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 September 30, 2026.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Allen County, has about 273,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Fort Wayne starts two cases, a criminal case in the Allen Circuit and Superior Courts and a license case before the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, 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: Fort Wayne public records, Allen County OWI, Fort Wayne arrest records, Fort Wayne warrants, Fort Wayne inmate search, Fort Wayne criminal records, Indiana arrest records and Indiana inmate search.
The OWI Law in Indiana
Drunk driving is charged as OWI in Indiana, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Indiana 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 Bureau of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes OWI Arrests in Fort Wayne
The Allen County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Fort Wayne (filed by the FBI as Fort Wayne Police Department) make the OWI arrests in and around Fort Wayne.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Allen County: Purdue University at Fort Wayne (campus police); Parkview Health (other agency).
Together, the four agencies in Allen County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,481 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Allen County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Fort Wayne
A driver arrested for OWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Allen County Sheriff's Office, held about 720 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at allencountysheriff.org/inmate-search, phone (260) 449-7535. The Fort Wayne inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OWI charge from Fort Wayne is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Allen Circuit and Superior Courts.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at allencounty.in.gov/1182/Prosecuting-Attorney, phone (260) 449-7641.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/allen-county.
Statewide, mycase.IN.gov is the Indiana courts' 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 Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records an OWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Allen Circuit and Superior Courts, kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
- The driving record: from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Fort Wayne arrest records, Fort Wayne police reports and Fort Wayne court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Indiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Fort Wayne heard?
In the Allen Circuit and Superior Courts, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/allen-county.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Fort Wayne held?
At the county jail, run by the Allen County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OWI arrest in Indiana?
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Fort Wayne 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.