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 26, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Independence, Kansas, in Montgomery County, has about 8,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Independence starts two cases, a criminal case in the Montgomery 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: Independence public records, Montgomery County DUI, Independence arrest records, Independence warrants, Independence inmate search, Independence 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 Independence
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Independence (filed by the FBI as Independence Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Independence.
Together, the three agencies in Montgomery County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 483 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Montgomery County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Independence
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, held about 130 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at mcsojail.countygovservices.com/Home/CurrentInmates. The Independence inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Independence is brought by the County Attorney in the Montgomery County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at mgcountyks.org/172/County-Attorney, phone 620-330-1140.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at casesearch.kscourts.gov.
Statewide, Kansas District Court Public Access Portal is the Kansas courts' statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Division of Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Kansas Department of Revenue Division of 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 Kansas Open Records Act.
- The court file: from the Montgomery 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: Independence arrest records, Independence police reports and Independence court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Kansas?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Independence heard?
In the Montgomery County District Court, brought by the County Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Independence held?
At the county jail, run by the Montgomery 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 Independence 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.