Reading A Search Warrant
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.276 — particular descriptions, and void if not executed within ten days
A Missouri search warrant has to identify what is to be searched for and seized, and the person, place or thing to be searched, in enough detail and particularity that the officer executing it can readily tell what and whom. Only a peace officer may execute one.
Ten days. A warrant is to be executed as soon as practicable, and it expires if it is not executed and returned within ten days after the application was made.
After the search, the officer signs a return showing when and how it was executed, what was seized, and from whom, and delivers it to the judge who issued it.
Sources for this section (1)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.276 — Who may apply for search warrant
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Missouri attorney.