Find Bench Warrants in Gwinnett County

Bench warrants in Gwinnett County are managed by the sheriff's office in Lawrenceville. With roughly 942,000 residents, Gwinnett is the second most populous county in Georgia. The sheriff's Field Operations Division handles warrant services, fugitive investigations, and the execution of criminal processes. Gwinnett County has an online inmate search tool that shows booking data, charges, and warrant numbers for people in custody. If you need to check on a bench warrant in Gwinnett County, the sheriff's office and its online tools are the places to start.

Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Keybo Taylor leads the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office from its main building on University Parkway in Lawrenceville. The office has several divisions. The Field Operations Division is the one that executes criminal and civil processes, conducts preliminary and fugitive investigations, and carries out warrant services across Gwinnett County. When a judge signs a bench warrant, this division takes over. Deputies track down the person named on the warrant and make the arrest.

The sheriff's office also runs the Gwinnett County Detention Center. That is where people brought in on bench warrants are booked and held until they see a judge or post bail. The detention center keeps records of every booking, and those records are searchable online. Gwinnett County is one of the larger counties in Georgia that gives the public a way to look up inmate and warrant data from home.

Gwinnett County Online Warrant Search

Gwinnett County offers an online inmate search tool that the public can use at no cost. This database shows current inmates at the Gwinnett County Detention Center. Each record includes booking details, charges, bond amounts, and warrant numbers. If someone was picked up on a bench warrant, the listing will show a warrant number in a format like "26W-02686" along with the specific charges tied to that warrant.

This tool updates regularly and shows who is in custody right now at the Gwinnett County jail.

The inmate search is not a full warrant lookup. It only shows people who are currently in custody in Gwinnett County. If someone has an active bench warrant but has not been picked up yet, they will not show in this system. For that kind of check, you need to call the sheriff's office at 770-619-6500 or visit the office in Lawrenceville. Staff can run a name through their internal warrant system and tell you if there is an active bench warrant on file in Gwinnett County.

Note: The online inmate tool shows warrant numbers for people already in custody but does not list outstanding bench warrants in Gwinnett County.

Bench Warrant Process in Gwinnett County

A bench warrant in Gwinnett County begins when someone misses a required court appearance. The judge marks the absence. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-7-90, the court then issues an order for the person's arrest. That order is the bench warrant. The clerk sends it to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office. Deputies log the warrant into their system and enter it into the Georgia Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center databases.

Once the bench warrant is in those systems, any officer in any state can see it. A routine traffic stop in Texas or Florida will show a Gwinnett County bench warrant if the person is in the system. Bench warrants issued in Gwinnett County do not have an expiration date. They stay active until the person is arrested or the court recalls the warrant. Some judges in Gwinnett County will recall a bench warrant if a lawyer files a motion and shows good cause for the missed court date. But that takes action. Doing nothing means the warrant just sits there.

For traffic cases, O.C.G.A. § 17-6-11 requires the clerk to mail a 30-day notice before the bench warrant takes full effect. That letter tells you to resolve the case within 30 days. After that window closes, the clerk alerts the Georgia Department of Driver Services to start the license suspension process. So a bench warrant for a traffic matter in Gwinnett County can cost you your right to drive on top of the arrest risk.

Gwinnett County Bench Warrant Penalties

Missing court in Gwinnett County sets off a chain of legal problems. The bench warrant itself is just the start. O.C.G.A. § 16-10-51 makes failure to appear a separate crime called bail jumping. If the original charge was a misdemeanor, bail jumping adds up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Felony cases raise the stakes to one to five years in prison and fines up to $5,000. All of this is on top of the charge that brought you to court in Gwinnett County in the first place.

Traffic bench warrants have extra consequences. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-13-63, willful failure to appear on a traffic citation is its own offense. The fine can be up to $200 or three days in jail. O.C.G.A. § 40-5-56 makes the license suspension automatic once the bench warrant is issued for a traffic matter. The Department of Driver Services will mail a certified letter. Getting the license back after resolving the bench warrant costs $100 at the DDS office. In Gwinnett County, where most people need a car to get around, that suspension hits hard.

Gwinnett County Warrant Records Access

Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 makes bench warrants public records once they are issued and served. Anyone can ask the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office for warrant record information. Before a warrant is executed, some details might be held back so the person does not get tipped off. After service, the full record is open.

The Georgia Crime Information Center stores all active warrant data for every county in the state. Only law enforcement has direct access to GCIC. The public goes through the sheriff's office. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the GCIC system and links it to the national NCIC database. That national link is why a bench warrant from Gwinnett County shows up on police checks across the country.

For more resources, the Georgia.gov warrant search guide explains what info you need and where to look. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory has contact details for all 159 county sheriffs if you need to check warrants beyond Gwinnett County.

Note: Payment is not required when getting bench warrant information straight from the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.

Clearing a Bench Warrant in Gwinnett County

The smartest way to handle a bench warrant in Gwinnett County is to act fast. Hire an attorney if you can. A lawyer contacts the court, files a motion to recall the bench warrant, and tries to get a new hearing date set. You avoid a surprise arrest that way. Many criminal defense lawyers in the Lawrenceville area deal with bench warrant cases on a regular basis. Some offer free consultations.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can turn yourself in at the Gwinnett County Detention Center at 2900 University Parkway in Lawrenceville. Bring your ID with you. Staff will process you on the bench warrant. Depending on the charge, you may be released on bond that same day or you may need to wait for a hearing. Turning yourself in shows the judge you are taking the matter seriously, and courts in Gwinnett County tend to look at that favorably when setting new conditions.

Ignoring a bench warrant in Gwinnett County is the worst path. The warrant stays in the system forever. Every contact with law enforcement puts you at risk of arrest. You cannot renew a driver's license if there is a traffic bench warrant tied to your name. It gets harder to resolve the longer you wait. Deal with it and move on.

Cities in Gwinnett County

Gwinnett County has dozens of cities and towns spread across its borders. All bench warrants for Gwinnett County residents go through the county sheriff's office in Lawrenceville. The city where you live does not change which office handles the warrant.

Other cities in Gwinnett County include Snellville, Lilburn, Suwanee, Buford, Dacula, and Grayson. Bench warrant matters for all of these go through the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.

Nearby Counties

These counties are next to Gwinnett County. Bench warrants are filed in the county where the court case was opened. Make sure you are checking the right county for your situation.