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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Fayette County, West Virginia, has about 39,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Fayette County is a court case in the Magistrate Court; a city with a municipal court tries its own, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the West Virginia Division 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: Fayette County public records, Fayette County arrest records, Fayette County warrants, Fayette County inmate search, Fayette County criminal records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Fayette County Goes
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in Fayette County goes to the Magistrate 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.
West Virginia has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Writes the Tickets in Fayette County
The Fayette County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Oak Hill, Fayetteville, Ansted, Mount Hope, Montgomery and Gauley Bridge write the traffic tickets in Fayette County.
The FBI's agency list also places two state police units and two state agencies in Fayette County (the arrest records guide names each one); the State Police's two offices write the tickets on the state highways.
The Driving Record and the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the West Virginia Division 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 West Virginia Division 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 Division of Motor Vehicles (see Fayette County DUI).
Cities in Fayette County
A ticket written inside a city goes to the Magistrate Court, or to the city's municipal court where it has one.
The cities and towns in the county are Oak Hill, Fayetteville, Ansted, Mount Hope, Montgomery, Smithers, Gauley Bridge, Meadow Bridge, Pax and Thurmond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Fayette County?
With the Magistrate Court; a ticket from city police goes to the city's municipal court where it has one.
Who keeps my driving record in West Virginia?
The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Fayette County?
The Magistrate Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $10,000. A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets under its ordinances.
Is this the official Fayette 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.