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.
Buchanan County, Missouri, has about 84,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Buchanan County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Buchanan 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: Buchanan County public records, Buchanan County arrest records, Buchanan County warrants, Buchanan County inmate search, Buchanan County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
The DWI Law in Missouri
In Missouri the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 Buchanan County
The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for St. Joseph make the DWI arrests in Buchanan County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Buchanan County: Missouri Western State University (campus police); Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force (other agency).
Together, the two agencies in Buchanan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,307 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Buchanan County does not break DWI out.
The Gower Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Buchanan County, so its arrests are not broken out for Buchanan County here.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Buchanan County
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, held about 180 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at inmate.co.buchanan.mo.us/NewWorld.InmateInquiry/buchananco?Page=1. The Buchanan County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Buchanan County is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Buchanan County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.buchanan.mo.us/prosecuting-attorney.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.buchanan.mo.us/QuickLinks/Court_Links.
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 Buchanan County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Buchanan County arrest records, Buchanan County police reports and Buchanan County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Buchanan County heard?
In the Buchanan County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Buchanan County held?
At the county jail, run by the Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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.