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 between September 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Sterling Heights, Michigan, in Macomb County, has about 134,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Sterling Heights is a court case in the District Court, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Michigan 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 and common questions.
Related guides: Sterling Heights public records, Macomb County traffic tickets, Sterling Heights arrest records, Sterling Heights warrants, Sterling Heights inmate search, Sterling Heights criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Sterling Heights Goes
A traffic ticket written in Sterling Heights is answered in the District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000. 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 macombgov.org/departments/clerk-register-deeds/court-records, phone 586-469-5353.
Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
Who Writes the Tickets in Sterling Heights
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Sterling Heights (filed by the FBI as Sterling Heights Police Department) write the traffic tickets in and around Sterling Heights.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Macomb County: the Macomb County State Police (state police); Macomb Community College (campus police); the Stony Creek Metropark Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (other agency); the Macomb County State Police writes the tickets on the state highways.
The Grosse Pointe Shores Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Macomb County, so its arrests are not broken out for Macomb County here.
The Driving Record and the Michigan Secretary of State
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the Michigan 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 Michigan Secretary of State like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
An OWI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Secretary of State (see Sterling Heights DUI).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Sterling Heights?
With the District Court.
Who keeps my driving record in Michigan?
The Michigan Secretary of State. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Sterling Heights?
The District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Is this the official Sterling Heights website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.