Wise County Warrants

Which courts issue warrants in Wise County

Wise County is a small, rural county, so its warrant map is short: one shared district court for felonies, a single county court at law for jailable misdemeanors, four single-judge JP precincts and a handful of city courts for Class C cases. The Decatur courthouse anchors the felony and misdemeanor side; the JP and municipal courts sit out in the towns. The Wise County Sheriff enforces every level.

Decatur, the county seat, is where the felony and jailable-misdemeanor records live, but a Wise County warrant can come from any of four court types depending on how the underlying offense is graded. The simplest way to read your situation is to start with the charge level and work outward to the court, the clerk, and the path to clear it — the table below pairs each grade with the court that issues the warrant and the office that holds the file. The clerks and Sheriff section that follows names the specific people and addresses in Decatur.

Whatever the level, bail is set under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 17, while fine-only Class C cases follow Chapter 45. Pull the court named on your paperwork from the sections below, or open the sitewide Courts & Counties directory.

Wise County's 271st District Court 1 court · felony

Wise County's felony trial court is the 271st Judicial District Court, seated in the Historic Courthouse on the Decatur square. One judge presides over the whole district, which covers both Wise and Jack counties, so a Wise County felony shares its courtroom with Jack County cases but keeps its own filing with the Wise County District Clerk. Felony arrest, bench, and indictment warrants all originate here.

Unlike a metro county with a row of numbered district benches, Wise County has exactly one felony court, and it is a regional one: the 271st serves Wise and Jack together under a single elected judge. For a defendant that arrangement changes nothing about how a warrant is handled — an indictment, a probation revocation, or a forfeited bond all route to the same court, the Sheriff carries out the warrant, and booking happens at the Wise County Jail, 200 Rook Ramsey Drive, Decatur, TX 76234. A magistrate then sets or reviews bond under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 17. Because there is only one felony court, this guide states that path once; the row below gives the judge and the court-coordinator line you call to confirm a setting.

Every Wise County felony is filed and tracked through the Wise County District Clerk in the Historic Courthouse, regardless of whether the same judge is sitting on a Wise or a Jack County matter that day. To confirm a felony cause number, setting, or bond, work through the District Clerk's office or the county's online Court Records search rather than calling the court directly during a docket.

Wise County Court at Law No. 1 1 criminal court · Class A/B

Jailable misdemeanors in Wise County — Class A and Class B cases such as DWI, misdemeanor assault, and theft — are heard by County Court at Law No. 1 in Decatur, and the County Clerk keeps those files. The county's second statutory court at law (No. 2) is a civil, family, and probate court, so it does not issue criminal warrants. The constitutional County Court handles commissioners-court business, not a criminal trial docket.

If your warrant is tied to a misdemeanor that can carry jail time, it almost certainly issued from County Court at Law No. 1. The enforcement and booking route tracks the felony side — the Sheriff serves the warrant, intake is at the Decatur jail, and a magistrate sets bond under Chapter 17 — which is why it is described once rather than repeated here. A point worth flagging for Wise County specifically: the county has two courts at law, but only No. 1 hears criminal cases. Court at Law No. 2, presided over by Judge Manoushagian in Bridgeport, is a civil/family/probate/guardianship court and is excluded from this warrant guide because it does not handle criminal matters.

Because this single court at law files everything through the Wise County Clerk, one records office — plus the county's online case search — covers every misdemeanor warrant in the county. You do not need a separate lookup for the constitutional County Court or for Court at Law No. 2, neither of which issues a criminal-warrant docket.

Wise County Justice of the Peace Courts 4 precincts · Class C

Wise County is split into four Justice of the Peace precincts, each with a single judge. JP courts hear Class C (fine-only) cases filed at the county level and issue a capias pro fine warrant when a fine or court cost stays unpaid after judgment. Two precincts sit in Decatur, one in Boyd, and one in Bridgeport, so the office and phone you need depend on the precinct number on your citation.

A JP warrant is a fine-only matter, which means it clears on a different track than a misdemeanor or felony: you pay the balance, set up an installment plan, or ask for an ability-to-pay hearing under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 45 — no jail-release bond is required. That fine-only mechanism is identical across all four precincts and is laid out in the how to clear section. What actually differs precinct to precinct is geography: Precincts 1 and 2 are based in Decatur (Precinct 2 at the law-enforcement/jail campus on Rook Ramsey Drive), Precinct 3 is in Boyd on the county's south side, and Precinct 4 is at the Bridgeport annex on the west side. Each precinct's judge, office, and phone appear below.

Each precinct runs its own counter and case lookup, so confirm a JP warrant with the precinct named on your citation and then clear it on the fine-only path described under how to clear a Wise County warrant. If you are unsure which precinct your ticket came from, the number is printed on the citation itself.

Municipal courts in Wise County city courts · Class C

The incorporated cities inside Wise County run their own municipal courts for Class C and traffic citations, issuing alias and capias pro fine warrants when a city case is ignored. A city warrant lives entirely inside that city's court — the Wise County courthouse in Decatur has nothing to do with it, so a ticket written by Bridgeport PD is cleared in Bridgeport, not at the county. Open the page for the city that wrote your citation.

