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.
Chowchilla, California, in Madera County, has about 19,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Chowchilla starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of Madera) 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: Chowchilla public records, Madera County DUI, Chowchilla arrest records, Chowchilla warrants, Chowchilla inmate search, Chowchilla 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 Chowchilla
The Madera County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Chowchilla (filed by the FBI as Chowchilla Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Chowchilla.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Madera County: Union Pacific Railroad in Madera County (other agency); the Highway Patrol's Madera and Oakhurst Area Offices (state police); the Highway Patrol's two offices make the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Madera County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,413 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Madera County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Chowchilla
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Madera County Sheriff's Office, held about 430 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at inmatepublicview.maderacounty.com. The Chowchilla 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 Madera.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at maderada.org.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at madera.courts.ca.gov/online-services.
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 Madera, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Chowchilla arrest records and Chowchilla court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Chowchilla heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Madera, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at madera.courts.ca.gov/online-services.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Chowchilla held?
At the county jail, run by the Madera 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 Chowchilla 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.