Kaufman County Warrants
Which courts issue warrants in Kaufman County
Kaufman County is compact: its warrant docket runs through just two felony district courts, two county courts at law, and four Justice of the Peace precincts, plus the municipal courts of towns like Forney and Terrell. The county courts handle anything that can carry jail time; the JP and city courts handle fine-only tickets. The Sheriff’s Office serves all of them.
This is a small, fast-growing county on the eastern edge of the DFW metro, and its court system is built to match — there is no sprawling bench of numbered courts here. That actually makes a warrant easier to place: only a handful of courts can have issued it, and the deciding factor is whether your charge is fine-only, a jail-eligible misdemeanor, or a felony. The four tables below name every Kaufman County court that issues a warrant, along with its judge and how to reach it, and the clerks and Sheriff block that follows shows where the file is kept and who does the arresting.
| Offense level | Court that issues the warrant | Where the file lives |
|---|---|---|
| Fine-only Class C & traffic | Justice of the Peace precincts & city municipal courts | JP precinct or city clerk |
| Class A & B misdemeanor | County courts at law (2) | County Clerk |
| Felony | District courts (2) | District Clerk |
Bond for every jail-eligible warrant in that table is governed by the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 17, while fine-only Class C collection runs under Chapter 45. Match the court named on your paperwork to a row below, or open the sitewide Courts & Counties directory to compare neighboring counties.
Kaufman County District Courts 2 courts · felony
Two district courts — the 86th and the 422nd — carry every felony in Kaufman County. Both are mixed-jurisdiction trial courts that also hear civil, family, and probate matters, but on the criminal side they issue felony arrest warrants, post-indictment capias, and bench warrants for probation violations. Both sit at the Justice Center on US-175, and the District Clerk holds their files.
Start with the practical detail that matters most on a felony warrant: where you end up. In Kaufman County, a felony warrant served by the Sheriff lands you at the county jail beside the Sheriff’s Office on US-175, where a magistrate reviews bond under Chapter 17 before the case moves to whichever district court drew it. Both courts run that same intake, so the choice between the 86th and the 422nd does not change how you get released — it changes which judge and which coordinator you and your lawyer will be dealing with through trial. Read the court number off your indictment or bond paperwork and find the matching row.
| Court | Presiding judge | What it handles |
|---|---|---|
| 86th District Court | Hon. Casey Blair | Felony criminal trial court that also hears civil, family, divorce, custody, and probate cases. Issues felony arrest warrants, capias, and bond forfeitures. Coordinator line (469) 376-4670. |
| 422nd District Court | Hon. Shelton T.W. Gibbs IV | Felony criminal trial court that also hears civil, family, and probate cases. Issues felony warrants, capias, and bond forfeitures, and is referenced in county materials in connection with a specialty / drug-court docket. Reach via the Justice Center switchboard (469) 376-4100. |
Both district courts sit at the Kaufman County Justice Center, 1902 E. US Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, and every felony is docketed through the Kaufman County District Clerk there. To confirm a felony case number, a setting, or the bond amount, work through the District Clerk or the county’s public case-search portal — one clerk and one search cover both courts.
Kaufman County Courts at Law 2 courts · Class A/B
The misdemeanor docket splits between County Court at Law No. 1 and No. 2. These are the courts that handle DWI, theft, and most assault cases — the charges that sit above a fine-only ticket but below a felony — and they issue the bench and alias warrants attached to them. Both also hear appeals from the JP and city courts, and the County Clerk holds their records.
