Do Background Checks Show Warrants? What You Need to Know

Cindy Ellis - August 29, 2022

Background checks are often required as part of a pre-employment check or to ensure that certain qualifications are met before you are eligible for certain assistance opportunities or jobs. However, some individuals may wonder if previous or open warrants will show up on a background check, limiting these opportunities.

This article will answer all of your questions about what exactly background checks include and whether or not you can expect to see an outstanding warrant on one.

What Do Background Checks Include?

Background checks are a way for individuals or employers to verify that an individual is who they claim to be and double-check on provided information such as education, employment, and criminal history. Most background checks are run using online searches, such as the one provided by Information.com, which utilizes third-party sources and public records to compile a report of all the available information on an individual.

You can expect your arrest and criminal history, court history (such as lawsuits or child support cases you were involved with), prior and current addresses, phone numbers, social media accounts, employment history, and educational history to show up on your background check.

Will a Warrant Show Up on a Background Check?

If you have an open warrant, there is a chance it will show up on your background check. However, whether or not your warrant will be easily visible via a background check depends on the type of warrant and the laws in your state. Certain types of warrants and criminal arrest information is only accessible by certain law enforcement individuals and will not be shown on a background check. It is important to check with your state’s specific jurisdiction laws to determine which warrants are shown on background checks.

You should also note that search warrants are very unlikely to turn up on a background check. This is because law enforcement professionals mostly use these, and they are used primarily as part of the investigation process; they don’t typically appear on any criminal or background check record.

Types of Warrants You May Encounter

It is important to understand the differences between the different types of warrants that you may encounter when looking over a background check. Depending on local legislation and procedures, you may not be able to see all of these warrant types on a background check.

Arrest/Criminal Warrants

A magistrate signs criminal warrants in the jurisdiction in which they are issued, and law enforcement professionals will present this warrant to a judge along with a probable cause declaration. If the judge approves this, an arrest warrant will be signed and issued.

Arrest and criminal warrants can show up on background checks, but this depends heavily on the state or jurisdiction in which the warrant is issued due to differing laws on who is allowed to access criminal/arrest warrants.

Civil Warrants

A civil warrant is issued after an individual fails to follow a court order, such as failing to pay child support. Civil warrants will appear in court records, which are available as public records in most states, and may appear on a background check. However, if a criminal record background check is run instead of a general background check, it is possible that the civil warrant won’t appear due to it not being criminal in nature.

Bench Warrants

Bench warrants are issued if the individual in question fails to follow court rules, the most common of which is failing to appear before a court when ordered. In these cases, the judge will issue a bench warrant, and law enforcement officials can treat the bench warrant like an arrest warrant and use it to bring the individual back before the court.

Bench warrants typically involve pending cases and may include certain traffic warrants for when an individual has failed to appear after receiving a ticket. They can appear on background checks due to court records being publicly accessible.

How to Check if a Warrant Is on Your Record

If you’re wondering whether or not you can see a warrant on your record, the best way to put these worries to rest is to perform a quick background check on yourself. Using the background check tool on Information.com will provide you with all the information you need about your personal record and if criminal, bench, or civil warrants are visible to anyone else who looks up your record. Make sure to double-check state laws on who’s allowed to access criminal warrants as well to ensure you get a full, in-depth understanding of your record.

Understanding Your Background Check

Background checks can seem confusing and overwhelming to many individuals, especially if you don’t know what will be listed on these records. Background checks will include publicly available information about your employment, education, and criminal history, including certain types of warrants where jurisdictions allow, in order to give the searching individual a full picture of your history.

To understand your background check and what appears on it, we suggest you run a search on yourself using Information.com to gain a full understanding of your background report.