Reviewed and updated October 9, 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. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, has about 7,100 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Northwest Arctic Borough starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Division 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: Northwest Arctic Borough public records, Northwest Arctic Borough arrest records, Northwest Arctic Borough warrants, Northwest Arctic Borough criminal records, Northwest Arctic Borough court records, Alaska arrest records and Alaska inmate search.
The DUI Law in Alaska
In Alaska the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Alaska 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 Division of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Northwest Arctic Borough
The agency that reports for Kotzebue and, elsewhere, the Alaska State Troopers make the DUI arrests in Northwest Arctic Borough.
In Alaska the police for a given address is the city police inside a city with its own department and the Alaska State Troopers elsewhere.
Kotzebue reported 137 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Northwest Arctic Borough does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Northwest Arctic Borough
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody is in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections, which runs every jail and prison in Alaska.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Northwest Arctic Borough is brought by the District Attorney in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at law.alaska.gov, phone (907) 852-8130.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the borough is at courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm.
Statewide, CourtView is the Alaska Court System's free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Division of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Alaska Division 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 Alaska Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the clerk of court at each courthouse.
- The driving record: from the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Northwest Arctic Borough arrest records, Northwest Arctic Borough police reports and Northwest Arctic Borough court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Alaska?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Northwest Arctic Borough heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the borough is at courts.alaska.gov/main/search-cases.htm.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Northwest Arctic Borough held?
In a facility of the Alaska Department of Corrections, which runs every jail in Alaska.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Alaska?
The Division of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Northwest Arctic Borough website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official borough, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.