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 30, 2026.
Denver County, Colorado, has about 729,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Denver County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Denver 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: Denver County public records, Denver County arrest records, Denver County warrants, Denver County inmate search, Denver 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 Denver County
The agency that reports for Denver makes the DUI arrests in Denver County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Denver County: the Regional Transportation District (other agency); Auraria Higher Education Center (campus police).
Denver reported 23,766 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Denver County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Denver County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail held about 920 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at denvergov.org/inmatesearch. The Denver County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Denver County Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at denverda.org.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at public.denvercountycourt.org, phone 720-865-8259. That page belongs to a lower court, the Denver County Court, not to the Denver County District Court.
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 Denver County Court, kept by the clerk of the combined court.
- The driving record: from the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Denver County arrest records, Denver County police reports and Denver 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 Denver County heard?
In the Denver County Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at public.denvercountycourt.org.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Denver County held?
At the county jail, 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 Denver 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.