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 24, 2026.
King County, Washington, has about 2.3 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in King 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: King County public records, King County arrest records, King County warrants, King County inmate search, King County criminal records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in King County Goes
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in King 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 kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja/courts-jails-legal-system/case-records/r..., phone 206-477-0691.
Statewide, Washington Courts Search Case Records is the Administrative Office of the Courts' free statewide case search.
Who Writes the Tickets in King County
The King County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Federal Way, Kirkland and 31 more cities write the traffic tickets in King County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in King County: the University of Washington (campus police); the Port of Seattle (other agency).
The Milton Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including King County, so its arrests are not broken out for King 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 King County DUI).
Cities in King 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 King County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own traffic tickets guide opens there:
- Seattle (780,995)
- Bellevue (154,377)
- Kent (136,588)
- Renton (105,543)
- Federal Way (100,252)
- Kirkland (95,499)
- Auburn (85,513)
- Redmond (82,195)
- Sammamish (66,474)
- Shoreline (66,251)
- Burien (52,046)
- Bothell (51,770)
- SeaTac (34,024)
- Des Moines (33,207)
- Maple Valley (28,553)
- Mercer Island (25,302)
- Kenmore (24,166)
- Tukwila (21,636)
- Covington (21,567)
- Woodinville (13,942)
- Snoqualmie (13,748)
- Lake Forest Park (13,276)
- Enumclaw (13,173)
- Newcastle (13,072)
- Duvall (9,176)
- North Bend (8,553)
- Pacific (7,085)
- Black Diamond (6,787)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from King 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 King 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 King 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.