City warrants run on the same fine-only logic as the JP courts: most are alias warrants (a missed setting before judgment) or capias pro fine warrants (an unpaid fine after judgment), and they clear by resolving the case, paying, arranging an installment plan, or requesting an ability-to-pay hearing under Chapter 45 — the same route described under how to clear a Wise County warrant. Decatur's is a municipal court of record; the smaller cities typically run a standard Class C court, though a few may contract JP coverage instead of seating their own judge. Use the page for the city named on your ticket:

Of the cities above, Decatur's municipal court of record is fully confirmed. The remaining cities typically operate a Class C court, but verify that each runs its own court (rather than contracting JP coverage) before relying on a dedicated city page.

Wise County clerks & Sheriff

No matter which court issued your warrant, the case file sits with a clerk and enforcement runs through the Sheriff. In Wise County the District Clerk holds felony (271st District Court) records, the County Clerk holds misdemeanor (County Court at Law) records, and the Sheriff executes warrants countywide and runs the jail in Decatur.

Wise County District Clerk (felony records)

The Wise County District Clerk, Loucrecia Biggerstaff, Historic Courthouse, 101 N. Trinity St., Ste. 102, Decatur, TX 76234, keeps the records for the 271st District Court, which tries felonies and issues felony arrest and bench warrants. The office relocated to the Historic Courthouse from its older 308 W. Main St. address.

Wise County Clerk (Class A / B misdemeanor records)

The Wise County Clerk, Blanca Tuma, 200 N. Trinity St., Decatur, TX 76234, maintains the records for County Court at Law No. 1, which handles Class A and B misdemeanors and the warrants tied to them. The records room closes at 4:30 p.m.

Wise County Sheriff (enforcement)

The Wise County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Cary Mellema, 200 Rook Ramsey Drive, Decatur, TX 76234, executes felony and misdemeanor warrants countywide. Cary Mellema is the current sheriff; some older listings still name a prior sheriff, so use the office address and phone as the reliable contact.

Wise County Jail (booking)

If you are arrested or surrender on a county-level (misdemeanor or felony) warrant, booking is at the Wise County Jail, 200 Rook Ramsey Drive, Decatur, TX 76234, on the Sheriff's campus, where bond is processed. Capacity is roughly 328, and the roster is updated daily on weekdays. City (municipal) and JP Class C warrants are usually handled at the issuing court rather than the county jail.

How to check for a Wise County warrant

Wise County publishes its case and jail information on a self-hosted county system rather than a statewide portal, so the lookups are local: an online Court Records search, the county court calendar, and a daily jail roster. The District Clerk and County Clerk can confirm a case by phone, and a defense lawyer can verify a warrant without putting you in front of a counter.

For county-level cases, start with the county's public Court Records search and the court calendar, both hosted on the county's own system at jail.co.wise.tx.us/publicaccess (records) and jail.co.wise.tx.us on port 81 (docket/calendar); the live jail roster is published separately. For a city ticket, check the municipal court for the city that wrote it, since each city keeps its own case system. For Class A or B records, call the County Clerk; for felonies, the District Clerk. Because these self-hosted lookups do not always surface every active warrant, and because asking at a clerk's counter in person can trigger an arrest, the safest approach is to have a defense lawyer confirm the warrant discreetly first. Our guide on how to find out if you have a warrant walks through each option in order.

How to clear a Wise County warrant

Clearing a Wise County warrant comes down to four moves: pin down the issuing court, confirm the charge and bond, pick a path with a lawyer, then appear on the set date with the bond posted or the matter resolved. Handled through counsel, this usually means a planned, same-day surrender at the Decatur jail instead of a roadside arrest.

1. Pin down which Wise County court issued the warrant. Work out whether it came from a city municipal court, a JP precinct, County Court at Law No. 1, or the 271st District Court — that determines the procedure and which clerk in Decatur holds the file.
2. Confirm the charge, the bond, and any no-bond hold. Verify the underlying case or citation, the bond amount already set, and whether a hold would block a routine bond at the jail.
3. Pick your path with a lawyer: post a bond for a court setting, file a motion to recall, or satisfy the fine or case — the right move depends on the warrant type and the reason it issued.
4. Appear on the set date with the bond or resolution in place. Show up at the correct Wise County court with the bond posted or the matter resolved so the court recalls the warrant and the case moves forward.

For the full walk-through, read how to lift a warrant and weigh your options in bond vs. surrender.

How a lawyer helps in Wise County

A defense lawyer working a Wise County warrant can confirm it on the county's system, name the issuing court, arrange a walk-through bond where one is available, file a motion to recall, and appear alongside you to resolve the case. The aim is to turn an unplanned arrest into a scheduled, controlled appearance at the Decatur courthouse.

L and L Law Group is a Frisco criminal-defense firm led by Co-Founding Partners Reggie London and Njeri London, and the firm takes warrant matters into Wise County's courts — the 271st District Court and County Court at Law No. 1 in Decatur, the JP precincts in Decatur, Boyd, and Bridgeport, and the city courts across the county. Rural counties run their dockets and counters their own way, and knowing those local rhythms is half the job: the firm can verify the warrant, estimate the likely bond, line up release in advance, and stand with you at the courthouse. Learn more about the L&L Law Group team, or read about this resource.

Related

Wise County warrant FAQ

This page is general legal information about Texas law, not legal advice for your specific situation. Statutes and court procedures change; verify current requirements with the relevant court or a licensed Texas attorney. Last reviewed June 22, 2026.