Active Warrants in Contra Costa County
Warrants in Contra Costa County are issued by judges of the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Criminal arrest warrants come from a complaint or grand jury. Bench warrants come from a missed court date, a probation issue, or a failure to obey a court order. Search warrants come from a sworn affidavit by a peace officer. The Office of the Sheriff, led by Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston, books people on those warrants and enters them into law enforcement databases.
No public countywide active warrant search portal was located on Sheriff or court static pages during research. Do not trust third party warrant sites. Verify each warrant through the criminal clerk, the case docket on the Court Public Portal, or the Sheriff In-Custody Locator. Court minutes, calendar entries, and signed warrant orders are the official trail. Sealed search warrant affidavits stay confidential until the court unseals them, so not every Contra Costa County warrant is public the moment it is signed.
The Tyler-hosted Court Public Portal went live on Monday, April 27, 2026. It hosts the live court case index used by court clerks and the public. The In-Custody Locator at the Sheriff site shows people booked into jail, which is the second place a Contra Costa County warrant appears after service. Both feeds update on different schedules. A warrant signed today may not appear on the jail roster until the booking moves through Martinez Detention Facility intake.
Types of Contra Costa County Warrants
California courts use several warrant types. Each one comes from a different rule. Each one ends in a different way. The Contra Costa Superior Court issues most of these; a small share come from federal courts in the Northern District of California or out-of-county courts that ask Contra Costa to hold the person.
- Arrest warrant - Signed by a judge after a sworn complaint or after an indictment. Orders law enforcement to arrest the named person on a charge.
- Bench warrant - Issued from the bench, often for a missed court date, a probation failure, a missed restitution payment, or contempt of a court order.
- Search warrant - Signed after a peace officer files a sworn affidavit. The affidavit may stay sealed until the search is run, and sometimes longer.
- Probation warrant - Issued when a probationer skips a check-in, fails a drug test, picks up a new case, or violates a stay-away order.
- Fugitive warrant - Issued when another state or jurisdiction asks Contra Costa County to hold the person for extradition.
- Body attachment - A civil order to bring a person before the court, used in narrow contempt or family-law settings.
- Parole hold - Not a court warrant, but treated like one. Lodged by CDCR parole on a person already in Contra Costa custody.
Bench warrants are by far the most common type a member of the public will run into. Most stem from a missed traffic or misdemeanor court date and can be cleared by adding the case back to the calendar with the criminal clerk. Felony bench warrants tend to require an in-person appearance with counsel.
How to Search Contra Costa County Warrants
There is no one-stop Contra Costa warrant lookup. A clean Contra Costa County warrant search blends three feeds. The Court Public Portal carries the case-level minute orders. The Sheriff In-Custody Locator shows whether the person is already booked. The criminal clerk at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse can confirm the warrant status by phone or in person.
- Open the Tyler Court Public Portal and run a name search. Look for a criminal case with a bench warrant or failure to appear minute order.
- If the person was already taken into custody, check the Sheriff In-Custody Locator for booking number, facility, and charge.
- Call the criminal clerk at Wakefield Taylor Courthouse at (925) 608-1000. Ask if the case shows an active or recalled warrant.
- For out-of-county or federal involvement, check the BOP locator and the U.S. Marshals Northern District page.
- For traffic bench warrants, open the Traffic Public Portal. Most failure-to-appear holds on traffic citations can be cleared there or by phone.
- Bring a printed copy of the case docket or screenshot to any in-person visit. Court Records is in Room 103 at Wakefield Taylor.
Penal Code section 851.91 lets people seal arrests that did not lead to a conviction. Reading the statute text on the leginfo site helps before going to the clerk. The screenshot below shows the statute as published by the Legislature, which is the source for any Contra Costa County arrest sealing petition.
That same statute is the legal hook for clearing an arrest that never became a conviction. Pair it with a confirmed warrant recall to clean up the record after the warrant is quashed.
