Free Ada County Warrant Search: Check Anybody’s Wanted Status

Run an Ada County warrant search to ensure the safety of your community, see if you or someone you know is wanted, or just to satisfy your curiosity.

According to the Idaho Public Records Act and the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), information on warrants in Ada County is largely available for public consumption. Interested parties can look up these records from county and state agencies for free — and obtain physical copies at just a small fee.

This resource provides helpful information, such as links to online search tools and official channels to help patrons find warrant details in Ada County, Idaho.

An Overview of Looking Up Warrants in Ada County

Warrant records in Ada County are public data due to the Idaho Public Records Act, which means anyone can request this information from public agencies.¹ This data is also mostly available to the public for free except in cases where copies are reproduced as in a public records request.

Citizens who need to acquire warrant data on other individuals will need to have several pieces of information beforehand to execute a search successfully. This information includes the full names of the offender, the county where the warrant was issued, and in some cases, the date of birth (DOB).

Sometimes, physical descriptors of the subject such as weight, height, or tattoos should be known; however, these pieces of information are largely supplementary.

There are several sources for warrant records, including law enforcement agencies, courts that issue these orders, and state official channels.

In Ada County, patrons may seek warrant data from the Sheriff’s Office, the primary law enforcement agency. They may also seek this information from the Ada County District Court —this public agency is the main issuer of warrants in the county.² Additionally, citizens may sometimes retrieve this information from city municipal agencies.

While searching for warrant records, knowing that there are different kinds would be helpful. Typically, three types of warrants are issued by a judge: bench, arrest and search warrants—a description of these appears in the following sections.

In some cases, warrant information may be found online through databases or by calling and emailing the agency with custody of the records. It is also possible for interested persons to make public record requests.

Please note that some information on warrants will not be released to the public, as in the case of search authorization orders that have yet to be executed. Releasing these records will jeopardize ongoing investigations, and therefore, law enforcement agencies cannot allow the public access to this information.

How To Access Information on Wanted Persons: Ada County Warrant Search

Citizens who need to find warrant information can do so through the Ada County District Court and the Sheriff’s Office. Both agencies provide ways to obtain these records electronically or request the information by telephone, in person, and by mail.

Retrieve Warrant Records via the Ada County District Court: Warrants are part of court records and thus freely available to the public. The quickest way to search for a warrant would be to scour court data using the Ada County Online Court Records Search Tool.

This instrument is free to use and users can find warrant information by inputting the names of the person of interest. Moreover, patrons may look for records using other criteria such as search type, case type, case status etc. Information on warrants includes the case number, the date issued and the reason for the arrest authorization.

Alternatively, interested parties may request to view judicial records from the District Court.⁴ Select the case type in the request type depending on the warrant—most warrants tend to be criminal cases. Interested persons can view these records in person, through mail or email.

Pursuant to ID code §31-3201, a fee of $1.00 per page of records applies. List the documents to search for and make payment via credit card.

The Clerk will notify the requestor in 3 business days the action taken and attempt to find the file in 10 working days.

Visit or contact the Ada County Courthouse by calling 208.287.6900; hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM. Citizens can refer to these frequently asked questions.⁵

Ada County Courthouse
200 West Front Street
Boise, ID 83702

Find Warrant Data from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office: Patrons may contact the Ada County Sheriff’s to find information on wanted offenders. They may do this electronically using the Ada County Sheriff’s Warrant Search Tool for free.⁶ Users can search for wanted persons using the first and last name; offenders found using this tool are only those wanted in the county, and not the state.

Since records are constantly updated on this database, call the Ada County Sheriff’s Office at 208.577.3090 or 208.577.309 to ascertain the data. The information displayed in these records includes the following.

• Mugshot (Photograph)
• Age of the Offender
• Warrant Number
• Crime Wanted For
• Date of Issue of the Warrant
• Severity
• Bond Amount

Moreover, interested persons may call 208.577.3012 for public information record requests, electronically contact the Ada County Sheriff’s Office or visit the sheriff’s address below to ascertain the status of a warrant. Please note that if the individual requesting information has an active warrant, they will be taken into custody.

Ada County Sheriff’s Office
7200 Barrister Drive
Boise, ID 83704

Acquire Warrant Information in Cities in Ada County: Residents in cities in Ada County, such as Boise, Meridian, and Eagle, do not have local channels to seek warrant data from the county. They must contact the agencies above to perform this. Nevertheless, it is possible to make record requests from local police departments that pertain to local warrant information.

For example, the City of Boise Police Department permits citizens to request public information using a records requests form.⁷ These are processed within 3 to 10 business days. As mandated by Idaho Code § 74-102, requests are subject to copy and processing fees required before processing.

For questions about requests, call 208.570.6000, email [email protected] or see these frequently asked questions.

