Does a warrant for a traffic ticket show up in a background check?

A traffic ticket may be a pretty simple violation, but if you let it go without paying the fine, it can result in a warrant being issued for your arrest. Obviously it’s much better to simply pay the fine immediately and get on with your life. But if you don’t, and a warrant is issued for you, many people wonder about warrants and background checks and if the warrant will become a problem when they apply for a job, apartment, or anything else that requires a background check.

The answer really depends on the circumstances. A warrant that’s issued over an unpaid traffic ticket is referred to as a bench warrant; what this means in layman’s terms is that the police are not out actively searching to arrest you, but should you be identified by a police officer – for example, if you have a car accident or get pulled over – then the officer will bring you in.

The fact that there’s an active warrant out for your arrest is public record, meaning if your potential employer or landlord does a background check that searches public records, they will probably find the warrant. On the other hand, some warrants simply aren’t entered into the public system, especially for violations like unpaid tickets. In other cases, a background check doesn’t look at public records, and just skims the surface of past criminal history, in which case ironically the warrant won’t show up – but if you go in, pay the ticket, and resolve the problem, the unpaid ticket itself (probably a misdemeanor) will appear on your background.

There’s no way of knowing what will come up on a background check unless you know precisely what the police have done with the information, and what type of background check will be taking place. It’s a lot easier to just pay your ticket or to get legal help from a qualified attorney who can assist you in defending against the ticket legally.