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.
Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County, has about 38,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Hot Springs 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: Hot Springs public records, Garland County DWI, Hot Springs arrest records, Hot Springs warrants, Hot Springs inmate search, Hot Springs 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 Hot Springs
The Garland County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Hot Springs (filed by the FBI as Hot Springs Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Hot Springs.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Garland County: the State Park at Lake Ouachita State Park (state agency).
Together, the three agencies in Garland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,980 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Garland County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Hot Springs
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Garland County Sheriff's Office, held about 350 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at garlandcounty.org/190/Detention-Center. The Hot Springs 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 garlandcounty.org/258/Prosecuting-Attorney, phone 501-622-3724.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad.
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: Hot Springs arrest records and Hot Springs court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Arkansas?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Hot Springs heard?
In the District Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Hot Springs held?
At the county jail, run by the Garland 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 Hot Springs 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.