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 October 2, 2026.
Clarkston, Georgia, in DeKalb County, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Clarkston starts two cases, a criminal case (in the State Court, or the Probate Court in counties without one) and a license case before the Department of Driver Services, 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: Clarkston public records, DeKalb County DUI, Clarkston arrest records, Clarkston warrants, Clarkston inmate search, Clarkston criminal records, Georgia arrest records and Georgia inmate search.
The DUI Law in Georgia
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Georgia, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Georgia 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 Department of Driver Services, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Georgia counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Clarkston
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, the DeKalb County Police Department and the agency that reports for Clarkston (filed by the FBI as Clarkston Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Clarkston.
The FBI's agency list also places three other agencies, three campus police departments and one state police unit in DeKalb County (the arrest records guide names each one); the State Patrol at Metropolitan Traffic Unit, Atlanta makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 11 agencies in DeKalb County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,241 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for DeKalb County does not break DUI out.
The Atlanta Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including DeKalb County, so its arrests are not broken out for DeKalb County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Clarkston
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,920 people on an average day so far in 2026 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at dekalbsheriff.com. The Clarkston inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the State Court, or the Probate Court in counties without one.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dekalbgastatecourt.gov.
Georgia 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 Department of Driver Services. The driving record, kept by the Georgia Department of Driver Services, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Georgia Open Records Act.
- The court file: from the State Court, or the Probate Court in counties without one, kept by the Clerk of Superior Court.
- The driving record: from the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
More on each: Clarkston arrest records, Clarkston police reports and Clarkston court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Georgia?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Clarkston heard?
In the State Court, or the Probate Court in counties without one, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dekalbgastatecourt.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Clarkston held?
At the county jail, run by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Georgia?
The Department of Driver Services, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Georgia?
10 years.
Is this the official Clarkston 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.