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 September 26, 2026.
Fort Smith, Arkansas, in Sebastian County, has about 91,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Fort Smith starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Office of Driver Services, 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: Fort Smith public records, Sebastian County DWI, Fort Smith arrest records, Fort Smith warrants, Fort Smith inmate search, Fort Smith criminal records, Arkansas arrest records and Arkansas inmate search.
The DWI Law in Arkansas
In Arkansas the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Arkansas 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 Driver Services, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Fort Smith
The Sebastian County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Fort Smith (filed by the FBI as Fort Smith Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Fort Smith.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Sebastian County: Fort Smith Public Schools (other agency).
Together, the 11 agencies in Sebastian County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,560 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Sebastian County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Fort Smith
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, held about 420 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sebastiancountyar.gov/Sheriff/Inmate-Inquiry, phone 479.783.4988. The Fort Smith inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Prosecuting Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the District Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at sebastiancountyar.gov, phone 479-783-8976.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sebastiancountyar.gov/Departments/Circuit-Clerk/Circuit-Clerk-Inquiry.
Statewide, CourtConnect is the Arkansas Judiciary's free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Office of Driver Services runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services 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 Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services.
More on each: Fort Smith arrest records, Fort Smith police reports and Fort Smith court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Arkansas?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Fort Smith heard?
In the District Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sebastiancountyar.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Fort Smith held?
At the county jail, run by the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in Arkansas?
The Office of Driver Services, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Fort Smith 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.