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 1, 2026.
Chatham County, Georgia, has about 307,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Chatham County 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: Chatham County public records, Chatham County arrest records, Chatham County warrants, Chatham County inmate search, Chatham County 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 Chatham County
The Chatham County Sheriff's Office, the Chatham County Police Department and the agencies that report for Savannah, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Garden City, Tybee Island, Bloomingdale and one more cities make the DUI arrests in Chatham County.
The FBI's agency list also places two campus police departments, one state police unit, one state agency and three other agencies in Chatham County (the arrest records guide names each one); the State Patrol at Savannah makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the five agencies in Chatham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,323 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Chatham County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Chatham 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 Chatham County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,310 people on an average day so far in 2026 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sheriff.chathamcountyga.gov, phone 912-651-3700. The Chatham 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 State Court, or the Probate Court in counties without one.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.chathamcountyga.gov, phone 912-652-6700.
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: Chatham County arrest records, Chatham County police reports and Chatham County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Georgia?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Chatham County 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 courts.chathamcountyga.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Chatham County held?
At the county jail, run by the Chatham 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 Chatham 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.