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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Orleans Parish, Louisiana, has about 363,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Orleans Parish starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Office of Motor Vehicles, 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: Orleans Parish public records, Orleans Parish warrants, Orleans Parish inmate search, Orleans Parish criminal records, Orleans Parish court records, Louisiana arrest records and Louisiana inmate search.
The DWI Law in Louisiana
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in Louisiana, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Louisiana is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Office of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Orleans Parish
The Orleans Parish Sheriff Office, LA | Official Website and the agency that reports for New Orleans make the DWI arrests in Orleans Parish.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Orleans Parish: the University of New Orleans, Delgado Community College, Southern University and A&M College at New Orleans, Louisiana State University at Health Sciences Center, New Orleans and two more (campus police).
New Orleans reported 14,694 arrests to the FBI for 2023, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Orleans Parish does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Orleans Parish
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the parish jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Orleans Parish Sheriff Office, LA | Official Website, held about 1,110 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at opso.gov. The Orleans Parish inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at orleansda.com/home.
Louisiana 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 Office of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Louisiana Public Records Law.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Clerk of Court.
- The driving record: from the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Orleans Parish police reports and Orleans Parish court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Louisiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Orleans Parish heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Orleans Parish held?
At the parish jail, run by the Orleans Parish Sheriff Office, LA | Official Website, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in Louisiana?
The Office of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Orleans Parish website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official parish, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.