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 25, 2026.
Kansas City, Missouri, in Jackson County, has about 516,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Kansas City starts two cases, a criminal case in the Jackson County Circuit Court and a license case before the Department of Revenue, 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: Kansas City public records, Jackson County DWI, Kansas City arrest records, Kansas City warrants, Kansas City inmate search, Kansas City criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
The DWI Law in Missouri
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in Missouri, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Missouri 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 Department of Revenue, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Kansas City
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Kansas City (filed by the FBI as Kansas City Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Kansas City.
The FBI's agency list also places two campus police departments and three other agencies in Jackson County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the 14 agencies in Jackson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 19,456 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Jackson County does not break DWI out.
The Pleasant Hill Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Jackson County, so its arrests are not broken out for Jackson County here.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Kansas City
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, held about 720 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at jacksoncountyso.com/inmate-search, phone 877-654-8463. The Kansas City inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Kansas City is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Jackson County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at jacksongov.org, phone (816) 881-3555.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at 16thcircuit.org/court-records-resources.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Revenue runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
- The court file: from the Jackson County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Kansas City arrest records, Kansas City police reports and Kansas City court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Kansas City heard?
In the Jackson County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at 16thcircuit.org/court-records-resources.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Kansas City held?
At the county jail, run by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in Missouri?
The Department of Revenue, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Kansas 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.