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 30, 2026.
El Dorado County, California, has about 193,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in El Dorado County starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado) 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: El Dorado County public records, El Dorado County arrest records, El Dorado County warrants, El Dorado County criminal records, El Dorado County court 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 El Dorado County
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for South Lake Tahoe and Placerville make the DUI arrests in El Dorado County.
The FBI's agency list also places one state agency, one other agency and two state police units in El Dorado County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol's two offices make the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in El Dorado County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,603 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for El Dorado County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in El Dorado County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, held about 300 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from El Dorado County is brought by the District Attorney in the Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at eldoradocounty.ca.gov, phone (530) 621-6472.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at eldorado.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-index-department-calendars.
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 El Dorado, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: El Dorado County arrest records, El Dorado County police reports and El Dorado County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from El Dorado County heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at eldorado.courts.ca.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in El Dorado County held?
At the county jail, run by the El Dorado 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 El Dorado County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.