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.
Payson, Arizona, in Gila County, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Payson 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: Payson public records, Gila County DUI, Payson arrest records, Payson warrants, Payson inmate search, Payson criminal records, Arizona arrest records and Arizona inmate search.
The DUI Law in Arizona
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Arizona, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
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 Payson
The Gila County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Payson (filed by the FBI as Payson Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Payson.
Together, the three agencies in Gila County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,980 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Gila County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Payson
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Gila County Sheriff's Office, held about 150 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at gilacountyaz.gov/government/sheriff/detention_bureau.php. The Payson 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 gilacountyaz.gov, phone (928) 402-8630.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at gilacountyaz.gov/government/courts/index.php, phone 844-310-0743. That page belongs to a lower court, the Justice Courts, not to the Gila County Superior Court.
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: Payson arrest records, Payson police reports and Payson court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Arizona?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Payson 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 gilacountyaz.gov/government/courts/index.php.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Payson held?
At the county jail, run by the Gila 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 Payson 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.