Missouri
Missouri Warrant Search: How to Check If You Have a Warrant (2026)
Missouri has one of the stronger statewide tools in the country for checking your own court and warrant status: Case.net, a free public case search that covers all 114 counties plus the independent City of St. Louis. That strength has also attracted scammers, who built lookalike websites to trick people searching their own name. Here is how to use the real tool, what it will and will not show you, and how to spot the fakes.
Information last verified on 2026-07-15. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
What a Missouri Warrant Search Actually Checks
Two different legal concepts get lumped together as "warrants," and the difference matters. An arrest warrant is requested by police and issued by a judge after a finding of probable cause that a specific person committed a crime; once issued, an officer can act on it wherever that person is found. A bench warrant is issued directly by a judge, most commonly because someone missed a court date, did not pay a court-ordered fine, or violated a condition such as probation. A bench warrant usually does not trigger an active manhunt the way an arrest warrant can; it tends to sit until the person is encountered another way, such as during a routine traffic stop. Nationally, a large share of everyday bench warrants trace back to missed traffic court dates or unpaid fines rather than violent crime. A third, unrelated term is a search warrant, which authorizes police to search a specific place, like a home or vehicle, for evidence, and has nothing to do with whether you personally have a warrant out for you.
It is also worth knowing what a Missouri warrant search cannot reach: the FBI's National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, the closest thing the country has to a comprehensive wanted-persons file. NCIC access is restricted to authorized law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, with no public login, in Missouri or any other state.
How to Check for a Warrant in Missouri
Start with Case.net, Missouri's statewide court case search. Case.net, the Missouri Courts Automated Case Management System, is reachable at courts.mo.gov/casenet and is free, with no login required. It offers several public search methods, the most commonly used being a search by litigant name. Case.net covers all 114 Missouri counties plus the independent City of St. Louis, which is legally separate from any county. It is generally available Monday through Friday, roughly 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Central time. If you appear as a party on a case, review the docket entries; a warrant connected to that case will typically appear as an entry such as Warrant Issued. Keep in mind that documents filed before July 1, 2023 may only be viewable in person at a courthouse public-access terminal, even though the case itself will still show up in your Case.net search.
Follow up with the Circuit Clerk or County Sheriff if you have any doubt. Local agencies keep their own records in addition to what appears on Case.net, so a blank search result is a good sign but not an absolute guarantee, particularly for older matters or cases handled informally at the local level.
MACHS is a different tool for a different purpose. The Missouri State Highway Patrol operates MACHS, the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site, at machs.mo.gov, which lets the public request a paid, name-based criminal history record, currently around $15 per search. MACHS is built for general background-check purposes, such as employment or licensing, not as a dedicated warrant search, so Case.net remains the better free first stop for checking your own status.
Why Case.net Is a Genuinely Strong Tool, and the Fake Websites Copying It
Case.net's real strength, statewide coverage, a free name search, and no login requirement, makes it one of the more useful state court search tools researched for this cluster. That same popularity has made it a target for copycats. Missouri's courts issued a public warning about a group of lookalike websites, with names resembling Case.net, such as mo-casenet.us and casenetmo.net, that are not operated by the Missouri judiciary. According to the court system's own alert, at least one of these fake sites can expose visitors to malware, and the public is urged to avoid them entirely.
Tip: The only legitimate Case.net is reached through the official Missouri Courts website, courts.mo.gov. If a warrant search site asks for payment before showing any results, tries to install anything on your device, or its address does not end in mo.gov, treat it as a red flag rather than the real court system.
Missouri Warrant Scams to Watch For
Beyond fake Case.net sites, the FTC has documented a currently active phone scam that reaches Missouri residents like anyone else: a caller impersonates a sheriff's deputy, court officer, or U.S. Marshal, claims you missed jury duty or have an active warrant, and demands immediate payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or payment app to avoid arrest. Callers often spoof caller ID to display a real-looking court or agency number and may already know your name and address. Real Missouri courts and sheriff's offices do not operate this way; law enforcement typically makes contact in person or by certified mail, not a payment-demanding phone call. Hang up, do not call back the number that contacted you, and independently look up the court or sheriff's real number to verify.
