Execute a Free Hidalgo County Warrant Search on Anybody

Conduct a free Hidalgo County warrant search using the guidance within this streamlined resource.

This article provides in-depth details about free online search tools available to the public, which departments in Hidalgo County could help individuals find out if there’s an active warrant out for them, and what to do to resolve one of these orders.

Run a Free Hidalgo County Warrant Search (an Overview)

Under the Public Information Act, Texas Government Code 552, civilians have the right to access official records without being questioned.¹ Warrants are typically covered by this, although there are cases made confidential for a variety of reasons. For example, if a minor is involved in a criminal charge, information on warrants involved in the case may be kept secure.

In order to search through warrants that are public record, typically the first and last name of the individual being inquired about needs to be known, as well as the county he or she resides in, or the jurisdiction that issued the order. There are several custodians at the county and municipal level that have information on active warrants and could possibly help any curious citizen.

How To Determine Who Has an Active Warrant in Hidalgo County Texas

Warrants can be found via a couple of local offices in Hidalgo County; each of these record custodians will be outlined below.

Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office: The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office is one of the best places to begin a search for an active warrant. The sheriff’s office, along with many other offices in the county, provides a link to the Hidalgo County Records Inquiry search tool, which allows the public to access all criminal, civil, jail, family, and probate court records for free.²

To begin an online search, the name of the defendant, case or citation number, or attorney name must be known, along with a date range. If there is an active warrant out for an individual, a small red “W” will appear next to the case number.

The sheriff’s office will also answer questions regarding warrants over the phone or in-person. While there are other offices that can aid in determining if a citizen has a specific kind of active warrant out for his or her name, the sheriff’s office, being the body that serves the order, will be able to answer nearly all questions related to any kind of active warrant ordered by Hidalgo County.

The sheriff’s office strongly suggests calling or stopping by in-person to obtain this information. The phone number for the office is 956-383-8114, and the building can be found at:

Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office
711 El Cibolo Road
Edinburg, TX 78541

The building is open from 8:00am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday.

District Clerk’s Office: The district clerk’s office files and mails information regarding active warrants related to felony cases, some of the most common being bench and probation violations. For any active warrant, the office will send a citation first in the mail to the last known address of the individual.

The Hidalgo County Records Inquiry portal mentioned above will allow all citizens to access information for free on the majority of these cases, except for records that are secured, sealed, or considered to have highly sensitive information.

Cases could get this status for a variety of reasons, but typically it means that minors were involved, or there was a nondisclosure agreement. In these cases, information is only provided to the person whose name is on the active warrant, and not to third parties.

For these confidential files, the district clerk’s office can assist any person inquiring on his or her own behalf. The staff can be reached by phone (956-318-2200) or email ([email protected]). The office is located in the Hidalgo County Courthouse at:

Hidalgo County District Clerk’s Office
100 North Closner Street
Edinburg, TX 78539

The courthouse is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday. To reach the office by mail, send all correspondence to the following PO box:

Hidalgo County District Clerk’s Office
PO Box 87
Edinburg, TX 78539

County Clerk’s Office: The Hidalgo County clerk’s office maintains written orders related to misdemeanor charges, specifically for cases where there has already been a failure to appear in court and a bench warrant is issued.

The office uses the same portal as the district clerk’s and sheriff’s offices. Also similar to the other departments, the county clerk’s office will send out a written letter informing an individual that there is an active warrant out for him or her.

The county clerk’s office is able to give out details surrounding an active warrant over the phone or in-person, to the individual affected or to any interested third parties. Any inquiring citizen will need the first and last name of the individual with the potential warrant, along with his or her date of birth in order for the county clerk’s office to assist.

Inquirers can contact the clerk’s office by phone at 956-318-2100 or visit in-person at:

Hidalgo County Clerk’s Office
100 North Closner Street
Edinburg, TX 78539

The office is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm from Monday to Friday. Any mail can be sent to the following PO Box rather than the street address:

Hidalgo County Clerk’s Office
PO Box 58
Edinburg, TX 78540

City of Edinburg Police Department: The city of Edinburg, like many other major cities and towns in Hidalgo County, Texas, orders and serves warrants for matters occurring within city limits. Its municipal courts department has a warrants division that handles all aspects of the ordered writs, from maintaining files to directing individuals on how to resolve an active one under his or her name.

The division will send out mail correspondence once an active warrant has been ordered for an individual. It will be sent to his or her last known address. A citizen can also inquire about an ordered writ directly to the police department at 956-289-7700, or go in-person to the station:

Edinburg Police Department
1702 S. Closner Boulevard
Edinburg, TX 78539

The warrants division will also assist when and where they can with all inquiries, and can be reached at 956-318-8819, and is located within the municipal court at the following street address:

Edinburg Municipal Court
100 East Freddy Gonzalez Drive
Edinburg, TX 78539

The building is open from 8:00am to 5:30pm from Monday to Friday. The phone number for the municipal court is 956-289-7797. Citizens can also communicate with the department through email at [email protected].

