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.
Berkeley, California, in Alameda County, has about 122,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Berkeley starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda) and a license case before the DMV, 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: Berkeley public records, Alameda County DUI, Berkeley arrest records, Berkeley warrants, Berkeley inmate search, Berkeley criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
The DUI Law in California
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in California, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in California 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 DMV, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, California counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Berkeley
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Berkeley (filed by the FBI as Berkeley Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Berkeley.
The FBI's agency list also places six state police units, three other agencies, one state agency and three campus police departments in Alameda County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol's six offices make the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 13 agencies in Alameda County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 14,194 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Alameda County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Berkeley
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,450 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at acgov.org/sheriff_app. The Berkeley inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at da.alamedacountyca.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at eportal.alameda.courts.ca.gov/?q=node%2F388.
California has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the DMV. The driving record, kept by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the California Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Berkeley arrest records, Berkeley police reports and Berkeley court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Berkeley heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at eportal.alameda.courts.ca.gov/?q=node%2F388.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Berkeley held?
At the county jail, run by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in California?
The DMV, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in California?
10 years.
Is this the official Berkeley 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.