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 on September 23, 2026.
Lake County, California, has about 68,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Lake County starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of Lake) 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: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County inmate search, Lake County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
The DUI Law in California
In California the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 Lake County
The Lake County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Clearlake and Lakeport make the DUI arrests in Lake County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Lake County: the Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area Office (state police); the Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area Office makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,801 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Lake County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Lake 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 Lake County Sheriff's Office, held about 220 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at lakecountyca.gov/566/Jail, phone (707)262-4240. The Lake County 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 Lake.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at lakecountyca.gov/203/District-Attorney, phone 707-263-2251.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at portal.lake.courts.ca.gov/public-portal/?q=Home.
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 Lake, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Lake County arrest records, Lake County police reports and Lake County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Lake County heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Lake, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at portal.lake.courts.ca.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Lake County held?
At the county jail, run by the Lake 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 Lake 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.