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 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Waukee, Iowa, in Dallas County, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Waukee starts two cases, a criminal case in the Iowa District Court for Dallas County and a license case before the Department of Transportation, 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: Waukee public records, Dallas County OWI, Waukee arrest records, Waukee warrants, Waukee inmate search, Waukee criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
The OWI Law in Iowa
Drunk driving is charged as OWI in Iowa, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Iowa is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect OWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Department of Transportation, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes OWI Arrests in Waukee
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Waukee (filed by the FBI as Waukee Police Department) make the OWI arrests in and around Waukee.
Together, the six agencies in Dallas County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 953 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Dallas County does not break OWI out.
The Urbandale Police Department, the Clive Police Department and the West Des Moines Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Dallas County, so their arrests are not broken out for Dallas County here.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Waukee
A driver arrested for OWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, held about 46 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at inmates.dallascountyiowa.gov/NewWorld.InmateInquiry/dallas. The Waukee inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OWI charge from Waukee is brought by the County Attorney in the Iowa District Court for Dallas County.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dallascountyiowa.gov/163/Attorney, phone 515-993-5060.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/district-court/judicial-district-5/distr..., phone 515-993-7018.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The License Case
An OWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Department of Transportation. The driving record, kept by the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, carries the result of both.
The Records an OWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22).
- The court file: from the Iowa District Court for Dallas County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Waukee arrest records, Waukee police reports and Waukee court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Iowa?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Waukee heard?
In the Iowa District Court for Dallas County, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.gov.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Waukee held?
At the county jail, run by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OWI arrest in Iowa?
The Department of Transportation, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Waukee 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.