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.
Sonoma County, California, has about 485,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Sonoma County starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma) 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: Sonoma County public records, Sonoma County arrest records, Sonoma County warrants, Sonoma County inmate search, Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sonoma and three more cities make the DUI arrests in Sonoma County.
The FBI's agency list also places three state agencies, two campus police departments, one other agency and one state police unit in Sonoma County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol's Santa Rosa Area Office makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the ten agencies in Sonoma County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 12,405 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Sonoma County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, held about 680 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sonomasheriff.org/reports-and-statistics. The Sonoma County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Sonoma County is brought by the District Attorney in the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at da.sonomacounty.ca.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sonoma.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-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
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 Sonoma, kept by the Superior Court clerk.
- The driving record: from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Sonoma County arrest records, Sonoma County police reports and Sonoma County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in California?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Sonoma County heard?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sonoma.courts.ca.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Sonoma County held?
At the county jail, run by the Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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.