Reviewed and updated October 7, 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. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
Maricopa County, Arizona, has about 4.7 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Maricopa County starts two cases, a criminal case in a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Division, and leaves three records. This guide follows the arrest from the roadside to the court file and the driving record.
This guide covers the law, the arrest, booking, the court case, the license case, the records and common questions.
Related guides: Maricopa County public records, Maricopa County warrants, Maricopa County inmate search, Maricopa County criminal records, Maricopa County court records, Arizona arrest records and Arizona inmate search.
The DUI Law in Arizona
In Arizona the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Arizona is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DUI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Motor Vehicle Division, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Arizona counts prior offenses within 7 years (84 months).
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Maricopa County
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale and 12 more cities make the DUI arrests in Maricopa County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Maricopa County: Maricopa Community College and Arizona State University's Main Campus (campus police).
Together, the 16 agencies in Maricopa County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 122,747 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Maricopa County does not break DUI out.
The Apache Junction Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Maricopa County, so its arrests are not broken out for Maricopa County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Maricopa County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, held about 6,940 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at mcso.org/InmateInfo. The Maricopa County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony, brought by the County Attorney or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at maricopa.gov/m/directory/department?did=389, phone (602) 506-3411.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at justicecourts.maricopa.gov/app/courtrecords/casesearch. That page belongs to a lower court, the Justice Courts, not to the Maricopa County Superior Court.
Statewide, Public Access to Court Information is the Arizona Judicial Branch's free statewide case search; the Maricopa and Pima county courts run their own.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Motor Vehicle Division. The driving record, kept by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Arizona Public Records Law.
- The court file: from a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony, kept by the Clerk of the Superior Court.
- The driving record: from the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Maricopa County police reports and Maricopa County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Arizona?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Maricopa County heard?
In a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at justicecourts.maricopa.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Maricopa County held?
At the county jail, run by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Arizona?
The Motor Vehicle Division, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Arizona?
7 years (84 months).
Is this the official Maricopa 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.