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.
Upson County, Georgia, has about 28,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Upson 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: Upson County public records, Upson County arrest records, Upson County warrants, Upson County inmate search, Upson 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 Upson County
The Upson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Thomaston make the DUI arrests in Upson County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Upson County: the State Patrol at Highway Support Division, Thomaston and the State Patrol at Thomaston (state police); the State Patrol's two offices make the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the two agencies in Upson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 793 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Upson County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Upson 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 Upson County Sheriff's Office, held about 140 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 upsoncountyga.org/464/Office-of-the-Sheriff. The Upson 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 District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at upsoncountyga.org/166/District-Attorney, phone 770-716-4250.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at upsoncountyga.org/186/Courts.
Georgia 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 Department of Driver Services runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Georgia Department of Driver Services 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 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: Upson County arrest records, Upson County police reports and Upson County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Georgia?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Upson 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 upsoncountyga.org/186/Courts.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Upson County held?
At the county jail, run by the Upson 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 Upson 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.