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.
Colleton County, South Carolina, has about 39,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Colleton County starts two cases, a criminal case in a Magistrate or Municipal Court and a license case before the Department 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: Colleton County public records, Colleton County warrants, Colleton County inmate search, Colleton County criminal records, Colleton County court records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The DUI Law in South Carolina
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in South Carolina, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in South Carolina 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 Department of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, South Carolina counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Colleton County
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Colleton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Walterboro, Edisto Beach and Cottageville make the DUI arrests in Colleton County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Colleton County: the Highway Patrol in Colleton County (state police); the Department of Natural Resources in Colleton County, the Colleton County Forestry Commission, the Department of Health and Environmental Control Drug Control in Colleton County and the Colleton County State Transport Police (state agency); the Highway Patrol in Colleton County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Colleton 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 Colleton County Sheriff's Office, held about 80 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at colletoncountysheriff.com. The Colleton County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Colleton County is heard in a Magistrate or Municipal Court; the Solicitor or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
South Carolina 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 Department of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the South Carolina 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 South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from a Magistrate or Municipal Court, kept by the Clerk of Court.
- The driving record: from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Colleton County police reports and Colleton County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in South Carolina?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Colleton County heard?
In a Magistrate or Municipal Court.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Colleton County held?
At the county jail, run by the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in South Carolina?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in South Carolina?
10 years.
Is this the official Colleton 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.