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 September 30, 2026.
Ocean City, Maryland, in Worcester County, has about 6,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Ocean City starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Administration, 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: Ocean City public records, Worcester County DUI, Ocean City arrest records, Ocean City warrants, Ocean City inmate search, Ocean City criminal records, Maryland arrest records and Maryland inmate search.
The DUI Law in Maryland
In Maryland the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08; driving while impaired (DWI) is charged from 0.07.
Driving in Maryland 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 Motor Vehicle Administration, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Ocean City
The Worcester County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Ocean City (filed by the FBI as Ocean City Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Ocean City.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Worcester County: the Worcester County State Police (state police); the Worcester County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the six agencies in Worcester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,646 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Worcester County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Ocean City
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, held about 120 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at worcestermd.gov/departments/sheriffs-office, phone (410) 632-1111. The Ocean City inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The State's Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the District Court.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at worcestersao.com/about-us.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mdcourts.gov/clerks/worcester/links, phone 410-632-5500.
Statewide, Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the free statewide case search of every Maryland court.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Motor Vehicle Administration. The driving record, kept by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Maryland Public Information Act.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
- The driving record: from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
More on each: Ocean City arrest records, Ocean City police reports and Ocean City court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Maryland?
0.08 percent blood alcohol; driving while impaired (DWI) is charged from 0.07.
Where is a DUI case from Ocean City heard?
In the District Court, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mdcourts.gov/clerks/worcester/links.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Ocean City held?
At the county jail, run by the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Maryland?
The Motor Vehicle Administration, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Ocean City 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.