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. 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.
Opelika, Alabama, in Lee County, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Opelika starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court or a municipal court and a license case before ALEA, 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: Opelika public records, Lee County DUI, Opelika arrest records, Opelika warrants, Opelika inmate search, Opelika criminal records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
The DUI Law in Alabama
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Alabama, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Alabama 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 ALEA, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Opelika
The Lee County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Opelika (filed by the FBI as Opelika Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Opelika.
Together, the three agencies in Lee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,036 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Lee County does not break DUI out.
The Notasulga Police Department and the Phenix City Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Lee County, so their arrests are not broken out for Lee County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Opelika
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, held about 390 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at leecosheriffal.gov/corrections/inmate-search, phone (334) 749-5651. The Opelika inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in the District Court or a municipal court, brought by the District Attorney or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at leecountyda.org.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lee.alacourt.gov, phone (334) 737-3526.
Statewide, Alacourt is the statewide online index of Alabama trial court cases, sold by subscription.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. ALEA runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency 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 Alabama Public Records Law.
- The court file: from the District Court or a municipal court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
More on each: Opelika arrest records and Opelika court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Alabama?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Opelika heard?
In the District Court or a municipal court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lee.alacourt.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Opelika held?
At the county jail, run by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Alabama?
ALEA, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Opelika 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.