Reviewed and updated October 11, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026.
Minot, North Dakota, in Ward County, has about 47,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Minot is a court case in the Ward County District Court; a city with a municipal court tries its own, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the North Dakota Department of Transportation. 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: Minot public records, Ward County traffic tickets, Minot arrest records, Minot warrants, Minot inmate search, Minot criminal records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Minot Goes
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in Minot goes to the Ward County District Court; one written by city police goes to that city's municipal court where it has one. Either way the ticket is a court case, and the court's index is the record of it.
For Ward County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at co.ward.nd.us/m/directory/department?did=168 (page title: Staff Directory, Clerk of Court), phone 701-857-6600, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 2026.
Statewide, North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Minot
The Ward County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Minot (filed by the FBI as Minot Police Department) write the traffic tickets in and around Minot.
The Driving Record and the North Dakota Department of Transportation
Convictions are reported by the court to the North Dakota Department of Transportation, 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 Dakota Department of Transportation like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
A DUI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Department of Transportation (see Minot DUI).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Minot?
With the Ward County District Court, whose page SearchSystems verified is at co.ward.nd.us/m/directory/department?did=168, phone 701-857-6600; a ticket from city police goes to the city's municipal court where it has one.
Who keeps my driving record in North Dakota?
The North Dakota Department of Transportation. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Minot?
The Ward County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
Is this the official Minot 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.