How To Determine if Someone Has a Warrant in Idaho

Interested persons may also need to find warrant information on offenders not in Ada County but in other counties in Idaho. They may do this through state agencies; in particular, they may contact the Idaho Judicial Branch and the Department of Corrections.

The Idaho Judicial Branch provides online access to all courts in the state through the iCourt Portal. This tool is free to use and permits users to find court records from all district courts in the state, regardless of county. When using the instrument, select the county of interest and input the names of the subjects of the search to check to see if there is a warrant issued against them.

Patrons may also directly contact the District Court from this county courthouse directory.⁸

In addition, Interested individuals can contact the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) which maintains an online list of wanted fugitives from the probation and parole division of the state agency.⁹ Information on offenders from this list includes:

• Photographs (mugshots) of the Fugitive
• Full & Alias Names
• IDOC Number
• Wanted Date
• Captured Status
• Particulars of the Warrant
• Physical Descriptors (Sex, Weight, Height, Hair Color, etc.)

Patrons may also submit a records request with the IDOC to obtain information on wanted offenders. For more information, contact the Idaho Department of Corrections through phone at 208.658.2000 or by visiting the IDOC at the address below. See these frequently asked questions for more information.

Idaho Department of Corrections
Suite 110, 1299 North Orchard Street
Boise, ID 83706

An Overview of Warrant Types

A warrant is an authorization typically issued by a judge or magistrate that allows an otherwise illegal act that violates the rights of persons, such as freedom, and protects the officer executing it from damages due to the act.

Warrants are included by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, where they may be issued due to probable cause to cause a place to be searched or persons to be seized.¹⁰

As mentioned earlier, there are several types of warrants, including arrest warrants, bench warrants, and child support warrants.

Arrest Warrants— This is one of the most common of the warrants issued by a judge and must accompany a signed affidavit showing probable cause of a crime committed by a person. Most of the time, these warrants are required for misdemeanors that law enforcement officers do not witness.

Bench Warrants— Bench warrants are a type of arrest subpoena that the courts issue when offenders fail to appear for their court appearance.

Probation & Parole Violation Warrants— These two warrants are arrest orders issued when offenders violate conditions set forth by their parole and probation terms. They may sometimes result in the offender being returned to prison and jail.

Traffic Warrants— This type of warrant authorizes law enforcement officials to take citizens who have outstanding and unpaid traffic citations into custody.

Child Support Warrants— Child support warrants are non-criminal and are issued when individuals are ordered through court notice to appear for child support hearings and fail to show. Persons detained as a result of these warrants must remain in custody until the money ordered by the judge is paid.

Capias & Capias Pro Fine Warrants— These warrants occur when a subject is guilty of an offense either through an appearance in court or arraignment in jail and fails to pay the fine or satisfy the conditions set forth by the court.

Fugitive Warrants—Fugitive warrants are sent out of state when an offender is in a local jurisdiction.

Search Warrants— Search warrants are orders from the court that authorize law enforcement officials to search a person, property or vehicle for evidence of a crime and confiscate any evidence.

Governor Warrants— These warrants originate from the Governor’s Office to extradite a suspect who has committed a crime in another state by allowing the police to apprehend the individual.

How To Settle an Active Warrant in Ada County Idaho

Settling an active warrant is imperative to having peace of mind to avoid always worrying about being taken into custody—therefore, once an individual has confirmed they or someone else has an arrest subpoena, they should take several steps such as paying fines to avoid arrest and spend time in jail, albeit for a few hours.

If a citizen has confirmed that someone else, such as family or friend has a warrant, they may notify them to take action to remedy the situation. However, in certain cases, as in violent criminals, and particularly when there is fear for the safety of the community or individuals, it is vital to inform the authorities of wanted individuals.

The Idaho Department of Corrections allows citizens to submit tips on wanted individuals. Once users have identified the wanted individual, there is a “Submit a web tip” link in the offender’s profile. This will allow the tipper to input their name and contact information, and they may detail a message on the tip.

Citizens may contact the Sheriff’s Office at 208.577.3090 or 208.577.309 for wanted offenders in Ada County. To cure a warrant, individuals may enlist the services of an attorney to help them quash the arrest order to avoid any jail time. Otherwise, they can also take these steps to deactivate the warrant.

• Paying a fine to avoid arrest.
• They may choose to accept another penalty.
• Set a court date to appear before a judge rather than go into custody.
• Individuals may choose to turn themselves in. However, before doing so, they should communicate with family or lawyers and arrange to enlist the services of a bail bondsman to pay any bond amount that will allow them to be out on bail.

The ability to run an Ada County warrant search is important to uphold the safety of citizens and the community; this article provides helpful resources and information to help patrons navigate county and state agencies to find this information.