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 September 30, 2026.
Clark County, Washington, has about 527,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Clark County 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, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Clark County public records, Clark County arrest records, Clark County warrants, Clark County inmate search, Clark County criminal records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Clark County Goes
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in Clark County goes to the 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.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.wa.gov/index.cfm.
Statewide, Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in Clark County
The Clark County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Vancouver, Camas, Battle Ground, Washougal, Ridgefield and La Center write the traffic tickets in Clark County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Clark County: Washington State University at Vancouver (campus police).
The Woodland Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Clark County, so its arrests are not broken out for Clark 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 Clark County DUI).
Cities in Clark County
A ticket written inside a city goes to the District Court, or to the city's municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Clark County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own traffic tickets guide opens there:
- Vancouver (198,992)
- Camas (27,313)
- Battle Ground (22,959)
- Washougal (17,944)
- Ridgefield (15,359)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Clark County?
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 Clark County?
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 Clark 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.