If you think there might be a warrant out for your arrest in Arkansas, the worst thing you can do is nothing. A warrant generally doesn’t expire on its own, it doesn’t go away if you ignore it, and it can surface during a traffic stop, background investigation, license issue, border encounter, or other contact with law enforcement or the courts. The good news: warrants can be checked, and in most cases they can be resolved in a controlled way — often without you ever spending a night in jail.
Here’s how to find out whether you have a warrant in Arkansas, what the different types mean, and — most importantly — what to do about it.
The Most Important Thing to Know
A warrant handled proactively — through an attorney, on your schedule — almost always goes better than a warrant served on you at a traffic stop, your workplace, or your front door at 6 a.m. The difference is often whether you’re booked and held versus whether your attorney arranges a walk-through or gets the warrant recalled. Don’t wait for it to find you.
The Three Types of Warrants in Arkansas
“Warrant” is a broad term. Which type you’re dealing with changes what it means and how it’s resolved:
| Type | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Arrest Warrant | Issued when a judge finds probable cause that you committed a crime. Authorizes police to take you into custody. |
| Bench Warrant | Issued by a judge when you fail to appear in court, miss a payment, or violate a court order. A related but distinct order — the “body attachment” — is used in some civil and contempt proceedings to compel a person’s appearance. |
| Search Warrant | Authorizes police to search a specific place for evidence. Unlike the others, a search warrant must be executed within a limited time — under Arkansas Rule of Criminal Procedure 13.2, ordinarily a reasonable time not exceeding 60 days — or it expires. |
The critical point about arrest and bench warrants: they generally don’t expire. They normally remain outstanding until served, recalled, quashed, or otherwise withdrawn by the court — a warrant from years ago is very likely still live. That said, in an unusually old case, statute-of-limitations, unreasonable-delay, or other defenses may still need to be evaluated by an attorney. The practical takeaway is the same: don’t assume time has cleared it.
How to Find Out If You Have a Warrant
There are several ways to check, ranging from safest to riskiest:
1. Have an Attorney Check (Safest)
This is the method that protects you. A criminal defense attorney can check for warrants discreetly, tell you exactly what you’re facing, and — crucially — start resolving it before you expose yourself to arrest. When you check on your own and find a warrant, you then have to figure out what to do next. When an attorney checks, the check and the plan happen together.
2. Search ARCourts (Free Online)
The Arkansas Judiciary’s public Search ARCourts portal (run by the Administrative Office of the Courts, and formerly known as CourtConnect) lets anyone search court case records by participant name or case number. To use it:
- Go to the Arkansas Judiciary’s Search ARCourts portal
- Search by name (last name, first name) or case number
- Open matching cases and look for docket entries like “Bench Warrant Issued,” “Failure to Appear,” or “Warrant Served”
- Note the case number, court division, and any next court date
Two important limitations. First, Search ARCourts shows public case information, not a definitive live-warrant registry — not every warrant appears, and some are sealed or confidential (particularly in active investigations). Second, and just as important: not every Arkansas court participates fully in the statewide system. All circuit courts provide at least some information through Search ARCourts, but only some district and city courts do — and many maintain their own records that may not appear there. A clean result does not guarantee you have no warrant — it may just mean the issuing court’s information isn’t in the database.
3. County Sheriff and City Warrant Lists
Because the statewide system doesn’t cover every court, checking at the local level often matters more. Many Arkansas counties and cities publish outstanding warrant lists on their sheriff’s office or police department websites, and the clerk of the specific court where you think a case exists can confirm what that court is holding. If you believe a warrant might be in a specific county or city, that jurisdiction’s records are often the most reliable place to look. Coverage varies widely — some jurisdictions post comprehensive online lists, others post nothing and require a call or visit.
4. Calling the Court or Sheriff (Riskiest)
You can call the clerk of the court or sheriff’s office and ask whether there’s a warrant in your name. The stronger reason to route this through an attorney isn’t fear of a specific reaction to your call — it’s that an attorney can investigate the warrant and formulate a surrender, recall, or bond plan before you physically appear or otherwise put yourself in a position to be taken into custody. When you check on your own, finding a warrant leaves you to figure out the next move on the spot.
