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.
Sierra Madre, California, in Los Angeles County, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Sierra Madre starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles) 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: Sierra Madre public records, Los Angeles County DUI, Sierra Madre arrest records, Sierra Madre warrants, Sierra Madre inmate search, Sierra Madre 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 Sierra Madre
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Sierra Madre (filed by the FBI as Sierra Madre Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Sierra Madre.
The FBI's agency list also places 14 state police units, ten campus police departments, five other agencies and one state agency in Los Angeles County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol's 14 offices make the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 47 agencies in Los Angeles County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 111,326 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Los Angeles County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Sierra Madre
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, held about 12,780 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at locator.lacounty.gov/lac/Location/3069210/los-angeles-county-sherif..., phone (213) 473-6100. The Sierra Madre 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 Los Angeles.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at da.lacounty.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/access-a-case/tp/re-acc-search-for-case-by-....
California has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The DMV runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles 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 California Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Sierra Madre arrest records, Sierra Madre police reports and Sierra Madre court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Sierra Madre heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lacourt.ca.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Sierra Madre held?
At the county jail, run by the Los Angeles 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 Sierra Madre 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.