If your warrant carries the possibility of jail but is not a felony, one of these two courts almost certainly issued it. There is a real difference between them worth knowing: County Court at Law No. 1 runs Kaufman County’s DWI specialty docket and an SAFP re-entry program, so a DWI or substance-related case may be routed there deliberately, while No. 2 carries a broader civil and probate load alongside its misdemeanors. The release mechanics are identical to the felony courts — Sheriff serves, jail books, magistrate sets bond under Chapter 17 — and the County Clerk is the single records office for both, so you confirm a misdemeanor case the same way no matter which court at law is on your paperwork. The suite and direct line for each appear below.
| Court | Judge | Docket & contact |
|---|---|---|
| County Court at Law No. 1 | Hon. Joseph Russell | Class A and B misdemeanors (including DWI and theft), some felony matters, all CPS and juvenile cases, civil suits, and appeals from the JP courts. Runs the DWI Specialty Court and the SAFP Re-entry Court. Kaufman County Justice Center, 1902 E. US Hwy 175 · (469) 376-4745. |
| County Court at Law No. 2 | Hon. Bobby L. Rich | Class A and B misdemeanors (DWI, theft, and the like), civil lawsuits up to $250,000, and probate / guardianship. General misdemeanor docket with no separately branded criminal specialty court. Kaufman County Justice Center, 1902 E. US Hwy 175 · (469) 376-4757. |
Because both courts at law file through the one Kaufman County Clerk, a single records office — plus the county’s public case search — covers every misdemeanor warrant in the table; there is no separate lookup per court.
Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Courts 4 precincts · Class C
Kaufman County has four JP precincts, each with a single judge — there are no multi-place precincts here. JP courts handle Class C (fine-only) misdemeanors filed at the county level and issue a capias pro fine warrant when a fine or court cost goes unpaid after judgment. The precincts sit in different towns, so the office and phone change by precinct — match the precinct number on your citation.
A JP warrant is a fine-collection tool, not a jail-bond matter, which is what sets it apart from everything in the district and county-court tables above. You resolve it under Chapter 45 by paying the balance, arranging installments, or requesting an ability-to-pay hearing — the same options spelled out in the how to clear section. Geography is the practical wrinkle: Precincts 1 and 4 share the Kaufman courthouse-area address on E. US Hwy 175, while Precinct 2 sits in Forney and Precinct 3 in Terrell, so a ticket written on the county’s west side may belong to a court twenty minutes from the county seat. The judge, office, and phone for each precinct are listed below.
| Precinct | Judge | Office location | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 | Hon. Mary Bardin | 1906 E. US Highway 175, Kaufman, TX 75142 (Kaufman courthouse area) | (469) 376-4182 |
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 | Hon. Amy Tarno | Forney Sub-Courthouse, 200 E. Main St., Forney, TX 75126 (western Kaufman County — not the Kaufman courthouse) | (469) 376-4600 |
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 | Hon. Rhitt Jackson | Terrell Sub-Courthouse, 408 E. College St., Terrell, TX 75160 (eastern Kaufman County — not the Kaufman courthouse) | (469) 376-4587 |
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 | Hon. Johnny Adams | 1906 E. US Highway 175, 2nd Floor, Kaufman, TX 75142 (Kaufman courthouse area) | (469) 376-4620 |
Each precinct keeps its own counter and case lookup, so confirm a JP warrant with the precinct named on your citation, then satisfy it through the fine-only route described under how to clear a Kaufman County warrant.
Municipal courts in Kaufman County city courts · Class C
Towns across Kaufman County run their own municipal courts for Class C and traffic citations, issuing alias and capias pro fine warrants when a city case goes unanswered. A city warrant is a separate track from the county courthouse — the town where the ticket was written holds and clears it, not the clerks in Kaufman. Choose the city named on your citation below.
Because no city in Kaufman County tops 50,000 residents, this resource covers them collectively here rather than on standalone city pages, but the rule for each is the same: a Forney, Terrell, or Kaufman city ticket is a municipal matter, and the city court — not the JP precinct or the courts at law — is what issues and recalls any warrant tied to it. These are almost always alias warrants (a missed setting before judgment) or capias pro fine warrants (an unpaid fine after judgment), cleared by answering the case, paying, setting up a plan, or asking for an ability-to-pay hearing under Chapter 45 — the route in the how to clear section below. Use the page for the city on your ticket:
Kaufman County clerks & Sheriff
No matter which court issued the warrant, its file sits with a clerk and its enforcement runs through the Sheriff. In Kaufman County the County Clerk keeps the misdemeanor (county-court-at-law) records, the District Clerk keeps the felony (district-court) records, and the Sheriff’s Office on US-175 serves warrants and runs the jail where bookings happen.
