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 on September 23, 2026.
Los Angeles County, California, has about 9.8 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Los Angeles County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles and a license case before the DMV, 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: Los Angeles County public records, Los Angeles County warrants, Los Angeles County inmate search, Los Angeles County criminal records, Los Angeles County court records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
The DUI Law in California
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in California, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in California 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 DMV, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, California counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale, Lancaster, Palmdale and 82 more cities make the DUI arrests in Los Angeles County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Los Angeles County: the Highway Patrol's Central Los Angeles, Baldwin Park, South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Newhall, Antelope Valley, Santa Fe Springs, West Los Angeles, Altadena and West Valley Area Offices, the Highway Patrol's Southern Division, the Highway Patrol's Southern Investigative Services Unit, the Highway Patrol at Castaic Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility and one more (state police); El Camino College, Pasadena Community College, California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, California State University at Dominguez Hills and six more (campus police); Union Pacific Railroad in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Baldwin Park Unified School District, the Los Angeles Transportation Services Bureau and one more (other agency); the Metropolitan State Hospital (state agency); the Highway Patrol's Central Los Angeles, Baldwin Park, South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Newhall, Antelope Valley, Santa Fe Springs, West Los Angeles, Altadena and West Valley Area Offices, the Highway Patrol's Southern Division and the Highway Patrol's Southern Investigative Services Unit make the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 47 agencies in Los Angeles County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 111,326 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Los Angeles County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, held about 12,780 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at locator.lacounty.gov/lac/Location/3069210/los-angeles-county-sherif..., phone (213) 473-6100. The Los Angeles County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Los Angeles County is brought by the District Attorney in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at da.lacounty.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/access-a-case/tp/re-acc-search-for-case-by-....
California has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The DMV runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the California Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Los Angeles County police reports and Los Angeles County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Los Angeles County heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lacourt.ca.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Los Angeles County held?
At the county jail, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in California?
The DMV, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in California?
10 years.
Is this the official Los Angeles 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.