Columbia Bench Warrant Search
Columbia is a college town in central Missouri and the county seat of Boone County. Bench warrants in Columbia are handled by the municipal court, which is a division of the 13th Judicial Circuit. What makes Columbia stand out is that the city posts active warrants on its website, giving residents a direct way to check their status. You can also search for bench warrants through Missouri Case.net or contact the Columbia Police Department at 573-874-7652. The municipal court has run warrant amnesty programs in the past, giving people a chance to clear old bench warrants without facing arrest.
Columbia Quick Facts
Columbia Municipal Court Warrants
The Columbia Municipal Court is a division of the Circuit Court of Boone County in the 13th Judicial Circuit. It handles cases that involve city ordinance violations. When someone gets a ticket or summons and does not show up for their hearing, the judge issues a bench warrant. The court is on the 2nd floor of the Howard Building at 600 East Broadway. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The court is closed on Fridays.
Columbia is one of the few Missouri cities that publishes an active warrants page on its website. This page lists people with outstanding bench warrants from the municipal court. You can check it any time without calling or going to the courthouse. The list gets updated as new warrants are issued and old ones are cleared. This is the fastest way to see if you have an active bench warrant in Columbia.
| Court | Columbia Municipal Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 600 E. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203 (2nd Floor, Howard Building) |
| P.O. Box 6015, Columbia, MO 65205 | |
| Phone | 573-874-7230 |
| Fax | 573-874-7531 |
| MunicipalCourt@CoMo.gov | |
| Hours | Mon-Thu 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM (Closed Fridays) |
| Website | como.gov/municipal-court |
Note: The Columbia Municipal Court is closed on Fridays, so plan your visits for Monday through Thursday.
Columbia Police Department
The Columbia Police Department serves the city and works closely with the municipal court on bench warrant cases. CPD officers serve warrants and run name checks during traffic stops and other contacts. If a bench warrant comes back during a check, the officer will make an arrest. The department is at 600 East Walnut Street. You can call 573-874-7652 for general questions or email PolicePIO@CoMo.gov for public information requests.
Columbia is home to the University of Missouri, which means the city has a large student population. Some students pick up bench warrants from traffic tickets or minor ordinance violations and do not deal with them before leaving town at the end of the semester. Those warrants stay active and can cause problems when the person comes back to Columbia or gets stopped in another part of Missouri. CPD makes dispatch data, 911 call maps, and vehicle stop data available to the public through its website.
| Agency | Columbia Police Department (CPD) |
|---|---|
| Address | 600 E. Walnut Street, Columbia, MO 65201 |
| Phone | 573-874-7652 |
| PolicePIO@CoMo.gov | |
| Website | como.gov/police |
Columbia Warrant Search Resources
The Columbia Municipal Court maintains a dedicated page for active warrants that you can check online at any time.
The municipal court website also has information about paying fines, court forms, and how to submit a written plea. Below is a look at the main court page.
The Columbia Police Department page provides contact details, public data, and links to community programs. You can reach the department or find records through this site.
Columbia Warrant Amnesty Programs
Columbia has offered warrant amnesty programs in the past. These programs let people with old bench warrants come to court without the risk of being arrested on the spot. The most recent amnesty periods were in September 2021 and December 2019. During these events, people could walk into the municipal court, deal with their cases, and leave without going to jail. Amnesty programs help clear the backlog of old bench warrants and give people a safe way to get right with the court.
There is no set schedule for when Columbia will run its next amnesty program. The city decides based on how many outstanding bench warrants have built up and the court's capacity to handle the extra cases. If you have an old bench warrant in Columbia and want to wait for an amnesty event, keep an eye on the municipal court website. But waiting is a gamble. You could still get picked up on the bench warrant at any time between now and then. Working with a lawyer to get the warrant recalled is a safer bet if you do not want to risk arrest.
How Columbia Bench Warrants Work
A bench warrant in Columbia follows the same basic rules as anywhere else in Missouri. The judge signs it when someone violates a court order. Missing a hearing date is the top reason. Not paying a fine on time is the second most common cause. Once the warrant is active, it goes into the state system. Any police officer in Missouri can see it and act on it. You do not have to be in Columbia to get arrested on a Columbia bench warrant.
Some offenses in Columbia can be paid without going to court. The court maintains a Violations Bureau Schedule that lists which charges qualify. If your case is on that list, you may be able to clear the bench warrant just by paying what you owe. You have to plead guilty to use this option. Cases that involve DWI, personal injury, property damage, or a summons to appear cannot be handled this way. For those, you need to show up in person or have a lawyer go for you.
Resolving Bench Warrants in Columbia
Clearing a bench warrant in Columbia starts with finding out what court issued it. If it came from the municipal court, call 573-874-7230. The clerk can tell you what you owe and when you need to come in. If the bench warrant is from the Boone County Circuit Court, the process is different and usually more involved. You can search both systems through Case.net to figure out where your case sits.
The Columbia Municipal Court accepts written guilty pleas for some cases. There are two forms: one for people who have a lawyer and one for people who do not. If you have a lawyer, they can e-file through Case.net on your behalf. If you do not have a lawyer, you fill out the unrepresented form and submit it to the court. The city prosecutor's office handles the review. You can reach the prosecutor by email at CityProsecutor@CoMo.gov or by fax at 573-874-7533.
Note: If you are represented by an attorney in Columbia, you can e-file plea documents through Case.net at courts.mo.gov.
Boone County Court Records
Columbia is the county seat of Boone County. The 13th Judicial Circuit handles all state-level cases in the county, including felony bench warrants and civil matters. If your bench warrant came from the circuit court and not the city court, you need to go through the Boone County system. The courthouse is in downtown Columbia.
Nearby Missouri Cities
Columbia is in central Missouri, roughly two hours from both Kansas City and St. Louis. If you have lived in or visited other parts of the state, you may want to check for bench warrants in those areas too.
- Kansas City (Jackson County, western Missouri)
- St. Louis (independent city, eastern Missouri)
- Springfield (Greene County, southwest Missouri)
- Independence (Jackson County)