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 October 2, 2026.
Abilene, Kansas, in Dickinson County, has about 6,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Abilene starts two cases, a criminal case in the Dickinson County District Court and a license case before the Division of 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: Abilene public records, Dickinson County DUI, Abilene arrest records, Abilene warrants, Abilene inmate search, Abilene criminal records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
The DUI Law in Kansas
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Kansas, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Kansas 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 Division of Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Abilene
The Dickinson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Abilene (filed by the FBI as Abilene Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Abilene.
Together, the two agencies in Dickinson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 388 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Dickinson County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Abilene
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, held about 41 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at dkcoks.gov/sheriffs-office, phone 785-263-3120. The Abilene inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Dickinson County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dkcoks.gov/County-Attorney, phone 785-263-3120.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kscourts.gov/eCourt/District-Court-Records.
Statewide, Kansas District Court Public Access Portal is the Kansas courts' statewide case search.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Division of Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Kansas Department of Revenue Division of Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Kansas Open Records Act.
- The court file: from the Dickinson County District Court, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Kansas Department of Revenue Division of Vehicles.
More on each: Abilene arrest records and Abilene court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Kansas?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Abilene heard?
In the Dickinson County District Court, brought by the County Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Abilene held?
At the county jail, run by the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Kansas?
The Division of Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Abilene 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.