SearchSystems Editorial

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.

About this guide

Boulder County, Colorado, has about 330,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Boulder County 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: Boulder County public records, Boulder County arrest records, Boulder County warrants, Boulder County inmate search, Boulder County 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 Boulder County

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette and Louisville make the DUI arrests in Boulder County.

The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Boulder County: Colorado Department of Revenue in Marijuana Enforcement Criminal Investigation, Boulder County (state agency); the University of Colorado at Boulder (campus police).

Together, the five agencies in Boulder County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,765 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Boulder County does not break DUI out.

The Erie Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Boulder County, so its arrests are not broken out for Boulder County here.

Booking After a DUI Arrest in Boulder 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 Boulder County Sheriff's Office, held about 320 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at bouldercounty.gov/safety/jail/listing-and-booking-reports, phone 303-441-3600. The Boulder County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.

The Court Case

A DUI charge from Boulder County is brought by the District Attorney in the County Court.

The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at bouldercounty.gov/district-attorney, phone 303-441-3700.

The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/boulder-county, phone (303)441-3750.

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: Boulder County arrest records, Boulder County police reports and Boulder County 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 Boulder County 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 Boulder County held?

At the county jail, run by the Boulder 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 Boulder 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.