Paid commercial background-check and people-search websites are a milder, related concern. They are generally legal, aggregating public records for a fee, but the FTC brought a formal enforcement action in September 2023 against TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate, resulting in a $5.8 million penalty, for marketing their reports as highly accurate while doing no real verification of the underlying data. For a personal Missouri warrant check, there is no reason to pay one of these; Case.net and your Circuit Clerk pull from the same authoritative records, for free.
What to Do If You Have a Warrant
If your search turns up an active Missouri warrant, standard advice is to talk to a criminal defense attorney before contacting the court or sheriff's office yourself. A lawyer can review the underlying case and, particularly for a bench warrant tied to a missed court date, often file a motion to quash or recall the warrant, especially where there is a documentable reason for missing the appearance. In some cases an attorney can arrange a scheduled, voluntary surrender coordinated with the court rather than leaving you exposed to an unannounced arrest, though this practice varies by attorney and is not a guaranteed right. Missouri warrants generally do not expire; an arrest or bench warrant typically remains active until it is served, the person surrenders, or a court formally recalls or quashes it.
Frequently asked questions
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Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information about how to check for a warrant in Missouri, as verified on 2026-07-15. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is written for someone checking their own name; it should not be used to look up another person. Readers should consult a lawyer licensed in Missouri for advice about a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-07-15.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if I have a warrant in Missouri?
Search your name for free on Case.net at courts.mo.gov/casenet, the Missouri judiciary's statewide case search covering all 114 counties and the independent City of St. Louis. If a warrant is tied to an open case, it typically shows up as a docket entry such as Warrant Issued.
Is Case.net free to use?
Yes. All of Case.net's public search methods, including the name search most people use, are free and require no login.
Is Case.net available 24 hours a day?
No. It is generally available Monday through Friday, from about 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Central time, with scheduled downtime outside that window.
Are there fake Case.net websites?
Yes. Missouri courts have publicly warned about lookalike websites using names similar to Case.net that are not run by the state and may expose visitors to malware. The only real Case.net is reached through the official courts.mo.gov website.
What is MACHS, and is it the same as Case.net?
MACHS is a separate, paid, name-based criminal history search run by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, roughly $15 per search. It is a general background-check product, not a dedicated warrant search, and Case.net is the free starting point for checking your own status.
Do warrants expire in Missouri?
Generally no. An arrest or bench warrant in Missouri typically remains active until it is served, the person turns themselves in, or a court recalls or quashes it.
What is the difference between an arrest warrant and a bench warrant in Missouri?
An arrest warrant is requested by police and based on a judge's finding of probable cause that a crime occurred. A bench warrant comes directly from a judge, most often for missing a court date or failing to pay a court-ordered fine, and usually does not trigger an active manhunt the way an arrest warrant can.
Can someone call and demand payment to cancel my Missouri warrant?
No legitimate Missouri court, sheriff's office, or the Highway Patrol demands gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency over the phone to cancel a warrant. Hang up and call the agency back using a number you find independently, not one the caller provides.
Facing a warrant, DUI, or criminal charge in Missouri? Get a free case review
An active warrant or a criminal charge like DUI puts your freedom, license, and record at risk, and deadlines to act, like challenging a license suspension or resolving a warrant before an arrest, can be just days away. Get a free, confidential review from a Missouri criminal defense attorney. Acting quickly protects your options.
Sources and References
- Missouri Courts, Case.net (Missouri Case Management System), statewide public case search(courts.mo.gov).gov
- Missouri Courts, Scam Alert: Missouri courts issue warning about fake Case.net website(courts.mo.gov).gov
- Missouri State Highway Patrol, MACHS (Missouri Automated Criminal History Site) name search(machs.mo.gov).gov
- FTC, FTC Says TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate Deceived Users About Background Report Accuracy, Violated FCRA (Sept. 2023)(ftc.gov).gov
- FTC Consumer Alert: Ignore calls, texts, and emails threatening to arrest you for missing jury duty(consumer.ftc.gov).gov