Traffic Warrants in Washtenaw County
In Washtenaw County, a traffic warrant is a court order that grows out of an unanswered ticket or a missed traffic date. Michigan treats most minor traffic matters as civil infractions, which carry no jail time and never become warrants on their own. Misdemeanor tickets behave differently. That is usually where the trouble starts. The 15th District Court in Ann Arbor publishes the clearest local warning on its traffic and criminal page: a failure to appear brings a warrant plus a $60 warrant fee, and an unpaid misdemeanor ticket or a failure to comply with a payment order works the same way. The county's other district courts run their own dockets and set their own costs, so confirm which court is printed on your paper before assuming any figure applies.
ePAY Lookup Modes for Washtenaw Traffic Warrants
Washtenaw County drivers can find an eligible ticket on Michigan's ePAY portal four ways. Pick the court first, then one of these sets.
- Last name and ticket or case number, the fastest route when the paper is in hand.
- Last name and date of birth, when the ticket number has been lost.
- Driver's license number and issuing state.
- License plate number and state.
The limit matters more than the fields. The 15th District Court states plainly that any status marked Warrant cannot be paid online, so in Washtenaw County a payment screen is just that: a payment screen, not a recall of the order.
Key point: an eligible ticket can be paid through Michigan ePAY, but the court must withdraw a warrant separately.
How to Check for a Traffic Warrant
A warrant check starts with the court printed on the citation and widens from there. No single statewide site lists Michigan traffic warrants. ICHAT, the state criminal-history service, says plainly that warrant information is not available through it, so a paid history search will not answer this Washtenaw County question either.
- Read the ticket and note the court name, the ticket number, and the last court date.
- Search that court's public case history for a warrant event.
- Call the clerk for that court and ask whether the warrant is still active.
- If the court sends you to records, describe the case and the date range in writing.
- Ask what the court requires to recall the warrant, and write down the answer.
The county warrant search page covers the same channels for every warrant type.
Washtenaw Traffic Warrant Court Contacts
In Washtenaw County, each court keeps its own traffic docket, and the citation label decides which clerk you call about a warrant.
| Court | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| 15th District Court, Ann Arbor | 301 E Huron Street, Ann Arbor | 734-794-6750 |
| 14A-1 District Court, Ann Arbor | 4133 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor | 734-973-4545 |
| 14A-2 District Court, Ypsilanti | 415 W Michigan Avenue, Ypsilanti | 734-484-6690 |
| 14A-3 District Court, Chelsea | 122 S Main Street, Chelsea | 734-475-8606 |
| 14A-4 District Court, Saline | 1000 N Maple Road, Saline | 734-429-2504 |
| 14B District Court, Ypsilanti Township | 7200 S Huron River Drive, Ypsilanti | 734-483-5300 |
A Ypsilanti mailing address alone will not pick your court. City and township cases in Washtenaw County sit in different buildings, and the 14B docket is its own separate list.
What a Traffic Warrant Shows
A traffic warrant record leans on the ticket itself. In Washtenaw County, the citation number and the court are the two fields worth reading first.
| Citation or Case Number | The ticket number as printed, which can differ from a court case number. The 14A docket uses the court code D14A. |
|---|---|
| Court | The district court or Ann Arbor's city court that issued the order. |
| Offense | The traffic charge, with the case class noted as a civil infraction or a misdemeanor. |
| Missed Event | The date and type of the appearance that was skipped. |
| Warrant Fee | The amount the court assessed when the warrant issued. |
| Status | Open, paid, recalled, or canceled, with the date of the last court event. |
Two people in Washtenaw County can share a name. Match the ticket number before assuming a warrant record is yours.
Washtenaw Traffic Warrants and a Missing Notice
When a misdemeanor ticket never produces an arraignment notice, the 15th District Court publishes a number for exactly that problem: 734-794-6753, option 0. The line exists so a Washtenaw County driver can fix the notice issue before it turns into a missed appearance. For general traffic and criminal clerk questions, the same court lists 734-794-6750, option 2. The 15th District Court traffic and criminal page carries both instructions and the fee warning.
Do not wait for a second notice. Addresses change, and a returned envelope does not excuse a missed date in Washtenaw County court.
Paying or Lifting a Traffic Warrant
Paying a fine and lifting a warrant are not the same act in Washtenaw County. A payment clears the money owed. Only the court removes a warrant, and no clerk can do it without a judge's action on the case.
- Pay the underlying ticket or fine in full through the court.
- Ask the clerk about a payment plan or an ability-to-pay review when the full amount is out of reach.
- Schedule a turn-in or an arraignment when the court requires an appearance first.
- Request the recall in writing and keep the receipt or order.
Caution: clearing a fine online does not lift a warrant, and a warrant status blocks online payment, so confirm the recall with the court.
Washtenaw Warrant Checks vs Civil Review
The 14A district courts offer an online traffic review for eligible civil infractions in Washtenaw County. It is a real service, just not a warrant tool. A closed or rejected review does not mean a warrant exists, and no warrant gets resolved inside that portal. Civil infractions carry no jail time, so a warrant sitting in a traffic file usually signals a different case class or an earlier court order that went unmet. Treat the two as separate questions with separate answers. Review a civil infraction through the vendor. Call the court about the warrant, and use the municipal court page when the ticket came from a city ordinance case.
Traffic Warrant vs FTA and License Holds
Three related terms get tossed around as one thing in Washtenaw County. They actually mark different stages of the same problem.
| Term | What It Means | Who Controls It |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to appear | A missed court date, and often the first event in the chain | The court that set the appearance |
| Traffic warrant | A court order issued after a missed date or an unmet order | The judge in that case |
| License suspension or hold | A state action tied to an unpaid citation or an unanswered charge | The court reports it and the state applies it |
The 15th District Court cites MCL 257.321a and MCL 257.748 for suspension and hold consequences. It cites MCL 600.8729 for bench warrants. Read those citations on the court's own page rather than on any Washtenaw County summary.
Washtenaw Traffic Warrant Consequences the Court Lists
The 15th District Court publishes the steps it can take when a traffic case goes unresolved. Its collection page lists an overdue notice, a suspension or hold, a show-cause hearing, a bench warrant, probation revocation, wage garnishment, civil contempt, income withholding, and a referral to the prosecutor. Think of that list as a menu, not a script. Which items apply depends on the charge, the order, and the judge's decisions. One narrow administrative result is worth knowing: when an online payment resolves a suspension matter in full, the court mails a clearance form to the defendant's latest address on file. That is the paperwork a Washtenaw County driver waits on after paying in full.
Note: mail goes to the address the court has, so update your address with the clerk before you pay anything.