University Place Bench Warrants
University Place bench warrants are court orders signed by a judge when a person fails to appear in court or skips a step in a Pierce County criminal or traffic case. The City of University Place sits west of Tacoma in Pierce County and contracts with Pierce County District Court for municipal court services. The city does not run a separate criminal court of its own. You can search for an active bench warrant or outstanding warrant in University Place by name through the state data warehouse, the Pierce County LINX tool, and the county court portals.
University Place Court System
University Place contracts with Pierce County District Court for court services. The city does not have its own separate municipal court. The county district court hears most University Place misdemeanor and traffic cases. The clerk line is (253) 798-7487. Felony cases go to the Pierce County Superior Court. The judge can issue a bench warrant under CrR 2.2 or CrRLJ 2.2 when a person fails to appear in either court.
Pierce County also runs LINX, an online case information tool that lets the public look up superior and district court cases across the county. University Place cases are searchable through LINX.
Visit the state data warehouse for a free name based University Place bench warrant lookup.
The data warehouse pulls Pierce County District Court cases for University Place into one search.
Pierce County District Court Resources
Pierce County District Court runs a Resource Center that gives access to social services and programs for justice involved people. The center coordinates services in one location and is helpful for University Place residents who need support after a court date or warrant.
Visit the Pierce County bench warrants page for the county side of the search. From there you can reach LINX, the resource center info, and the superior court tools.
The Washington Courts directory lists Pierce County District Court with phone, address, and clerk hours.
Note: University Place has no city criminal court of its own, so all warrant filings live with the Pierce County District Court.
Quashing a University Place Bench Warrant
If a University Place bench warrant comes back in your name, take action soon. Most warrants can be cleared. The first step is to talk to a lawyer. The Pierce County Bar lawyer referral can help. Then file a motion to quash with Pierce County District Court or Pierce County Superior Court, depending on the case type.
The motion asks the judge to recall the warrant and reset the case for a new hearing. The state forms page has the standard motion you can use.
Pull the standard quash motion from the Washington Courts forms page.
The forms page holds the motions used to clear a University Place bench warrant.
Bring photo ID when you visit the clerk.
DOC Warrants for University Place
Some University Place warrants are run by the Washington Department of Corrections. The DOC handles people on community custody who broke the rules of their release under RCW 9.94A.716, which you can read at apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw.
Start at the DOC warrant search. You can also see the wanted and absconder list.
The DOC tool lists University Place area people with active community custody warrants.
The DOC warrant page is the main starting point for University Place community custody warrants.
Note: Always call 911 or the Pierce County Sheriff if you spot a wanted person; never try to detain or confront them on your own.
WATCH Records for University Place
For deeper criminal history you can use the Washington State Patrol WATCH tool at fortress.wa.gov/wsp/watch. WATCH covers conviction data for University Place and the rest of the state. The tool does not show every bench warrant, but it can confirm a person's record.
The WSP also runs a criminal history page with more on how the system works.
Public Access in University Place
Most University Place court records are public under GR 31 and the Public Records Act in RCW 42.56. Bench warrant data is part of the case file. Most of it is open. Sealed cases and juvenile warrants do not show.
You do not need to give a reason or show ID for a basic University Place name search. The clerk can tell you if a case is sealed. The Odyssey portal at odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov is another route into Pierce County court files.