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 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Boston, Massachusetts, in Suffolk County, has about 673,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OUI arrest in Boston starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Registry 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: Boston public records, Suffolk County OUI, Boston arrest records, Boston warrants, Boston inmate search, Boston criminal records, Massachusetts arrest records and Massachusetts inmate search.
The OUI Law in Massachusetts
Drunk driving is charged as OUI in Massachusetts, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Massachusetts is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect OUI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Registry of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Massachusetts sets no time limit on prior offenses: every earlier conviction counts toward a repeat charge.
Who Makes OUI Arrests in Boston
The Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and the agency that reports for Boston (filed by the FBI as Boston Police Department) make the OUI arrests in and around Boston.
The FBI's agency list also places 13 campus police departments, three other agencies, one state police unit and three state agencies in Suffolk County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Suffolk County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the four agencies in Suffolk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,323 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Suffolk County does not break OUI out.
Booking After an OUI Arrest in Boston
A driver arrested for OUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, held about 1,210 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at scsdma.org/sheriffs-office, phone (617) 635-1000. The Boston inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OUI charge from Boston is brought by the District Attorney in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at suffolkcountyda.org.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mass.gov/locations/suffolk-county-superior-court, phone (617) 788-7794.
Statewide, masscourts.org is the Massachusetts Trial Court's free online case search.
The License Case
An OUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records an OUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Massachusetts Public Records Law.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- The driving record: from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Boston arrest records and Boston court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OUI limit in Massachusetts?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OUI case from Boston heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mass.gov.
Where is a person arrested for OUI in Boston held?
At the county jail, run by the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OUI arrest in Massachusetts?
The Registry of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does an OUI count as a prior in Massachusetts?
There is no time limit; every prior conviction counts.
Is this the official Boston 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.