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 September 30, 2026.
Sanford, Maine, in York County, has about 22,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OUI arrest in Sanford starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Bureau 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: Sanford public records, York County OUI, Sanford arrest records, Sanford warrants, Sanford inmate search, Sanford criminal records, Maine arrest records and Maine inmate search.
The OUI Law in Maine
Drunk driving is charged as OUI in Maine, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Maine 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 Bureau of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes OUI Arrests in Sanford
The York County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Sanford (filed by the FBI as Sanford Police Department) make the OUI arrests in and around Sanford.
Together, the 16 agencies in York County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,061 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for York County does not break OUI out.
Booking After an OUI Arrest in Sanford
A driver arrested for OUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the York County Sheriff's Office, held about 180 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at inmatesinjail.yorkcountygov.com/detentioncenter/inmatesinjail.aspx. The Sanford inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at yorkcountymaine.gov/district-attorney, phone 207-324-8001.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.maine.gov/ecourts/access.html.
Maine has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records an OUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Maine Freedom of Access Act.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the clerk of each court.
- The driving record: from the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Sanford arrest records, Sanford police reports and Sanford court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OUI limit in Maine?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OUI case from Sanford heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.maine.gov/ecourts/access.html.
Where is a person arrested for OUI in Sanford held?
At the county jail, run by the York County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OUI arrest in Maine?
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Sanford 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.