New Hampshire
New Hampshire Warrant Search: How to Check If You Have a Warrant (2026)
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited September 7, 2026). · 5 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Wondering if you have an active warrant in New Hampshire? The state's Judicial Branch runs a genuine free case search tool, but a similarly titled page that ranks highly for searches like "NH warrant search" is actually something else entirely. Here's how to use the real tool, avoid the mix-up, and know what to do if you find an open warrant.
Information last verified on 2026-07-15. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Arrest Warrants vs. Bench Warrants in New Hampshire
An arrest warrant is issued when police present a judge with evidence establishing probable cause that you committed a crime, and it authorizes officers to take you into custody wherever you're found. A bench warrant, which covers most everyday situations, is issued directly by a judge, usually because someone missed a court date, failed to pay a court-ordered fine, or violated a condition of probation. Bench warrants typically do not trigger an active manhunt. They sit on file until you're encountered another way, such as during a traffic stop.
Both of these are different from a search warrant, which authorizes police to search a specific place, like a home or vehicle, and has nothing to do with whether a warrant exists for a person. If you're trying to find out whether you personally have a warrant, you're asking about an arrest or bench warrant, not a search warrant.
How to Check for a Warrant in New Hampshire
The Real Tool: NH Judicial Branch Case Access Portal (Free)
The New Hampshire Judicial Branch's Case Access Portal is the state's genuine, official self-service case search tool, and it's free to use. After registering for an account, you can look up non-confidential case information, including Superior Court civil and criminal case summaries and several non-confidential Circuit Court case types such as district division civil matters, small claims, name changes, and estates. Records are generally available back to 1992.
It's worth reading the portal's own disclaimer carefully: the information it shows is provided for convenience and is not the official court record, and the Judicial Branch specifically states the portal should not be used for background checks or other purposes that require complete identity verification. That means it's a genuinely useful first check for your own peace of mind, but if you have any doubt after using it, particularly for a Circuit Court criminal matter that may not surface fully in the portal, follow up directly with the Clerk of the relevant Circuit or Superior Court.
The Sex-Offender-Registry Mix-Up to Avoid
Watch out: A page at business.nh.gov titled "Non-compliant Criminal Offenders" surfaces near the top of many searches for "New Hampshire warrant search," and it's easy to mistake for a general public warrant lookup. It is not. NSOR stands for the New Hampshire Sex Offender Registry, and this specific page only lists outstanding arrest warrants for registered sex offenders or offenders against children who have failed to comply with their registration duties under state law. If your name doesn't appear there, it tells you nothing about whether you have an ordinary bench warrant, such as one from a missed traffic court date. Use the Judicial Branch's Case Access Portal for a genuine general-purpose check instead.
Local Police Department Lists
A number of New Hampshire city and town police departments maintain their own "Wanted Persons" pages listing individuals with outstanding local warrants. Manchester Police Department is one example, publishing an online wanted list drawn from its own active warrants. These lists are free to check but, like the county-level tools in other states, only reflect warrants from that specific department, not a statewide picture.
A Paid Option for Certified Multi-Name Checks
The Judicial Branch's Central Processing Center also offers an official electronic records check for a fee, currently $6.50 per name per court, which searches for a name (or a batch of five or more names) across New Hampshire trial courts and returns a formal case summary. This service exists mainly for employers, licensing bodies, and background-check requesters who need a documented, certified result for multiple people at once. For a single personal check of your own status, the free Case Access Portal is the more practical starting point, and this paid option is more than most individuals need.
Scam Warning: Fake Warrant Calls
The Federal Trade Commission and multiple U.S. District Courts have issued active, ongoing warnings about a phone scam in which 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 a payment app to avoid arrest. Scammers can spoof caller ID so the number appears to come from a real courthouse or sheriff's office, and they sometimes already have personal details like your name and address to sound convincing.
