Execute a Free Marion County Warrant Search (Resource)

Perform a free Marion County warrant search today to determine if you or someone else is wanted.

Warrants are issued for arrests and legal searches by courts and law enforcement agencies. It’s common for local record custodians to provide online databases of warrants or charges to the public at no cost. Follow the guidance and utilize the linked search tools throughout this streamlined resource to find out how you can effectively perform a warrant search in Marion County, Florida.

An Overview of Conducting a Free Marion County Warrant Search

Because warrants are created and maintained by government agencies they are subject to a state’s open records law. Florida Statute 119.01 provides that all government agency records are open for inspection and copying by any person. Chapter 119 Section 07 establishes the rules surrounding inspection and copying.^{1, 2}

The law describes the process, in which a person must submit a written request, subject to applicable fees, and the agency must comply unless the record requested is exempted under the same code.

Florida Statute 119.071(2) provides the exemptions most pertinent to warrants. It states that all active criminal investigative information is exempt from the open records law. This means that an agency in possession of a warrant does not have to disclose the record to the public.

It is completely at the discretion of a law enforcement agency or court to provide details about a warrant. As it pertains to arrest warrants, an agency may elect to disclose some details about its subject in order to effectuate the arrest. This is generally done through most wanted lists or online active warrant lists.

Once an arrest warrant has been generated, it will become the basis of a criminal case filed in a Florida Circuit or county court of law. Criminal case files are usually available for inspection and copying by members of the public, and interested parties may be able to view the charges from the warrant that led to the case. Courts may also provide a free online database of criminal cases filed in its jurisdiction.

Search warrants, on the other hand, are practically ineligible for public disclosure. The nature of a search warrant is to further a criminal investigation by finding evidence linked to an alleged crime. If a search warrant is issued, it means that a criminal investigation is still active.

No one, other than the person who owns the thing to be searched, will be eligible to discover the contents of the search warrant. Even they will discover the contents only at the time the search warrant is executed.

For the warrants that are nonexempt, interested parties performing a search should know at least the name of the person and where they live. It would also be helpful to know what county or city the warrant was issued in.

Verify if You or Someone Else Has an Active Warrant in Marion County Florida

There are several ways to verify if you or someone else has an active warrant in Marion County, Florida. An active warrant is an outstanding summons issued for the arrest of a person for violating a criminal law or court order. If the person named on the warrant is discovered they will likely be placed under arrest without delay.

If you suspect that a warrant may be issued for an arrest, you can contact the court or law enforcement agency that could have issued it. There are some courts that will allow a person who missed a court date to pay a fine and have their bench warrant quashed. This means they will not be further penalized by the court, and the warrant will be terminated.

An interested person may check online resources to find out if they or someone else has an active warrant in Marion County. In Florida, criminal cases are filed and heard in circuit and county courts.

Circuit courts have jurisdiction over felonies and county courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanors. There are also municipal courts that have jurisdiction over city ordinance violations, traffic cases, and misdemeanors that do not carry incarceration sentencing exposure.

The Marion County Judicial Center houses both the circuit and county courts. The custodian for criminal case files is the Marion County Clerk of Court & Comptroller.³

After an arrest warrant is generated it creates a criminal file that will be sent to the courthouse. Information from the warrant, such as the subject and charge, is available to the public for inspection and copying.

The Marion County Clerk also provides a convenient and free online court records search.⁴ The search can be performed anonymously and you do not have to create an account.

Simply click on ‘Public’ and agree to the disclaimer to perform the search. You can search by an individual’s name or by case number.

If searching by name you must include the last name. To narrow the search to criminal cases, check ‘Criminal Traffic’, ‘Felony’, ‘Misdemeanor’, and ‘Traffic Infraction’ under the ‘Court Type’ heading. Results are organized by the defendant instead of the case.

Users can view a defendant’s name, gender, race, address, and the number of criminal cases filed against them in Marion County.

To view information from the criminal cases, click on the corresponding row or arrow beside the name. The charge will be listed under the ‘Statute Text’.

Alternatively, interested parties may elect to submit a public records request directly to the Marion County Clerk’s Office.⁶ It is implied that records requests should be mailed to the address below.

