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 2, 2026.
University Place, Washington, in Pierce County, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in University Place is a court case in the 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 Washington State Department of Licensing. 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: University Place public records, Pierce County traffic tickets, University Place arrest records, University Place warrants, University Place inmate search, University Place criminal records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in University Place Goes
Tickets in University Place are split by who wrote them: the District Court for deputies and troopers, the municipal courts for city officers in the cities that run one. A paid ticket, a dismissal and a trial all end up in that court's records.
Statewide, Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in University Place
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for University Place (filed by the FBI as University Place Police Department) write the traffic tickets in and around University Place.
The Auburn Police Department and the Pacific Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Pierce County, so their arrests are not broken out for Pierce County here.
The Driving Record and the Washington State Department of Licensing
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the Washington State Department of Licensing, 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 Washington State Department of Licensing 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 Licensing (see University Place DUI).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from University Place?
With the District Court; a ticket from city police goes to the city's municipal court where it has one.
Who keeps my driving record in Washington?
The Washington State Department of Licensing. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in University Place?
The District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims and civil cases up to $100,000. A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets under its ordinances.
Is this the official University Place 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.