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.
Jersey County, Illinois, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Jersey County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court of Jersey 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: Jersey County public records, Jersey County arrest records, Jersey County warrants, Jersey County inmate search, Jersey County 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 Jersey County
The Jersey County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Jerseyville and Grafton make the DUI arrests in Jersey County.
Together, the three agencies in Jersey County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 176 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Jersey County does not break DUI out.
The Brighton Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Jersey County, so its arrests are not broken out for Jersey County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Jersey 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 Jersey County Sheriff's Office, held about 27 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at jerseycounty-il.gov/sheriff-department, phone 618-498-5571. The Jersey County 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 Jersey County.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at circuitclerk.jerseycounty-il.gov.
Illinois 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 Secretary of State runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Illinois Secretary of State 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 Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from the Circuit Court of Jersey County, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Illinois Secretary of State.
More on each: Jersey County arrest records, Jersey County police reports and Jersey County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Illinois?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Jersey County heard?
In the Circuit Court of Jersey County, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at circuitclerk.jerseycounty-il.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Jersey County held?
At the county jail, run by the Jersey 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 Jersey 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.