What is the deadline to serve a warrant?

• A. 10 days
• B. 5 days
• C. 15 days
• D. 30 days

Answer: (A)

Warrants are time‑sensitive documents that must be acted on promptly after they’re issued. The ten‑day deadline provides a practical window for investigators to locate the person or place and carry out the order, while keeping the authority of the warrant current and enforceable. If a warrant isn’t served within that period, it’s typically returned unserved and a new or extended order may be needed, which can delay justice. A shorter window like five days can be too tight for proper search or arrest efforts, while longer windows (fifteen or thirty days) increase the chance the situation or facts have changed or the warrant becomes stale. For those reasons, ten days is the appropriate standard.