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 September 30, 2026.
Bay County, Michigan, has about 103,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Bay County 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, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Bay County public records, Bay County arrest records, Bay County warrants, Bay County inmate search, Bay County criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Bay County Goes
Tickets in Bay County go to the District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000. A paid ticket, a dismissal and a trial all end up in that court's records.
For Bay County, SearchSystems opened and checked the District Court page at courtpmt.baycounty.net/c74/c74_cases.php (page title: Bay County Courts, Michigan), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026; that page belongs to the court that takes the tickets.
Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
Who Writes the Tickets in Bay County
The Bay County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Bay City, Essexville and Pinconning write the traffic tickets in Bay County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Bay County: Delta College (campus police); the Bay County State Police (state police); the Bay County State Police writes the tickets on the state highways.
The Midland Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Bay County, so its arrests are not broken out for Bay County here.
The Driving Record and the Michigan Secretary of State
Convictions are reported by the court to the Michigan Secretary of State, which keeps the driving record and decides on points and suspensions. Order the driving record from that agency, not from the court.
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 Bay County DUI).
Cities in Bay County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the District Court.
The cities and towns in the county are Bay City, Essexville, Auburn and Pinconning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Bay County?
With the District Court, whose page SearchSystems verified is at courtpmt.baycounty.net/c74/c74_cases.php.
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 Bay County?
The District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Is this the official Bay 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.