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 2, 2026.
Buchanan County, Missouri, has about 84,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Buchanan County is a court case in the Buchanan County Circuit Court; a city with a municipal divisions tries its own, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau. 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: Buchanan County public records, Buchanan County arrest records, Buchanan County warrants, Buchanan County inmate search, Buchanan County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Buchanan County Goes
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in Buchanan County goes to the Buchanan County Circuit Court; one written by city police goes to that city's municipal divisions where it has one. Either way the ticket is a court case, and the court's index is the record of it.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Buchanan County
The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for St. Joseph write the traffic tickets in Buchanan County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Buchanan County: Missouri Western State University (campus police); Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force (other agency).
The Gower Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Buchanan County, so its arrests are not broken out for Buchanan County here.
The Driving Record and the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau
Convictions are reported by the court to the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau, 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 Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
A DWI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Department of Revenue (see Buchanan County DUI).
Cities in Buchanan County
A ticket written inside a city goes to the Buchanan County Circuit Court, or to the city's municipal divisions where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Buchanan County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own traffic tickets guide opens there:
- St. Joseph (71,098)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Buchanan County?
With the Buchanan County Circuit Court; a ticket from city police goes to the city's municipal divisions where it has one.
Who keeps my driving record in Missouri?
The Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Buchanan County?
The Buchanan County Circuit Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with associate circuit judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
Is this the official Buchanan 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.