- Kaufman County District Clerk (felony records)
- The Kaufman County District Clerk — Rhonda Hughey, at the Kaufman County Justice Center, 1902 E. US Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, keeps the felony case records for the 86th and 422nd District Courts and their arrest and bench warrants. Records line (469) 376-4640.
- Kaufman County Clerk (Class A / B misdemeanor records)
- The Kaufman County Clerk — Laura Hughes, PO Box 729, 1902 US Hwy 175, Kaufman, TX 75142, keeps the misdemeanor case records for the two county courts at law, along with probate, real-property, and vital records. Records line (469) 376-4730.
- Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office (enforcement)
- The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, 1900 E. US-175, Kaufman, TX 75142 (mailing: Drawer 849, Kaufman, TX 75142), serves and enforces criminal warrants countywide. Dispatch / admin (469) 376-4598; fax (972) 932-9751.
- Kaufman County jail (booking)
- If you are arrested or surrender on a county-level (misdemeanor or felony) warrant, booking is at the Kaufman County Law Enforcement Center / jail, co-located with the Sheriff’s Office at roughly 1900 E. US-175, Kaufman, TX 75142, where bond is processed. Jail / booking line (972) 932-4337. City and JP Class C warrants are typically handled at the issuing court or city facility rather than the county jail.
How to check for a Kaufman County warrant
There is no single Kaufman County button that returns every warrant. The county’s public case-search portal covers court cases but does not reliably list active warrants, and city and JP fine-only warrants live in their own systems — so a phone call to the issuing court, or a confidential check by a lawyer, is the surest way to know.
The county’s public records search runs on a Tyler Technologies portal linked from kaufmancounty.net (labeled “Court Search” or “Public Records Search”); use it to look up a county-level case, but do not treat a clean result as proof you have no warrant, because active-warrant entries are not always published there. For a felony, confirm with the District Clerk; for a Class A or B misdemeanor, the County Clerk; for a Class C ticket, the specific JP precinct or city court that wrote it. Active-warrant questions can also be directed to the Sheriff’s Office, since warrant lists are not always in the public case portal. Because contacting a court about your own warrant can prompt an arrest, the lowest-risk approach is to let a defense lawyer verify it quietly first — our guide on how to find out if you have a warrant compares each option.
How to clear a Kaufman County warrant
Clearing a Kaufman County warrant comes down to four moves: identify the issuing court, confirm the charge and bond, pick a path with a lawyer, then appear with the bond posted or the matter resolved so the court recalls it. Handled through counsel, a warrant often becomes a scheduled same-day surrender at the Justice Center instead of a roadside arrest.
- Identify the issuing court. Decide whether your warrant came from a city municipal court, a JP precinct, a county court at law, or one of the two district courts — that single fact sets the procedure and the clerk you will deal with.
- Confirm the charge, the bond, and any hold. Pull the underlying case or citation, find out what bond (if any) is already set, and check whether a no-bond hold would block a routine release.
- Pick a path with a lawyer. Depending on the warrant, that means posting a bond for a court setting, filing a motion to recall, or paying or otherwise resolving a fine-only Class C balance.
- Appear with it resolved. Show up at the correct Kaufman County court with the bond in place or the case satisfied, so the judge recalls the warrant and the matter moves forward.
For the full walk-through, see how to lift a warrant and weigh your choices in bond vs. surrender.
How a lawyer helps in Kaufman County
A defense lawyer can quietly confirm the warrant, name the issuing court, line up a walk-through bond at the Justice Center where one is available, file a motion to recall, and stand with you when the case is called. The aim is to turn a warrant that could become a surprise arrest into a planned, controlled appearance.