Contra Costa County Warrant Search Fields
Because Contra Costa County does not publish a stand-alone warrant search portal, the fields used in a warrant search are the criminal case fields on the Court Public Portal and the booking fields on the Sheriff In-Custody Locator. Field labels below mirror those used in the live court portal and Sheriff locator pages.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Yes | Exact or partial last name on the Court Public Portal and Sheriff locator. |
| First Name | Text | No | Narrows a name search; helps with common Contra Costa surnames. |
| Case Number | Text | No | Court Public Portal field; pulls the full Contra Costa criminal docket if known. |
| Booking Number | Text | No | Sheriff In-Custody Locator field; ties a warrant to a current jail booking. |
| Date of Birth | Date | No | Not exposed on every search screen; used for confirmation. |
| Court Date | Date | No | Useful when the warrant came from a missed Contra Costa hearing. |
| Search | Button | Yes | Runs the query against the live court or Sheriff database. |
What a Contra Costa County Warrant Record Shows
When a Contra Costa County warrant appears in a case file or a Sheriff profile, it carries a fixed set of fields. Most fields are public. Some are sealed. The table below is the field inventory from research ยง17 and matches what a court clerk or jail records clerk will read off the screen.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Defendant name and DOB | Full legal name, age, and date of birth used by the court and jail. |
| Case Number | Contra Costa Superior Court case number tied to the underlying charge. |
| Warrant Number | Local warrant identifier used by the Sheriff and the court. |
| Warrant Type | Bench, arrest, probation, search, or fugitive. |
| Issuing Court / Judge | The judge who signed the warrant and the courthouse where it was issued. |
| Issue Date | Date the warrant was signed and entered into the case file. |
| Charge / Offense | Penal Code, Vehicle Code, or Health and Safety Code section cited. |
| Bail Amount | Dollar bail or no-bail status set on the face of the warrant. |
| Hold Agency | Agency that asked for the hold, such as Contra Costa Probation or CDCR. |
| Return / Recall / Quash Date | Date the warrant was returned, recalled, or quashed by the court. |
| Next Court Date | Calendared hearing after surrender or arrest. |
Sealed search warrant affidavits, juvenile warrants, victim and witness data, confidential informants, and tactical law enforcement details do not show on a public search. Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 keeps juvenile case files out of the public portal.
How to Resolve an Outstanding Contra Costa County Warrant
Resolving a Contra Costa County warrant takes steady work. The court will not lift a warrant by phone alone in most felony cases. A misdemeanor or traffic bench warrant is easier. Most people use a calendar add-on through the criminal clerk. Some surrender at the Martinez Detention Facility booking counter with counsel present.
- Verify the warrant through an official source. Call the criminal clerk at (925) 608-1000, check the Court Public Portal, or hire a lawyer to pull the case.
- Skip third party warrant lookup sites. They are out of date and they may post a warrant that was recalled long ago.
- If the warrant is tied to a missed court date, ask the criminal clerk or your attorney about adding the case back to calendar.
- If bail is set on the face of the warrant, confirm accepted payment rules with the jail or court before you post bond.
- For a no-bail warrant or one that needs a personal appearance, arrange a surrender through your attorney, the Contra Costa Public Defender, or local law enforcement.
- Bring photo ID, the case number, proof of compliance such as treatment certificates, payment receipts, and an attorney contact card.
- After the court recalls or quashes the warrant, ask for a certified copy of the minute order. Allow time for law enforcement databases to update before driving long distances.
Important: Call the Contra Costa Public Defender or a private attorney before any warrant surrender; a few minutes of legal advice can mean the difference between a calendar add-on and a custody booking.
Sealing Contra Costa County Arrests Without Conviction
Penal Code section 851.91 lets a Contra Costa County resident petition to seal an arrest that did not lead to a conviction. The text of the statute is hosted on the California Legislature site. Eligible scenarios include cases where charges were never filed, charges were dismissed, the person was acquitted, or the conviction was vacated or reversed and not retried.
Penal Code section 1203.4, posted at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, gives post-conviction dismissal relief for some cases after probation. The screenshot below shows the section 1203.4 text. The Legislature page is the canonical source for the rules a Contra Costa Superior Court judge will apply.
Section 1203.4 does not erase every trace of the record. Some agencies will still see the case during licensing checks. A clean Contra Costa County warrant recall paired with a granted 1203.4 motion is often the cleanest end state.
Anonymous Tips and Contra Costa County Wanted Persons
The Office of the Sheriff publishes most wanted alerts and tip lines through its press release feed. Tips on a Contra Costa County warrant or wanted person can go to the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441 dispatch or to the local police of the city where the wanted person was last seen. The DA office, led by Diana Becton, also publishes case news that sometimes lists wanted persons tied to active prosecutions.
The U.S. Marshals Northern District of California handles federal fugitives from the county. Local police in Concord, Richmond, Antioch, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, and Pittsburg each run their own most wanted boards. A Contra Costa County warrant for a serious felony often shows on more than one agency feed.
Restricted Contra Costa County Warrant Records
Not every Contra Costa County warrant is public. Sealed search warrant affidavits stay confidential until the court orders them unsealed. Juvenile warrants are kept out of the public portal under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827. Witness identities, confidential informants, victim addresses, and tactical operation details are redacted under California Rule of Court 2.550.
Some federal warrants are filed under seal in the Northern District of California. Those do not show on the Contra Costa Superior Court portal at all. Anyone who suspects a sealed federal warrant should consult counsel rather than try to confirm through public records. Active investigative material is also withheld under Government Code section 7922.000 of the California Public Records Act.