Yakima County Bench Warrants
Yakima County is one of the largest counties in central Washington with about 256,000 residents and a county seat in the city of Yakima. A Yakima County bench warrant search runs through the Superior Court clerk, the District Court in Yakima, the Warrant Recall Program the county runs for walk-in quash hearings, and the state portals that back up local case data. This page lays out the right tools for an active warrant lookup by name, shows where to go when a search returns a hit, and walks you through the Yakima County Warrant Recall Program.
Yakima County Superior Court and Clerk
The Yakima County Superior Court is at 128 N 2nd Street in Yakima. The court page is yakimacounty.us superior court. The Yakima County Courts main page is at yakimacounty.us/410/Yakima-County-Courts. The court has eight full-time elected judges and three court commissioners.
The Clerk of Superior Court is Billie Maggard. The clerk line is (509) 574-1430 and the direct line is (509) 574-1496. The Clerk's Office is at 128 N 2nd Street, Room 323, Yakima. The clerk holds court records, handles exhibits, runs the jury system, and provides public access to case files. The clerk page is yakimacounty.us clerk.
Note: The Public Records Act does not govern court case records in Yakima County; case records must be requested through the court rather than the county public records officer.
Yakima County Warrant Recall Program
Yakima County runs a Warrant Recall Program for people who want to clear a bench warrant without waiting for a full motion schedule. The program page is at yakimacounty.us Warrant Recall Program. Warrant calendars run at the Yakima County Courthouse at 128 N 2nd Street and at the Grandview branch of District Court.
The Warrant Recall Program is a fast track way to get in front of a judge. You walk in, check with the clerk, and get placed on the warrant calendar for that day. The judge can quash the warrant, set new conditions, or release you on personal recognizance. This program is not a substitute for a lawyer on a serious charge, but for a traffic warrant or a low level misdemeanor it is often faster than a standard motion.
Note: Walk-in warrant calendars in Yakima County can be busy, so arrive early and bring any case paperwork you have already.
Yakima County District Court
Yakima County District Court sits at 128 N 2nd Street, Suite 217, Yakima. The phone line is (509) 574-1804. The site is www.yakimacounty.us/districtcourt. District Court handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and small civil cases. Most Yakima County bench warrants come out of District Court because that is where the case volume lives.
District Court judges include Donald W. Engel, Gary A. Hintze, Brian K. Sanderson, and Alfred G. Schweppe. The court commissioner is Kevin G. Eilmes. The court administrator is Therese Murphy, reachable at (509) 574-1874. The clerk can confirm a warrant by name during business hours.
Juvenile Court sits at 1728 Jerome Avenue, Yakima. The phone is (509) 574-2090. Juvenile warrant data is not part of the public system in most cases.
Yakima County Warrant Search on State Tools
Yakima County case data is available through the state portals. The Odyssey portal at odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov covers many Yakima County courts. The older Washington Courts Data Warehouse at dw.courts.wa.gov is still useful for older files.
The image below links to the state courts main page used for a Yakima County warrant lookup.
The state courts site links to the warrant tools, the court directory, and the forms used in the county.
For DOC warrants, start at doc.wa.gov warrant search. The list covers Yakima County community custody violators. The DOC also runs a wanted and absconder list with photos.
Court Rules and State Statutes
A Yakima County judge issues a bench warrant under CrR 2.2 for Superior Court cases and CrRLJ 2.2 for District Court cases. The clerk is the officer who issues writs, warrants, and subpoenas on behalf of the court.
Community custody cases use RCW 9.94A.716. Detention under DOC warrants falls within RCW 9.94A.685. The full state code is at apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw. A name check for criminal history runs through WATCH at fortress.wa.gov/wsp/watch and the WSP criminal history page.
Public Records and Administrative Requests
Court case records in Yakima County are handled through the Clerk's Office, not the county Public Records Officer. For Superior Court paper copies, call (509) 574-1430. For criminal history records, call the Washington State Patrol at (360) 534-2000.
Administrative records of the court follow GR 31.1. The request page is at yakimacounty.us administrative record request. Administrative records do not include case files. If you need a case file, go through the Superior Court clerk.
The Yakima County public records page is at yakimacounty.us public records. This page handles county records outside the court system and may be useful for sheriff records and jail data tied to a served warrant.
Clearing a Yakima County Bench Warrant
For a Yakima County bench warrant, most people go one of two ways. The first is the Warrant Recall Program walk-in calendar at the Yakima courthouse or the Grandview branch. The second is a traditional motion to quash filed by a lawyer. Both paths end with a judge hearing and a decision on bail or release.
Standard steps most people follow:
- Run a state Odyssey search to confirm the warrant
- Write down the case number and the issuing court
- Pick the Warrant Recall Program or a motion to quash
- Go to the courthouse on the right day
- Comply with any new conditions the judge sets
Court forms are at courts.wa.gov forms.
Cities and Nearby Counties
Yakima is the largest city in Yakima County and the county seat. For city level info, see the Yakima page. Nearby counties include Kittitas County, Grant County, Benton County, Klickitat County, and Lewis County.