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.
Gaston County, North Carolina, has about 242,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Gaston County 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, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Gaston County public records, Gaston County arrest records, Gaston County warrants, Gaston County inmate search, Gaston County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Gaston County Goes
A traffic ticket written in Gaston County is answered in the District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, divorces, child custody, 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 nccourts.gov/locations/gaston-county.
Statewide, eCourts Portal is the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Gaston County
The Gaston County Sheriff's Office, the Gaston County Police Department and the agencies that report for Gastonia, Mount Holly, Belmont, Cherryville, Dallas, Bessemer City and four more cities write the traffic tickets in Gaston County.
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
Convictions are reported by the court to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, 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 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 Gaston County DUI).
Cities in Gaston County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Gaston County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own traffic tickets guide opens there:
- Gastonia (85,535)
- Bessemer City (5,730)
- Cramerton (5,604)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Gaston County?
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 Gaston County?
The District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, divorces, child custody, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Is this the official Gaston 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.