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 October 4, 2026.
Washington County, Virginia, has about 54,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Washington 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: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County warrants, Washington County inmate search, Washington County criminal records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Washington County Goes
A traffic ticket written in Washington County is answered in 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. 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 vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Washington County
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Abingdon, Glade Spring and Damascus write the traffic tickets in Washington County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Washington County: the Washington County State Police (state police); Virginia Highlands Community College and Emory and Henry College (campus police); the Washington County State Police writes the tickets on the state highways.
The Saltville Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Washington County, so its arrests are not broken out for Washington County here.
The Driving Record and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the Virginia Department 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 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 Washington County DUI).
Cities in Washington County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the General District Court.
The cities and towns in the county are Abingdon, Glade Spring and Damascus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Washington 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 Washington 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 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.