Both the police department and the warrants division of the municipal court will only disclose information on active orders to the person it is issued to, or an individual with written permission, such as a lawyer.

Unfortunately, there is no official statewide search tool where citizens can search for active warrants for free. The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Crime Records Division is where this information is kept and requests for copies are processed.⁵

The division does offer a Criminal History Conviction Name Search on its website where a search for a name of an individual could also show whether or not there is an active warrant ordered by the state for a starting cost of $3.00 for one search credit (a single credit allows one search for one name and the viewing of one matching record).⁷

The search tool’s New Users section walks any interested parties through how to use the search tool and expected costs.

Warrant Types & What They Mean

There are many different reasons that a warrant could be ordered. A citizen should know what type of active writ he or she suspects may be out for his or her name, because often — as is the case in Hidalgo County — a database sorts records based on what type of case it is, such as a criminal or civil case.

If there is an active traffic violation warrant out for an individual, but he or she only conducts a criminal case records search, then the order may be missed.

Bench warrants, ordered by a judge or magistrate, are one of the most common types that is typically issued when a citizen misses a court date. Similarly, an arrest warrant will be issued by a judge or magistrate, but only once enough evidence has been brought before him or her by peace officers to suggest a crime has been committed by an individual. Both of these types of written orders are for the arrest of the suspect.

Search warrants are another common and well-known type of written order. However, these do not call for the arrest of an individual but instead command peace officers to search for and obtain, if found, items or personal property thought to show proof of a crime.

In the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure 1.18, it is outlined that this can include the command to search for and take photographic evidence of a child.⁹ Sufficient evidence needs to first be brought before a court by a prosecutor for a search warrant to be granted.

If an individual breaches the terms of his or her parole, a probation or parole violation warrant can be issued and carried out. Another distinct characteristic of this type of writ is that it can be ordered by a probation officer, as well as a judge.

If someone has already been tried in a the court, judged, and sentenced, a capias warrant can be ordered by a judge or magistrate if there is reason to bring him or her back before the court. However, if the reason he or she is being summoned to return to court is due to not following through on the terms of his or her sentence, such as not paying a fine, then a capias pro fine warrant is issued instead.

Traffic warrants, issued most commonly when an individual fails to appear in court or pay a fine for a traffic violation, can end in the arrest of the individual if he or she does not resolve it first – resolving could mean paying the fine or setting another court date.

Another specific category of ordered writs would be child support warrants, which are exclusively ordered in situations where a parent has fallen concerningly far behind on child support payments, which is considered contempt-of-court.

Fugitive warrants are issued in situations where an individual who committed a crime in one jurisdiction flees to another. For example, if a crime is committed in Hidalgo County by a fugitive who flees to Starr County, Texas, then the former would order the writ, and the latter would carry out the arrest. The state’s Code of Criminal Procedure 1.51 lists the requirements for any peace officer in Texas to carry out a fugitive warrant.¹⁰

How To Get Rid of an Outstanding Warrant in Hidalgo County

If a person has an active warrant out for his or her name in Hidalgo County, the best thing to do is get in contact with the sheriff’s office to find out the best next course of action. The ordered writ may be resolved by setting a date to appear in court or paying a fine, but, depending on the severity of the charges, he or she may be arrested.

The individual can also contact the district clerk’s office or county clerk’s office to possibly find out information on an active warrant, but would need to know for what charges the order was given to be able to contact the correct department. Additionally, if the individual received a warrant postcard in the mail from Hidalgo County, he or she can possibly pay it online, using the link at the bottom of the Justices of the Peace section of the county website.¹¹

Whether an individual has conducted a warrant check on on him or herself or on behalf of someone else, if he or she is worried about the safety of the person with the warrant, there is a tip line available for the area; Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers works in full coordination with the sheriff’s office, and provides a number for members of the public to call to submit a tip (the calls are anonymous and not recorded).¹²

To submit a tip, call 1-800-222-8477.

So, for any active warrant issued by Hidalgo County, the sheriff’s office will be the peace officers responsible for following through on the order, and therefore have information about it for any curious civilians. The same applies at the municipal level; if a specific city or town within Hidalgo County ordered the writ, then check with that city’s police department, as its officers will be the ones responsible for serving the warrant.

The county clerk’s office and district clerk’s offices can also assist in specific scenarios, but generally, the law enforcement bodies will be most likely to have the sought-after information for anyone attempting a warrant search in Hidalgo County.

The main thing to remember when attempting a Hidalgo County warrant search is to start with the law enforcement bodies that will be following through on the order; while the district and county clerk’s offices can assist in specific scenarios, they do not have the same access as that of police departments. 

For any writ ordered by the county, the sheriff’s office will be of assistance, and for anything commanded by a municipal court, check with that town or city’s police department in order to find out if there is an active warrant, and how to resolve it.