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 on September 23, 2026.
St. Louis City, Missouri, has about 280,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in St. Louis City starts two cases, a criminal case in the St. Louis City 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: St. Louis City public records, St. Louis City arrest records, St. Louis City warrants, St. Louis City inmate search, St. Louis 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 St. Louis City
St. Louis reported 9,082 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for St. Louis City does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in St. Louis City
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the city jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail held about 590 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-safety/corrections/stl..., phone 314-241-8339. The St. Louis City inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Prosecuting Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the St. Louis City County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at stlouis-mo.gov, phone (314) 622-4941.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the city is at stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/municipal-courts/city-court-v..., phone (314) 622-3231. That page belongs to a lower court, not to the St. Louis City County Circuit Court.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
A DWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Department of Revenue. The driving record, kept by the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau, carries the result of both.
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 St. Louis City County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: St. Louis City arrest records and St. Louis City court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from St. Louis City heard?
In the St. Louis City County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the city is at stlouis-mo.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in St. Louis City held?
At the city jail, 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 St. Louis City website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.