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 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
Cottonwood, Arizona, in Yavapai County, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Cottonwood starts two cases, a criminal case (in a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony) and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Division, 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: Cottonwood public records, Yavapai County DUI, Cottonwood arrest records, Cottonwood warrants, Cottonwood inmate search, Cottonwood criminal records, Arizona arrest records and Arizona inmate search.
The DUI Law in Arizona
In Arizona the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Arizona 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 Motor Vehicle Division, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Arizona counts prior offenses within 7 years (84 months).
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Cottonwood
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Cottonwood (filed by the FBI as Cottonwood Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Cottonwood.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Yavapai County: Yavapai College (campus police).
Together, the eight agencies in Yavapai County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,423 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Yavapai County does not break DUI out.
The Wickenburg Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Yavapai County, so its arrests are not broken out for Yavapai County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Cottonwood
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, held about 530 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at apps.yavapaiaz.gov/inmatesearch. The Cottonwood inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony, brought by the County Attorney or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at yavapaiaz.gov, phone (928) 771-3344.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.yavapaiaz.gov/Home/Top-Tasks/Case-Lookup.
Statewide, Public Access to Court Information is the Arizona Judicial Branch's free statewide case search; the Maricopa and Pima county courts run their own.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Motor Vehicle Division runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division 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 Arizona Public Records Law.
- The court file: from a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony, kept by the Clerk of the Superior Court.
- The driving record: from the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Cottonwood arrest records, Cottonwood police reports and Cottonwood court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Arizona?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Cottonwood heard?
In a Justice or Municipal Court, or the Superior Court when it is a felony. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.yavapaiaz.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Cottonwood held?
At the county jail, run by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Arizona?
The Motor Vehicle Division, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Arizona?
7 years (84 months).
Is this the official Cottonwood 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.