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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Carbon County, Montana, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Carbon County 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: Carbon County public records, Carbon County arrest records, Carbon County warrants, Carbon County inmate search, Carbon County 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 Carbon County
The Carbon County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Red Lodge and Bridger make the DUI arrests in Carbon County.
Together, the three agencies in Carbon County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 33 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Carbon County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Carbon County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Carbon County Sheriff's Office, held about 27 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at carboncountysheriff.com. The Carbon County 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 carbonmt.gov/county-attorney, phone (406) 446-3300.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at carbonmt.gov/district-court, phone (406) 446-1225.
Montana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Motor Vehicle Division. The driving record, kept by the Montana Motor Vehicle Division, carries the result of both.
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: Carbon County arrest records, Carbon County police reports and Carbon County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Montana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Carbon County heard?
In a Justice or Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at carbonmt.gov/district-court.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Carbon County held?
At the county jail, run by the Carbon 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 Carbon 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.