" docket lines. |
| Filing or warrant date | Date range | No | MIDX supports filing-date search and helps narrow many like names. |
| Case number | Text | No | Native Odyssey numbers use two-digit year plus three-letter case type plus sequence. |
| Gender | Dropdown | No | Inmate Locator offers All, Male, or Female. |
| Phonetic search | Checkbox | No | Locator option for unsure name spellings. |
No public field lets a user pull a county-wide warrant list by date. The court treats that view as an internal law-enforcement tool. The fields above are still enough to find most active criminal cases tied to a person in San Mateo County.
What a San Mateo County Warrant Record Shows
When a warrant shows up through the Inmate Locator or the Odyssey register of actions, the visible fields are limited. The Sheriff page lists a court dockets block with the docket number, the bail, and the charge. The court register of actions shows the date the warrant was issued, the judge or department, and the docket entry text. A sample San Mateo County warrant record reads like the table below.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Defendant name | Full last, first, and middle name as filed in the criminal case. |
| Date of birth | Full DOB on the Inmate Locator profile; redacted on most court documents. |
| Warrant or case number | The court case number tied to the warrant, often in Odyssey format such as 24-NM-001234. |
| Issuing court | San Mateo County Superior Court, Criminal Division, with branch and department. |
| Issuing judge | Judge of the Superior Court who signed the order from the bench or chambers. |
| Charge | Code section, code abbreviation (such as PC or VC), and short charge text. |
| Bail amount | Dollar figure such as USD 5,000.00, or the phrase "NO BAIL." |
| Status | Active, served, recalled, quashed, or cleared. |
| Next court date | Date and time of the next scheduled hearing, shown in MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM format. |
The Inmate Locator page warns that charges and bail amounts changed during court proceedings may not show on the record right away. The court register of actions catches up faster on most days.
If You Have an Outstanding Warrant
An outstanding warrant in San Mateo County is not a final sentence. It is an order that the court wants the person in front of a judge. The fix is almost always faster with counsel. Most bench warrants tied to missed misdemeanor or traffic dates can be cleared with a short hearing. Some can be quashed by a recall motion that the lawyer files. An arrest warrant for a felony is more serious, but the path is the same: surrender on a plan, not by surprise.
- Check the case in MIDX and the Odyssey portal so the warrant type and bail are clear.
- Call a private criminal defense lawyer or the Private Defender Program at (650) 298-4000 for indigent help.
- Ask counsel about a calendar add or a recall motion before any drop-in court appearance.
- Bring valid photo ID, the case number, and any bail funds if a payment will clear the warrant.
- Plan the surrender during morning clerk hours so the case can be heard the same day if rules allow.
Important: If you have an active San Mateo County warrant, contact the Private Defender Program at pdpsmcba.org before walking into a courthouse or jail.
The court warns that telephone requests to add a case to the calendar are accepted only from the attorney of record. A self-represented person should plan an in-person check-in by 9:00 a.m. or hire counsel to file a calendar request in writing.
Sheriff Binder and Warrant Service
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office serves most warrants in the county. Sheriff Kenneth Binder took office on November 12, 2025 as the 27th Sheriff. His prior posts include Santa Clara County Undersheriff and Interim Chief of Police for Gilroy, plus 27 years of sworn law enforcement work. Deputies serve warrants in cities that do not run their own police department, on county property, and in court buildings. Local police serve warrants inside their own city limits.
The Sheriff Kenneth Binder biography on the official Sheriff site lists his role and history. The Sheriff's main office is at 400 County Center in Redwood City. Phone: (650) 363-4911. The Corrections Division at 300 Bradford Street, Redwood City, books people brought in on arrest or bench warrants.
After a warrant arrest, the booking record opens on the Sheriff Inmate Locator. The Locator shows the case number, bail, charge, and next court date. For more on what shows up after booking, see San Mateo County inmate records.
Note: Sheriff records on a served warrant may not match the court file for up to one business day while booking data syncs.
Role of the District Attorney
The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office charges most crimes that lead to arrest warrants. DA staff review police reports, file complaints, and ask the court for the warrants needed to move a case. The office sits at 500 County Center, 3rd Floor, Redwood City. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone: (650) 363-4636. The full office contact list lives on the District Attorney contact page.
DA Victim Services helps people named as victims or witnesses in warrant-driven cases. The unit has run since 1975 and offers case updates, court support, victim impact help, restitution facts, and crime-victim compensation help. Services are free. The DA Victim Services page links brochures in English, Spanish, and Chinese. A victim with a protective order tied to an active warrant can ask Victim Services about safety planning and court notice.
The DA does not run a warrant search portal. Charge data flows from the DA filing into the court case and from there into the public Odyssey register of actions.
Crime Stoppers and Anonymous Tips
Anyone with a tip about a wanted person in San Mateo County can call the Sheriff's Office at (650) 363-4911. Tips can also go to the local police agency for the city where the person was last seen. The Sheriff's Office routes anonymous tips through its tip line and follows up with the right detail unit. Tips about a federal fugitive should go to the FBI or the U.S. Marshals Service.
The county does not run a single "Most Wanted" web page that doubles as a public warrant search. The Sheriff Inmate Locator at smc-inmatelocator.org is the closest public custody view, but it lists only people already booked. A tip that helps deputies find a wanted person can still lead to an arrest and the booking record that follows.
Anonymous tipsters should give as much detail as they safely can: the person's full name, last known address, vehicle, place of work, and any known weapons. Tipsters can stay nameless. The Sheriff does not require a tipster to give an address or phone number.
Restricted San Mateo County Warrant Records
Not every warrant shows up online. The court and the Sheriff withhold some warrant data for safety, privacy, or active investigation reasons. Juvenile warrants are confidential under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 and may be released only to listed persons or by court order. Sealed search warrants stay sealed until they are returned, the case is filed, and a judge lifts the seal. Sealed indictments stay out of public view until the named person is in custody.
Some arrest names also fail to appear on the Inmate Locator. The page cites the predecessor Government Code section 6254(f), now recodified at Government Code sections 7923.600 to 7923.625, for cases where the law lets police hold back arrest data during active enforcement. Protected victim and witness identifiers are also withheld under California Rules of Court, rule 2.503, on remote access.
Federal warrants are not a county record. A federal arrest warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the FBI, or the U.S. Marshals Service does not appear on a San Mateo County tool. The Sheriff may still serve a federal warrant on a person held in a county jail.
Note: A clean search on MIDX, Odyssey, and the Inmate Locator does not prove a person has no warrant in San Mateo County, since sealed and juvenile warrants are not in those tools.