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 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026.
Minot, North Dakota, in Ward County, has about 47,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Minot starts two cases, a criminal case in the Ward County District Court and a license case before the Department of Transportation, 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: Minot public records, Ward County DUI, Minot arrest records, Minot warrants, Minot inmate search, Minot criminal records, North Dakota arrest records and North Dakota inmate search.
The DUI Law in North Dakota
In North Dakota the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in North Dakota 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 Department of Transportation, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Minot
The Ward County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Minot (filed by the FBI as Minot Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Minot.
Together, the four agencies in Ward County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,476 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Ward County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Minot
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Ward County Sheriff's Office, held about 130 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at co.ward.nd.us/395/Ward-County-Inmate-Locator, phone 701-857-6530. The Minot inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The State's Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Ward County District Court.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.ward.nd.us/227/States-Attorney, phone 701-852-0111.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.ward.nd.us/m/directory/department?did=168, phone 701-857-6600.
Statewide, North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry is the North Dakota courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Transportation runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the North Dakota Department of Transportation 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 North Dakota Open Records Law.
- The court file: from the Ward County District Court, kept by the Clerk of District Court.
- The driving record: from the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
More on each: Minot arrest records and Minot court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in North Dakota?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Minot heard?
In the Ward County District Court, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.ward.nd.us/m/directory/department?did=168.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Minot held?
At the county jail, run by the Ward County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in North Dakota?
The Department of Transportation, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Minot 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.