Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Madison County, Illinois, has about 263,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Madison County is a court case in the Circuit Court of Madison County, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Illinois Secretary of State. This guide says which court takes the ticket, who writes them and where the driving record lives.
This guide covers where tickets go, who writes them, the driving record, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Madison County public records, Madison County arrest records, Madison County warrants, Madison County inmate search, Madison County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Madison County Goes
A traffic ticket written in Madison County is answered in the Circuit Court of Madison County. The ticket itself is a court case, and the court's index is the record of it.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at madisoncountyil.gov/departments/circuit_clerk/court_records_search.php (page title: Madison County Illinois Circuit Clerk Records Search), phone (800) 250-9884, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Illinois has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Writes the Tickets in Madison County
The Madison County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Granite City, Edwardsville, Alton, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, Troy and 17 more cities write the traffic tickets in Madison County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Madison County: Norfolk Southern Railway in Madison County and Terminal Railroad Association (other agency); Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (campus police).
The Pierron Police Department and the Fairmont City Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Madison County, so their arrests are not broken out for Madison County here.
The Driving Record and the Illinois Secretary of State
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the Illinois Secretary of State, which adds each conviction the court reports and handles suspensions; the court does not issue driving records.
Paying a ticket is a conviction, reported to the Illinois Secretary of State like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
A DUI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Secretary of State (see Madison County DUI).
Cities in Madison County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the Circuit Court of Madison County.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Madison County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own traffic tickets guide opens there:
- Granite City (26,854)
- Edwardsville (26,715)
- Collinsville (23,766)
- Glen Carbon (13,883)
- Troy (11,810)
- Wood River (10,251)
- Highland (10,028)
- East Alton (5,621)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Madison County?
With the Circuit Court of Madison County, whose page SearchSystems verified is at madisoncountyil.gov, phone (800) 250-9884.
Who keeps my driving record in Illinois?
The Illinois Secretary of State. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Madison County?
The Circuit Court of Madison County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and juvenile case.
Is this the official Madison County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.