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 9, 2026.
St. Matthews, Kentucky, in Jefferson County, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in St. Matthews starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Transportation Cabinet, 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: St. Matthews public records, Jefferson County DUI, St. Matthews arrest records, St. Matthews warrants, St. Matthews inmate search, St. Matthews criminal records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
The DUI Law in Kentucky
In Kentucky the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Kentucky 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 Transportation Cabinet, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Kentucky counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in St. Matthews
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for St. Matthews (filed by the FBI as St. Matthews Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around St. Matthews.
The FBI's agency list also places four other agencies, one campus police department and two state agencies in Jefferson County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the 18 agencies in Jefferson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 18,404 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Jefferson County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in St. Matthews
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,560 people on an average day so far in 2026 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at louisvilleky.gov/government/sheriffs-office/services/sheriffs-offic.... The St. Matthews inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from St. Matthews is brought by the Commonwealth's Attorney in the District Court.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at louisvilleprosecutor.com, phone (502) 595-2300.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kycourts.gov/Courts/County-Information/Pages/Jefferson.aspx.
Kentucky has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Transportation Cabinet. The driving record, kept by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
More on each: St. Matthews arrest records, St. Matthews police reports and St. Matthews court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Kentucky?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from St. Matthews heard?
In the District Court, brought by the Commonwealth's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at kycourts.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in St. Matthews held?
At the county jail, run by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Kentucky?
The Transportation Cabinet, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Kentucky?
10 years.
Is this the official St. Matthews 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.