Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Washington County, Ohio, has about 58,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Washington County is a court case in the Municipal and County Courts, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Ohio Bureau 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: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County warrants, Washington County inmate search, Washington County criminal records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Washington County Goes
Tickets in Washington County go to the Municipal and County Courts, which take misdemeanors, traffic cases, evictions and civil cases up to $15,000; mayor's courts handle some village tickets. 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 washingtongov.org/250/Clerk-of-Courts, phone (740) 373-6623.
Ohio has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Writes the Tickets in Washington County
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Marietta, Belpre, Beverly, Matamoras (New Matamoras) and Lowell write the traffic tickets in Washington County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Washington County: Marietta College (campus police).
The Driving Record and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the Ohio Bureau 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 Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
An OVI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (see Washington County DUI).
Cities in Washington County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the Municipal and County Courts.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Washington County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population:
- Marietta (13,039)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Washington County?
With the Municipal and County Courts.
Who keeps my driving record in Ohio?
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Washington County?
The Municipal and County Courts, which take misdemeanors, traffic cases, evictions and civil cases up to $15,000; mayor's courts handle some village tickets.
Is this the official Washington 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.