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.
Otero County, Colorado, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Otero 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: Otero County public records, Otero County arrest records, Otero County warrants, Otero County inmate search, Otero County 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 Otero County
The Otero County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for La Junta, Rocky Ford, Fowler and Manzanola make the DUI arrests in Otero County.
Together, the three agencies in Otero County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,490 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Otero County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Otero 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 Otero County Sheriff's Office, held about 43 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at oterocounty.colorado.gov/otero-county-jail, phone 888-984-1903. The Otero 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 County Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/otero-county, phone (719) 383-7152.
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: Otero County arrest records, Otero County police reports and Otero 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 Otero 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 Otero County held?
At the county jail, run by the Otero 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 Otero 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.