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 9, 2026.
Hanover County, Virginia, has about 115,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Hanover County is a court case in the General District Court, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Virginia Department 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: Hanover County public records, Hanover County arrest records, Hanover County warrants, Hanover County inmate search, Hanover County criminal records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Hanover County Goes
Tickets in Hanover County go to the General District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and smaller civil cases; the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court takes family and juvenile cases. 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 hanovercounty.gov/622/Courts.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Hanover County
The Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Ashland write the traffic tickets in Hanover County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Hanover County: the Hanover County State Police (state police); the Hanover County State Police writes the tickets on the state highways.
The Driving Record and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
Convictions are reported by the court to the Virginia Department 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 Virginia Department 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 DUI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Department of Motor Vehicles (see Hanover County DUI).
Cities in Hanover County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the General District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Hanover County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own traffic tickets guide opens there:
- Ashland (7,910)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Hanover County?
With the General District Court.
Who keeps my driving record in Virginia?
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Hanover County?
The General District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and smaller civil cases; the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court takes family and juvenile cases.
Is this the official Hanover 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.