Real law enforcement in New Hampshire does not call demanding immediate payment to cancel a warrant, and does not text or email you an arrest warrant. If a warrant is genuinely active, officers typically make contact in person or by mail, not through a payment-demanding phone call. If you receive a call like this, hang up, do not call the number back, and independently look up the phone number for the relevant Sheriff's Office or Court Clerk yourself to verify.
Paid commercial background-check and "people search" websites are generally legal but aren't necessary here. In 2023, the FTC fined two major background-check companies $5.8 million for marketing reports as highly accurate while doing little to verify the underlying data. The Judicial Branch's Case Access Portal, your local police department, or the Court Clerk are the same records these paid sites pull from, just free or cheaper and more current.
What to Do If You Have a Warrant
If you find out you have an active New Hampshire warrant, get a free consultation with a criminal defense attorney before you do anything else (attorney advertising). Walking into a police station or courthouse unrepresented is rarely the best first move.
An attorney can often file a motion to quash or recall the warrant, particularly for a bench warrant tied to a missed court date with a documentable reason like illness or a scheduling mix-up, sometimes without you needing to appear in person right away. When a warrant can't simply be quashed, attorneys frequently arrange a scheduled, voluntary surrender coordinated with the court, which tends to be treated more favorably than an unplanned arrest during a traffic stop or at your home.
It's also worth knowing that warrants generally do not expire. A New Hampshire arrest or bench warrant typically remains active indefinitely until you're arrested, you surrender, or a judge formally dismisses or quashes it. Waiting rarely improves the situation and often makes it worse, since the warrant can surface unexpectedly during a traffic stop or an unrelated encounter with police.
Related articles
- Warrant Search by State
- New Hampshire DWI Laws: Penalties, BAC & License (2026)
- New Hampshire Expungement Laws: How Record Annulment Works Under RSA 651:5
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws, fees, and court procedures change, and warrant-search tools and their coverage can change without notice. If you believe you have an active warrant in New Hampshire, consult a licensed New Hampshire criminal defense attorney about your specific situation before taking any action.
Last updated: 2026-07-15.
More New Hampshire Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free way to check for a warrant in New Hampshire?
Yes. The New Hampshire Judicial Branch's Case Access Portal is free to register for and use, and covers Superior Court civil and criminal case summaries plus several non-confidential Circuit Court case types.
Is business.nh.gov/nsor/Warrant.aspx a general warrant search?
No. That page is part of the New Hampshire Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) and only lists outstanding warrants for registered sex offenders who failed to comply with registration requirements. It is not a general public warrant search, and a blank result there does not mean you have no warrant.
What does the Case Access Portal actually show?
Non-confidential case summaries for Superior Court civil and criminal cases and certain Circuit Court case types, generally back to 1992. It's provided for convenience and is not the official court record, and the Judicial Branch states it should not be used for background checks.
Is there a paid, more thorough record check in New Hampshire?
Yes. The Judicial Branch's Central Processing Center offers an official electronic records check for $6.50 per name per court, mainly intended for bulk or certified requests rather than a single personal check.
What if I can't find anything on the Case Access Portal?
Contact the Clerk of the Circuit or Superior Court in the county where a warrant might exist, or the local Sheriff's Office or police department. Some departments, like Manchester, also publish their own free wanted-persons lists.
Do New Hampshire warrants expire?
No. Arrest and bench warrants in New Hampshire generally remain active indefinitely until you're arrested, you surrender, or a judge formally quashes or recalls the warrant.
Someone called saying I have a warrant and demanded payment to cancel it. Is that real?
Almost certainly not. This matches a well-documented scam pattern the FTC and federal courts have repeatedly warned about. Real law enforcement does not call demanding immediate payment to cancel a warrant. Hang up and verify independently by calling the relevant Court Clerk or Sheriff's Office using a number you look up yourself.
What should I do first if I find out I have a warrant in New Hampshire?
