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.
Hillsdale County, Michigan, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Hillsdale County starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Secretary of State, 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: Hillsdale County public records, Hillsdale County arrest records, Hillsdale County warrants, Hillsdale County inmate search, Hillsdale County criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
The OWI Law in Michigan
In Michigan the offense is OWI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Michigan is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect OWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Secretary of State, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Michigan counts prior offenses within 7 years for a second offense; a third is a felony with no time limit.
Who Makes OWI Arrests in Hillsdale County
The Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Hillsdale, Jonesville, Litchfield and Reading make the OWI arrests in Hillsdale County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Hillsdale County: the Hillsdale County State Police (state police); the Hillsdale County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the six agencies in Hillsdale County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 562 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Hillsdale County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Hillsdale County
A driver arrested for OWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office, held about 68 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at hillsdalecounty.gov/index.php/m-hcso-jail/m-jail-services, phone 517-437-7317. The Hillsdale County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Prosecuting Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the District Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at hillsdalecounty.gov, phone 517-437-7758.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.michigan.gov/case-search/?resultType=cases&aBarNumber=1130. That page belongs to a lower court, the District Court, not to the Hillsdale County Circuit Court.
Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Secretary of State runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Michigan Secretary of State keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records an OWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the County Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Michigan Secretary of State.
More on each: Hillsdale County arrest records, Hillsdale County police reports and Hillsdale County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Michigan?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Hillsdale County heard?
In the District Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.michigan.gov.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Hillsdale County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OWI arrest in Michigan?
The Secretary of State, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does an OWI count as a prior in Michigan?
7 years for a second offense; a third is a felony with no time limit.
Is this the official Hillsdale County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.