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 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, has about 453,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in East Baton Rouge Parish starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Office of Motor 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: East Baton Rouge Parish public records, East Baton Rouge Parish arrest records, East Baton Rouge Parish warrants, East Baton Rouge Parish inmate search, East Baton Rouge Parish criminal records, Louisiana arrest records and Louisiana inmate search.
The DWI Law in Louisiana
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in Louisiana, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Louisiana is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Office of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in East Baton Rouge Parish
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Baton Rouge, Central, Zachary and Baker make the DWI arrests in East Baton Rouge Parish.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in East Baton Rouge Parish: Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge and Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge (campus police); the Department of Public Safety State Capitol Detail (state agency); the Department of Public Safety State Capitol Detail makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the four agencies in East Baton Rouge Parish with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,729 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for East Baton Rouge Parish does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in East Baton Rouge Parish
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the parish jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, held about 960 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at ebrso.org/resources/prison-inmate-list-disclaimer, phone 225-308-3400. The East Baton Rouge Parish inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from East Baton Rouge Parish is brought by the District Attorney in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at brla.gov/m/directory/department?did=15, phone 225-389-3400.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at ebrclerk.com.
Louisiana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Office of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Louisiana Public Records Law.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Clerk of Court.
- The driving record: from the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: East Baton Rouge Parish arrest records, East Baton Rouge Parish police reports and East Baton Rouge Parish court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Louisiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from East Baton Rouge Parish heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at ebrclerk.com.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in East Baton Rouge Parish held?
At the parish jail, run by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in Louisiana?
The Office of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official East Baton Rouge Parish website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official parish, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.