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 26, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Helena starts two cases, a criminal case in a Justice or Municipal Court and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Division, 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: Helena public records, Lewis and Clark County DUI, Helena arrest records, Helena warrants, Helena inmate search, Helena criminal records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
The DUI Law in Montana
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Montana, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Montana is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DUI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Motor Vehicle Division, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Helena
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Helena (filed by the FBI as Helena Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Helena.
Together, the three agencies in Lewis and Clark County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,461 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Lewis and Clark County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Helena
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, held about 150 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at lccountymt.gov/Sheriff/Detention-Center. The Helena inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in a Justice or Municipal Court, brought by the County Attorney or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at lccountymt.gov/Government/County-Attorney, phone 800-666-6899.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lccountymt.gov/Government/Clerk-of-District-Court, phone 406-447-8209.
Montana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Motor Vehicle Division runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Montana Motor Vehicle Division keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Montana Public Records Act.
- The court file: from a Justice or Municipal Court, kept by the Clerk of District Court.
- The driving record: from the Montana Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Helena arrest records, Helena police reports and Helena court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Montana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Helena heard?
In a Justice or Municipal Court.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Helena held?
At the county jail, run by the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Montana?
The Motor Vehicle Division, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Helena 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.