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 September 25, 2026.
Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County, has about 2.7 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Chicago starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court of Cook County and a license case before the Secretary of State, 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: Chicago public records, Cook County public records, Chicago warrants, Chicago inmate search, Chicago criminal records, Chicago court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
The DUI Law in Illinois
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Illinois, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Illinois 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 Secretary of State, separately from the criminal case.
Illinois sets no time limit on prior offenses: every earlier conviction counts toward a repeat charge.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Chicago
The Cook County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Chicago (filed by the FBI as Chicago Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Chicago.
The FBI's agency list also places 14 campus police departments and 15 other agencies in Cook County.
Together, the 100 agencies in Cook County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 71,187 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Cook County does not break DUI out.
The Elgin Police Department, the Buffalo Grove Police Department, the Deerfield Police Department and eight more are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Cook County, so their arrests are not broken out for Cook County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Chicago
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Cook County Sheriff's Office, held about 4,790 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at cookcountyil.gov/service/locate-inmate. The Chicago inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The State's Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at cookcountyil.gov/agency/states-attorney, phone (312) 603-1880.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at cookcountyil.gov/service/court-records-and-archives.
Illinois 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 Secretary of State runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Illinois Secretary of State 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 Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from the Circuit Court of Cook County, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Illinois Secretary of State.
More on each: Chicago police reports and Chicago court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Illinois?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Chicago heard?
In the Circuit Court of Cook County, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at cookcountyil.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Chicago held?
At the county jail, run by the Cook County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Illinois?
The Secretary of State, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Illinois?
There is no time limit; every prior conviction counts.
Is this the official Chicago website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.