What NOT to Do
- Don’t ignore it. Warrants generally don’t expire. Ignoring one only increases the chance it’s served at the worst possible moment — and missing a required criminal-court appearance may support a separate failure-to-appear charge under § 5-54-120.
- Don’t turn yourself in without a plan. Walking into a jail unrepresented means you’re booked, and then you wait — for a bond hearing, for a first appearance, on the jail’s timeline. An attorney can often arrange the surrender to minimize or avoid jail time.
- Don’t try to explain your way out at a traffic stop. If you’re stopped and the officer confirms an active warrant, the officer will ordinarily arrest you or otherwise act as directed by the warrant. Trying to explain the underlying situation at the roadside is unlikely to help, and anything you say can be used later. Stay calm, be polite, and invoke your right to remain silent.
- Don’t post about it online. Prosecutors and police review social media. A post about your warrant or the underlying situation can become evidence.
What to Do Instead
1. Contact a Criminal Defense Attorney
This is the first step for a reason. An attorney can confirm the warrant, determine the underlying charge, and build a plan before you take any action that exposes you to arrest.
2. Let the Attorney Assess the Underlying Case
A warrant is attached to something — a missed court date, a new charge, an unpaid fine, a probation issue. The strategy depends entirely on what’s underneath it.
3. Explore Getting the Warrant Recalled or Quashed
For many bench warrants — especially failure-to-appear situations — an attorney can file a motion to recall or quash the warrant and set a new court date, sometimes resolving the whole thing without an arrest.
4. Arrange a Controlled Surrender If Necessary
If surrender is the right move, the attorney can coordinate it — often arranging for a bond to be ready so you’re processed and released quickly rather than held.
5. Prepare for the Underlying Charge
Resolving the warrant is step one. Defending whatever prompted it — the original charge or the missed obligation — is where the real work happens.
Bench Warrants and Failure to Appear
The most common warrant people discover is a bench warrant for missing court. In Arkansas, failure to appear is its own offense under § 5-54-120, and the level tracks the seriousness of the underlying case. In general terms: failure to appear on a felony charge is a Class C felony (with certain felony-revocation failures treated as Class D felonies); failure to appear on a Class A misdemeanor is a Class A misdemeanor; failure to appear on a lower-grade misdemeanor is generally a Class B misdemeanor; and failure to appear on a violation is a Class C misdemeanor. (Failure to appear on an unclassified misdemeanor is itself unclassified and carries the same penalty as the underlying offense.) The practical point is the same across the board: a missed court date doesn’t just generate a warrant — it can add a brand-new charge on top of your original case.
The upside: courts see failure-to-appear situations constantly, and many have legitimate explanations — a missed notice, a medical emergency, confusion about the date. An attorney who appears and explains the circumstances, ideally with a motion to recall the warrant, can often get you back on track without the worst consequences.
Consequences of an Unresolved Warrant
Leaving a warrant open doesn’t just risk arrest. Depending on the situation, it can also mean:
- Suspension of your driver’s license in certain failure-to-appear situations
- Additional fines and court costs
- A new failure-to-appear charge if you missed a required court appearance
- May affect employment or housing applications if it surfaces in a records search
- Discovery during a border encounter, booking, traffic stop, or other law-enforcement contact
- Complications with bond if you’re eventually arrested — a judge may view an unresolved warrant as bearing on flight risk or willingness to appear
The Bottom Line
A warrant in Arkansas won’t disappear on its own, and the longer it sits, the more likely it’s served at the worst possible time. But warrants are resolvable — often far more easily than people fear. The path that protects you is straightforward: find out what you’re actually facing, do it through an attorney who can act on it immediately, and resolve the warrant on your terms rather than law enforcement’s.
If you think you might have a warrant in Little Rock, Pulaski County, or anywhere in central Arkansas, the safest move is to have it checked and handled before it’s served on you.
Think You Might Have a Warrant?
The safest way to deal with a warrant is proactively — before it’s served at a traffic stop or your front door. We can check discreetly, explain what you’re facing, and work to resolve it on your terms, often minimizing or avoiding jail time.
This post is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client relationship with Wesley Rhodes, Attorney at Law. Laws and procedures change; the information above reflects Arkansas law as of the date of publication. If you need legal advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified criminal defense attorney promptly.