Public Records Liaison
Marion County Clerk of Court & Comptroller
PO Box 1030
Ocala, Florida – 34478

Phone: 352.671.5607
Email: [email protected]

The office is located in the Marion County Judicial Center. Courthouse hours are available to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Marion County Judicial Center
110 N.W. 1st Avenue
Ocala, FL 34475

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office executes the court’s warrants.⁷ Interested persons may also access the Florida Crime Information System to check for warrants. Contact the Sheriff’s Office for more information.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office
692 NW 30th Ave.
Ocala, FL 34475

Phone: 352.732.8181

The Ocala Police Department provides law enforcement services for the citizens of the city. Ocala Police Social Media allows the public to view the city’s most wanted criminals.⁸ Interested parties may peruse the department’s social media pages to observe individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.

For more information, contact the Ocala Police Department.

Ocala Police Department
402 S. Pine Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34471

Phone: 352.369.7000

How To Perform a Statewide Warrant Lookup in Florida

There are instances where a county or city-level warrant search is inadequate. This may be because the county or city you are searching is not where a warrant originated. If this is the case, a statewide warrant search is available to assist.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is the statewide police agency with the largest reach. This department collaborates with every sheriff’s office and city police department in Florida. This allows the department to create and maintain a free Wanted Persons Search.⁹

The Wanted Persons Search tool allows anyone to lookup warrants issued by any police department located in the state of Florida and report to the Department of Law Enforcement. It is a name-based search, where users are only required to enter the last name of an individual.

The search can further be narrowed by including the first or middle name, and the race, sex, date of birth, or age.

After the results are generated, you can click on the row of a person listed to view what offense led to the warrant issuance. You also have the option to submit an anonymous tip if you have information about a fugitive’s whereabouts.

For more information about statewide warrants, contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.¹⁰

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Rd.
Tallahassee, Florida 32308

Phone: 850.410.7000

The Florida Judiciary provides an online court records search at no cost.¹¹ Interested persons can elect to research all criminal cases filed in county courts. Directly select the county of interest in the drop down menu and proceed from there.

Searches can be performed anonymously by selecting ‘Public’ as the access option. After agreeing to the disclaimer a search can be conducted by a person’s name or case number. To ensure that results are strictly limited to criminal cases, check off ‘Criminal Traffic’, ‘Felony’, ‘Misdemeanor’, and ‘Traffic Infraction’ under the ‘Court Type’.

What Types of Warrants Are There & What Does Each Mean?

You may have seen warrants called different types of names, however, they have essentially the same two functions. Warrants are issued by courts and law enforcement agencies to arrest a person or to search for a specific thing. When courts issue a warrant, a law enforcement officer will execute it, meaning they will be the one responsible for physically making the arrest.

Law enforcement agencies are also the only agencies that can execute a search warrant. Find out what the different types of warrants are and what they mean in Florida.

Arrest Warrants: Executed by a law enforcement agency when it has probable cause to believe a person has committed a crime in Florida.

Bench Warrants: Issued by a judge when a defendant in a criminal case fails to appear at their court scheduled hearing.

Probation & Parole Violation Warrants: Issued when a person has been released from confinement on parole or probation and fails to adhere to the strict terms of the release.

Traffic Warrants: Citations written by law enforcement officers when they observe a driver fail to follow the rules of the road.

Child Support Warrants: Issued by a family court when a parent is found in contempt of court for failing to pay child support without legal justification.

Capias & Capias Pro Fine Warrants: A type of bench warrant in Florida issued when a person fails to appear in court.

Fugitive Warrants: Reserved for most wanted criminals and individuals who have escaped confinement.

Search Warrants: Executed by law enforcement to search and seize property linked to a crime.

How Do I Resolve a Warrant in Marion County Florida?

A warrant is a serious document with legal ramifications. You should never ignore it, especially if the warrant is out for your arrest.

If you discover that someone you know has a warrant, you could contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office tip line.¹² You may also let them know if you deem it safe. Some people may be fugitives by choice and will likely not respond in kind to knowing a person has information on their whereabouts.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office
692 NW 30th Ave
Ocala, Florida 34475

Phone: 352.732.8181

If you have an outstanding warrant, try to determine where it is coming from. If it is for missing a court date, contact the court and find out if there is a way to get a new court date or pay a fine. Otherwise, it may be in your best interests to contact a criminal defense attorney.

Conduct a Marion County warrant search today if you want to inquire about ones that are outstanding; follow the guidance in this article and you will get access to warrant information.