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.
San Benito County, California, has about 69,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in San Benito County starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of San Benito) 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: San Benito County public records, San Benito County arrest records, San Benito County warrants, San Benito County inmate search, San Benito County 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 San Benito County
The San Benito County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Hollister make the DUI arrests in San Benito County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in San Benito County: Union Pacific Railroad in San Benito County (other agency).
Together, the two agencies in San Benito County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,264 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for San Benito County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in San Benito 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 San Benito County Sheriff's Office, held about 110 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sanbenitocountyca.gov/departments/sheriff-s-office, phone 831-801-9225. The San Benito County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from San Benito County is brought by the District Attorney in the Superior Court of California, County of San Benito.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at sanbenitocountyca.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sanbenito.courts.ca.gov/home-public-portal.
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 San Benito, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: San Benito County arrest records, San Benito County police reports and San Benito County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from San Benito County heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of San Benito, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sanbenito.courts.ca.gov/home-public-portal.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in San Benito County held?
At the county jail, run by the San Benito 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 San Benito 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.