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.
Lake Bluff, Illinois, in Lake County, has about 5,600 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Lake Bluff starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court of Lake County and a license case before the Secretary of State, 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: Lake Bluff public records, Lake County DUI, Lake Bluff arrest records, Lake Bluff warrants, Lake Bluff inmate search, Lake Bluff criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
The DUI Law in Illinois
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Illinois, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Illinois 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 Secretary of State, separately from the criminal case.
Illinois sets no time limit on prior offenses: every earlier conviction counts toward a repeat charge.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Lake Bluff
The Lake County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Lake Bluff (filed by the FBI as Lake Bluff Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Lake Bluff.
The FBI's agency list also places one campus police department and three other agencies in Lake County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the 31 agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,816 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Lake County does not break DUI out.
The Barrington Police Department, the Island Lake Police Department, the Fox River Grove Police Department and one more are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Lake County, so their arrests are not broken out for Lake County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Lake Bluff
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, held about 510 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at lakecountyil.gov/2031/Inmate-Information. The Lake Bluff inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The State's Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Circuit Court of Lake County.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at lakecountyil.gov/513/States-Attorneys-Office.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ilsos.gov/departments/archives/databases/lake.html, phone 815-753-1807.
Illinois 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 Secretary of State. The driving record, kept by the Illinois Secretary of State, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from the Circuit Court of Lake County, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Illinois Secretary of State.
More on each: Lake Bluff arrest records, Lake Bluff police reports and Lake Bluff court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Illinois?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Lake Bluff heard?
In the Circuit Court of Lake County, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ilsos.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Lake Bluff held?
At the county jail, run by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Illinois?
The Secretary of State, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Illinois?
There is no time limit; every prior conviction counts.
Is this the official Lake Bluff 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.