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 28, 2026.
Gastonia, North Carolina, in Gaston County, has about 86,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Gastonia is a court case in the District Court, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. 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: Gastonia public records, Gaston County traffic tickets, Gastonia arrest records, Gastonia warrants, Gastonia inmate search, Gastonia criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Gastonia Goes
Tickets in Gastonia go to the District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, divorces, child custody, 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.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nccourts.gov/locations/gaston-county.
Statewide, eCourts Portal is the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Gastonia
The Gaston County Sheriff's Office, the Gaston County Police Department and the agency that reports for Gastonia (filed by the FBI as Gastonia Police Department) write the traffic tickets in and around Gastonia.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Gaston County: Belmont Abbey College (campus police).
The Kings Mountain Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Gaston County, so its arrests are not broken out for Gaston County here.
The Driving Record and the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, 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 North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles 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 Division of Motor Vehicles (see Gastonia DUI).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Gastonia?
With the District Court.
Who keeps my driving record in North Carolina?
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Gastonia?
The District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, divorces, child custody, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Is this the official Gastonia 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.