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 25, 2026.
Thornton, Colorado, in Adams County, has about 147,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Thornton 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: Thornton public records, Adams County DUI, Thornton arrest records, Thornton warrants, Thornton inmate search, Thornton criminal records, Colorado arrest records and Colorado inmate search.
The DUI Law in Colorado
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Colorado, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more; 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 Thornton
The Adams County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Thornton (filed by the FBI as Thornton Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Thornton.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Adams County: the University of Colorado at Denver (campus police).
Together, the seven agencies in Adams County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 21,118 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Adams County does not break DUI out.
The Arvada Police Department and the Aurora Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Adams County, so their arrests are not broken out for Adams County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Thornton
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Adams County Sheriff's Office, held about 780 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at adamssheriffco.gov/community/public-records/inmate-search, phone (303) 288-1535. The Thornton inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Thornton is brought by the District Attorney in the County Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/adams-county, phone 303-659-1161.
Colorado 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 Division of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Colorado Division 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 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: Thornton arrest records, Thornton police reports and Thornton 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 Thornton 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 Thornton held?
At the county jail, run by the Adams 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 Thornton 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.