Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 October 11, 2026.
Cortez, Colorado, in Montezuma County, has about 9,200 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Cortez starts two cases, a criminal case in the County Court and a license case before the Division of Motor Vehicles, 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: Cortez public records, Montezuma County DUI, Cortez arrest records, Cortez warrants, Cortez inmate search, Cortez criminal records, Colorado arrest records and Colorado inmate search.
The DUI Law in Colorado
In Colorado the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08; driving while ability impaired (DWAI) is charged from 0.05.
Driving in Colorado 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 Division of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Cortez
The Montezuma County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Cortez (filed by the FBI as Cortez Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Cortez.
Together, the three agencies in Montezuma County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,848 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Montezuma County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Cortez
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office, held about 70 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at montezumacounty.gov/sheriffoffice, phone (970) 564-4016. The Cortez inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the County Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at montezumacounty.gov, phone (970) 565-1147.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/montezuma-county, phone (970) 565-1328.
Colorado 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 Division of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Colorado Division 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 Colorado Open Records Act.
- The court file: from the County Court, kept by the clerk of the combined court.
- The driving record: from the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Cortez arrest records and Cortez court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Colorado?
0.08 percent blood alcohol; driving while ability impaired (DWAI) is charged from 0.05.
Where is a DUI case from Cortez heard?
In the County Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at coloradojudicial.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Cortez held?
At the county jail, run by the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Colorado?
The Division of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Cortez 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.