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 28, 2026.
Benewah County, Idaho, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Benewah County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Magistrate Division and a license case before the Idaho Transportation Department, 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: Benewah County public records, Benewah County arrest records, Benewah County warrants, Benewah County inmate search, Benewah County criminal records, Idaho arrest records and Idaho inmate search.
The DUI Law in Idaho
In Idaho the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Idaho 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 Idaho Transportation Department, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Benewah County
The Benewah County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for St. Maries and Plummer make the DUI arrests in Benewah County.
Together, the two agencies in Benewah County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 31 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Benewah County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Benewah 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 Benewah County Sheriff's Office, held about 19 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at benewahcountyid.gov/departments/sheriff, phone 208-245-2555. The Benewah County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Prosecuting Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Magistrate Division.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at benewahcountyid.gov/departments/prosecutor, phone (208) 245-2564.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at benewahcountyid.gov/departments/court, phone 208-245-3241.
Statewide, iCourt Portal is the Idaho courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Idaho Transportation Department runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Idaho Transportation Department 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 Idaho Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Magistrate Division, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Idaho Transportation Department Division of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Benewah County arrest records, Benewah County police reports and Benewah County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Idaho?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Benewah County heard?
In the Magistrate Division, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at benewahcountyid.gov/departments/court.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Benewah County held?
At the county jail, run by the Benewah County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Idaho?
The Idaho Transportation Department, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Benewah 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.