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.
Pawnee County, Kansas, has about 6,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Pawnee County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Pawnee 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: Pawnee County public records, Pawnee County arrest records, Pawnee County warrants, Pawnee County inmate search, Pawnee County 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 Pawnee County
The Pawnee County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Larned make the DUI arrests in Pawnee County.
Together, the two agencies in Pawnee County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 89 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Pawnee County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Pawnee 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 Pawnee County Sheriff's Office, held about 8 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at pawneecountykansas.com/185/Sheriff, phone 620-285-2211. The Pawnee County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Pawnee County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at pawneecountykansas.com/176/Attorney, phone 620-285-2139.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kscourts.gov/About-the-Courts/District-Courts/Districts/24th-Judici....
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 Pawnee 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: Pawnee County arrest records, Pawnee County police reports and Pawnee County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Kansas?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Pawnee County heard?
In the Pawnee County District Court, brought by the County Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Pawnee County held?
At the county jail, run by the Pawnee 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 Pawnee 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.