In Texas, an arrest warrant that a law enforcement official has not served to the offender is considered an outstanding warrant. A warrant can become outstanding for various reasons; the offender may not know that there is a warrant for their arrest, or they may be avoiding arrest. A warrant can even become outstanding if the law enforcement agency is too busy to serve the warrant to the offender.
A court of law, or a judge, has to issue an outstanding warrant in Texas. If an outstanding warrant is issued, the offender can be arrested when a law enforcement official finds them. Both the local and state-level law enforcement agencies share the responsibility of serving outstanding warrants to the offender. However, records of the outstanding warrants for arrest are only kept and organized by the corresponding local law enforcement agency. There is no database of all the arrest warrants that have been issued in the state.
If you wonder whether or not you have any TX outstanding warrants, it is easy to find out. One of the easiest ways to find out is to visit the municipal court for your town or city. The clerks can run your personal information through their warrants database to see if you have any outstanding. Most municipal courts in Texas will also give outstanding warrant information out over the phone if you cannot go to the court in person. Another option that you have is to go to the police station. If you provide your TX state driver’s license number, the police station can check for any outstanding warrants you may have.
If you are new to Texas but have outstanding warrants from other states, you might be wondering whether or not you will be able to obtain a Texas state driver’s license.
Can I get a driver’s license with an outstanding warrant against me?
The answer is yes; you can get a driver’s license as long as your license for the state where you have a warrant is not suspended. While the warrant will never expire, the Department of Motor Vehicles only checks the National Driver Registry, which only shows if any state has suspended your license. They do not check with the police departments for warrants, so if you have an outstanding warrant, it should not affect your ability to obtain a Texas driver’s license.