Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 11, 2026.
Clay County, Missouri, has about 263,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Clay County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Clay 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: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County inmate search, Clay 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 Clay County
The Clay County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Liberty, Gladstone, Kearney, Smithville, Excelsior Springs, North Kansas City and three more cities make the DWI arrests in Clay County.
Together, the eight agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,274 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Clay County does not break DWI out.
The Lawson Police Department and the Kansas City Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Clay County, so their arrests are not broken out for Clay County here.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Clay 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 Clay County Sheriff's Office, held about 180 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sheriffclayco.org/how-do-i/find-out-if-someone-is-in-jail, phone 816-407-3800. The Clay County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Clay County is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Clay County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at claycountymo.gov/485/Prosecuting-Attorney, phone 816-736-8300.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at claycountymo.gov/FormCenter/Clerk-16/2024-Public-Records-Request-78, phone 816-407-3570.
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 Clay County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Clay County arrest records, Clay County police reports and Clay County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Clay County heard?
In the Clay County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at claycountymo.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Clay County held?
At the county jail, run by the Clay 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 Clay 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.