Contact a criminal defense attorney before contacting law enforcement yourself. An attorney can evaluate whether a motion to quash or recall the warrant is realistic and can often arrange a scheduled surrender instead of risking an unplanned arrest.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, TITLE LIX PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES, CHAPTER 592-A JURISDICTION AND PROCEDURE GENERALLY
§ 592-A:8Warrants.In force
A justice of the peace or justice of the circuit court, upon such complaint when signed under oath, may issue a warrant for the arrest of the person so charged with an offense committed or triable in the county, directed to the sheriff of any county or his deputy or to any constable or police officer of any town in the county.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, TITLE LXII CRIMINAL CODE, CHAPTER 651 SENTENCES
§ 651:5Annulment of Criminal Records.In forcecited in 7 of our articles
I. Except as provided in paragraphs V-VIII, the record of arrest, conviction and sentence of any person may be annulled by the sentencing court at any time in response to a petition for annulment which is timely brought in accordance with the provisions of this section if in the opinion of the court, the annulment will assist in the petitioner's rehabilitation and will be consistent with the public welfare. The court may grant or deny an annulment without a hearing, unless a hearing is requested by the petitioner. II. For an offense disposed of before January 1, 2019 and any offense not subject to paragraph II-a, any person whose arrest has resulted in a finding of not guilty, or whose case was dismissed or not prosecuted, may petition for annulment of the arrest record or court record, or both, at any time in accordance with the provisions of this section. Any person who was convicted of a criminal offense whose conviction was subsequently vacated by a court may petition for annulment of the arrest record or court record, or both, in accordance with the provisions of this section. Nothing in this paragraph shall limit the provisions of subparagraph XI(b). II-a.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-01 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
Cited in 26 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2024
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Panas v. Harakis (1987) held RSA 651:5's "in all respects" language barred disclosure of annulled convictions in a civil suit, though facts underlying a conviction were not erased. Wolfgram v. New Hampshire Department of Safety (2016) held habitual offender notations revealing annulled convictions must stay off a public driving record.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Panas v. Harakis (Supreme Court of New Hampshire 1987, 129 N.H. 591)✓In a false imprisonment and negligent hiring suit over a K-Mart guard whose convictions had been annulled, the court held RSA 651:5 barred even in camera review of the annulment dates, but did not bar evidence of the incident underlying an annulled conviction.
- State v. Comeau (Supreme Court of New Hampshire 1997, 142 N.H. 84)✓Comeau petitioned in 1995 to annul 1991 felony convictions under the shorter old waiting period; the court held the 1994 rewrite of RSA 651:5 governs petitions filed after January 1, 1995, and its longer waiting periods are remedial, not ex post facto punishment.
- Doe v. State (Supreme Court of New Hampshire 1974, 114 N.H. 714)✓An eighteen year old fined $25 in 1971 for concealing a 79 cent ping-pong ball sought annulment under RSA 651:5; the court held the statute reaches convictions predating the 1973 criminal code, covers a fine-only sentence, and does not invade the Governor's pardon power.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: New Hampshire Expungement Laws: How Record Annulment Works Under RSA 651:5, New Hampshire Background Check Laws (2026 Guide), New Hampshire Court Records: How to Search the Case Access Portal, What's Public, and How Annulment Works
Search our full record of US law — 2.1 million sections, every state + federal →
Sources and References
- New Hampshire Judicial Branch Case Access Portal(nhecourt.us)
- New Hampshire Judicial Branch: Case Access Portal is Here! (announcement, coverage details)(courts.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Judicial Branch, Record Checks (Central Processing Center fees)(courts.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Sex Offender Registry, Non-compliant Criminal Offenders (Warrant list)(business.nh.gov).gov
- Manchester, NH Police Department, Wanted Persons(manchesternh.gov).gov
- FTC Consumer Alert: Ignore calls, texts, and emails threatening to arrest you for missing jury duty(consumer.ftc.gov).gov
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