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 September 26, 2026.
Topeka, Kansas, in Shawnee County, has about 125,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Topeka starts two cases, a criminal case in the Shawnee 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: Topeka public records, Shawnee County DUI, Topeka arrest records, Topeka warrants, Topeka inmate search, Topeka 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 Topeka
The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Topeka (filed by the FBI as Topeka Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Topeka.
The FBI's agency list also places five other agencies, seven state agencies and one campus police department in Shawnee County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the two agencies in Shawnee County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 3,466 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Shawnee County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Topeka
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office, held about 560 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at snco.gov/sh/directory_criminal_investigations.php. The Topeka inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Shawnee County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at snco.gov/da, phone 785.251.4330.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at shawneecourt.org/252/Records, phone (785) 251-6712.
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 Shawnee 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: Topeka arrest records and Topeka court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Kansas?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Topeka heard?
In the Shawnee County District Court, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at shawneecourt.org/252/Records.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Topeka held?
At the county jail, run by the Shawnee 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 Topeka 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.