Search Duval County Bench Warrants

Bench warrants in Duval County are issued by the 4th Judicial Circuit Court in Jacksonville. Duval County has a consolidated government with the City of Jacksonville, making it one of the largest counties in Florida by population with over 1,055,000 residents. The Duval County Clerk of Court runs an online database called CORE where you can search court records. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office handles warrant service across the county. This page covers how to search for active bench warrants in Duval County, what the local offices do, and how to resolve an outstanding warrant.

Duval County Clerk Warrant Records

The Duval County Clerk of Court is located at 501 W. Adams St. in Jacksonville. Phone number is (904) 255-1000. The clerk's office files and stores all court records from the 4th Judicial Circuit, including bench warrant orders. You can visit in person during business hours or use the online tools to search for records. The clerk can search by name or case number. Copies and certified copies are available for standard fees.

The Duval County Clerk homepage is shown below. This is the main portal for accessing court records in Jacksonville.

The clerk also has a Public Records Department that handles larger requests. You can visit in person at the courthouse for help finding specific bench warrant records in Duval County.

Court records in Duval County are public under Florida's Sunshine Law, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. Anyone can request bench warrant records. You do not need to be the person named on the warrant. Some records may be sealed by court order, but most bench warrants remain open to the public in Duval County.

Duval County CORE Database

The CORE database is the Duval County Clerk's online record search tool. CORE stands for Clerk Online Resource ePortal. It gives the public access to non-confidential court records from Duval County. You can search by name or case number. To use CORE, you accept the user agreement and select Public Access to begin your search. The tool covers criminal, civil, traffic, and family court records.

The CORE database search portal is shown here.

CORE is free to use. You can search for bench warrant cases by looking up the defendant's name. The case details will show whether a bench warrant was issued and its current status. This is one of the most direct ways to check for Duval County bench warrants from home.

Under Florida Statute § 901.02, a judge needs probable cause to issue an arrest warrant. The CORE system shows the full case history, so you can see exactly when and why a bench warrant was issued in Duval County. The database gets updated as the clerk processes new filings.

Note: CORE shows court records but may not reflect the very latest warrant activity due to processing time.

Jacksonville Sheriff Bench Warrants

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office serves all bench warrants in Duval County. Their main address is 501 E. Bay St. in Jacksonville. The non-emergency line is (904) 630-0500, and public records requests go to (904) 630-2209. Under Florida Statute § 901.04, any sheriff in Florida can serve a bench warrant. So a Duval County bench warrant can be acted on by law enforcement in any other county in the state.

The JSO has a Public Records Unit that handles requests. You can submit requests through the JSO Public Records Center online portal. Mail or in-person requests go to Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Attn: Public Records Unit, 501 E. Bay St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. The sheriff enters active bench warrants into state and national databases. The FDLE statewide system picks up this data and makes it searchable at fdle.state.fl.us.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has issued public warnings about impostor scams. Callers pretend to be from the sheriff's office and claim the person has an active warrant. They demand payment over the phone to clear it. This is a scam. Real Duval County bench warrants are never resolved by phone payments. Always verify through the JSO non-emergency line or the clerk of court website.

How Duval County Bench Warrants Work

A bench warrant in Duval County starts when a 4th Judicial Circuit judge signs an order from the bench. Failure to appear is the most common trigger. Under Florida Statute § 88.3051, the court can issue a bench warrant, capias, or writ of bodily attachment after proper notice. Missing a criminal hearing, a traffic case, a civil matter, or a child support hearing can all lead to a bench warrant in Duval County.

Once signed, the bench warrant is active immediately. Electronic signatures have been valid on Florida warrants since July 2013. The warrant goes to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for service. A Duval County bench warrant does not expire. It remains active until the person is arrested, a judge recalls the warrant, or the person is deceased. Under Florida Statute § 933.05, search warrants expire after 10 days, but bench warrants have no such limit. A Duval County bench warrant from years ago is still valid today.

Duval County Bench Warrant Penalties

Florida Statute § 843.15 makes failure to appear a separate crime. If you were out on bail for a felony and missed court, that is a third-degree felony. Skipping a misdemeanor court date is a first-degree misdemeanor. These charges pile on top of the original case. A Duval County bench warrant means you face the original matter plus a new failure to appear charge.

Officers can arrest you on a Duval County bench warrant at any time. At home, at work, during a traffic stop. The warrant shows up in law enforcement databases across the state and country. In a county as large as Duval with over a million people, law enforcement encounters are common. The longer you wait, the higher the chance of an arrest at an inconvenient time.

Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or prosecuting attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring the defendant before the court. In Duval County, this is how the system formally gets someone back in front of the judge for sentencing or adjudication after a bench warrant has been issued.

Resolving Duval County Bench Warrants

Start by confirming the warrant through the CORE database or the FDLE system. Then contact a criminal defense attorney. A lawyer in Jacksonville can search for Duval County bench warrants on your behalf. They can arrange a voluntary surrender at the courthouse. Turning yourself in is almost always better than getting picked up by the Jacksonville Sheriff during a routine stop. The court looks at voluntary appearance as a positive sign.

An attorney may also file a motion to quash the bench warrant. This works when there is a good reason you missed court, such as a medical emergency, mistaken identity, or a minor old case. The judge decides whether to recall the Duval County bench warrant at a hearing. If quashed, the bench warrant is cancelled and you get a new court date.

The statewide FDLE database can also help you check for warrants. The FDLE homepage is shown below.

The database covers all 67 Florida counties and updates every 24 hours. Keep in mind it may not show every warrant right away.

Note: Bench warrant records in Duval County are public under the Sunshine Law and accessible to anyone.

Cities in Duval County

Duval County operates under a consolidated government with Jacksonville. The city and county share the same courts and sheriff's office. All bench warrants for the area go through the 4th Judicial Circuit.

Other communities in Duval County include Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Baldwin. All bench warrant cases in these areas are handled by the Duval County court system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Duval County in northeast Florida. Make sure your case was filed in Duval County before searching here. Bench warrants must be checked in the county where the case was originally filed.