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.
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, has about 241,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Tuscaloosa County 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: Tuscaloosa County public records, Tuscaloosa County arrest records, Tuscaloosa County warrants, Tuscaloosa County inmate search, Tuscaloosa County 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 Tuscaloosa County
The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Tuscaloosa, Northport, Lake View, Brookwood, Vance and Coaling make the DUI arrests in Tuscaloosa County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Tuscaloosa County: the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and Shelton State Community College (campus police); Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility (state agency).
Together, the six agencies in Tuscaloosa County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,771 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Tuscaloosa County does not break DUI out.
The Woodstock Police Department and the Moundville Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Tuscaloosa County, so their arrests are not broken out for Tuscaloosa County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, held about 700 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at tcsoal.org, phone 205-752-0616. The Tuscaloosa County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Tuscaloosa County is heard in the District Court or a municipal court; the District Attorney or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at tuscaloosada.com, phone 205-349-1252.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov, phone (205) 464-8260.
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: Tuscaloosa County arrest records, Tuscaloosa County police reports and Tuscaloosa County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Alabama?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Tuscaloosa County heard?
In the District Court or a municipal court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Tuscaloosa County held?
At the county jail, run by the Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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.