L and L Law Group is a Frisco criminal-defense firm led by Co-Founding Partners Reggie London and Njeri London, and it handles warrant matters across Kaufman County — the 86th and 422nd District Courts, both county courts at law, the four JP precincts, and the city courts in Forney, Terrell, and the surrounding towns. When you are ready, the firm can verify the warrant, estimate the likely bond, arrange release in advance, and appear with you at the Kaufman County Justice Center. Meet the people behind it at the L&L Law Group team, or read about this resource.
Worried about a warrant? Start here.
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Kaufman County warrant FAQ
Does Kaufman County have an online warrant search?
Kaufman County runs a Tyler Technologies public case-search portal linked from kaufmancounty.net, but an active-warrant entry does not always appear there, and city and JP fine-only warrants live in separate systems. The most reliable confirmation is a phone call to the issuing court or, to avoid drawing attention to yourself, having a defense lawyer verify it on your behalf.
Where would I be booked on a Kaufman County warrant?
On a county-level misdemeanor or felony warrant, booking is at the Kaufman County jail co-located with the Sheriff’s Office at roughly 1900 E. US-175 in Kaufman. The booking line is (972) 932-4337. A city Class C warrant from Forney, Terrell, or another municipal court is usually handled at that city’s facility rather than the county jail.
Which Kaufman County court handles my warrant?
It tracks the offense level. A fine-only Class C ticket runs through a city municipal court or one of the four JP precincts; a Class A or B misdemeanor (DWI, theft, most assaults) runs through County Court at Law No. 1 or No. 2; and a felony runs through the 86th or 422nd District Court. The County Clerk keeps the misdemeanor file and the District Clerk keeps the felony file.
I got a ticket in Forney or Terrell — is that a county warrant?
No. A citation written inside Forney or Terrell city limits is a municipal matter, so it runs through that city’s own municipal court, not the Kaufman County courthouse. If the fine goes unpaid after judgment, the city court can issue a capias pro fine warrant. Only county-level cases move to the courts at law or the district courts on US-175 in Kaufman.
What is a capias pro fine warrant in Kaufman County?
It is the fine-collection warrant a JP precinct or city municipal court issues after a Class C judgment when the fine and court costs are not paid. Under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 45, you can satisfy it by paying in full, arranging an installment plan, or asking the court for an ability-to-pay hearing — it is not a jail-release bond situation like a misdemeanor or felony warrant.
Can a Kaufman County warrant be cleared without an arrest?
Frequently, yes. For many bench, alias, capias, and lower-level warrants, a lawyer can arrange a walk-through bond at the Kaufman County Justice Center so you surrender and are released the same day, or can move to recall the warrant outright. Whether that works depends on the charge, the bond already set, and whether a no-bond hold is attached.
My case is in the 86th or 422nd District Court — what does that mean?
Those are Kaufman County’s two felony trial courts, both sitting at the Justice Center on US-175. Either one can issue a felony arrest warrant, a capias after an indictment, or a bench warrant tied to a probation revocation. The case is filed with the District Clerk, the Sheriff serves the warrant, and a magistrate sets or reviews bond under Chapter 17.
Is the warrant process different because Kaufman is a smaller county?
The legal steps are the same as anywhere in Texas, but the smaller footprint helps you: with only two district courts and two courts at law, identifying the issuing court is quick, and nearly everything — the felony courts, the courts at law, both clerks, and the jail — is clustered on US-175 in Kaufman. The main thing to watch is geography on Class C tickets, since the JP precincts and city courts are spread across Forney, Terrell, and other towns.
This page is general legal information about Texas law, not legal advice for your specific situation. Statutes and court procedures change, and the judge names, phone numbers, and online-search details above should be confirmed against the county’s current directory before you rely on them; verify requirements with the relevant court or a licensed Texas attorney. Last reviewed June 22, 2026.