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 September 30, 2026.
Buffalo County, Nebraska, has about 51,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Buffalo County starts two cases, a criminal case in the County Court and a license case before the Department of Motor Vehicles, 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: Buffalo County public records, Buffalo County arrest records, Buffalo County warrants, Buffalo County inmate search, Buffalo County criminal records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
The DUI Law in Nebraska
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Nebraska, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Nebraska 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 Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Buffalo County
The Buffalo County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Kearney, Ravenna and Shelton make the DUI arrests in Buffalo County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Buffalo County: the State Patrol in Buffalo County (state police); the University of Nebraska at Kearney (campus police); the State Patrol in Buffalo County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Buffalo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,000 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Buffalo County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Buffalo 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 Buffalo County Sheriff's Office, held about 140 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at buffalocounty.ne.gov/county-offices/sheriff, phone 308.236.8555. The Buffalo County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Buffalo County is brought by the County Attorney in the County Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at buffalocounty.ne.gov/county-offices/attorney, phone 308.236.1222.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nebraskajudicial.gov/courts/buffalo-county-court, phone 308-236-1228. That page belongs to a lower court, the County Court, not to the Buffalo County District Court.
Statewide, Nebraska Trial Court Case Search is the Nebraska Judicial Branch's statewide case search, with a fee per search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles 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 Nebraska Public Records Statutes.
- The court file: from the County Court, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Buffalo County arrest records, Buffalo County police reports and Buffalo County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Nebraska?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Buffalo County heard?
In the County Court, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nebraskajudicial.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Buffalo County held?
At the county jail, run by the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Nebraska?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Buffalo 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.