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.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Rockingham County, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Portsmouth starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court District Division and a license case before the Division 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: Portsmouth public records, Rockingham County DWI, Portsmouth arrest records, Portsmouth warrants, Portsmouth inmate search, Portsmouth criminal records, New Hampshire arrest records and New Hampshire inmate search.
The DWI Law in New Hampshire
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in New Hampshire, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in New Hampshire 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 Division of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Portsmouth
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Portsmouth (filed by the FBI as Portsmouth Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Portsmouth.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Rockingham County: the Rockingham County State Police (state police); the Rockingham County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 35 agencies in Rockingham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,812 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Rockingham County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Portsmouth
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Rockingham 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 rockso.org. The Portsmouth inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Portsmouth is brought by the County Attorney in the Circuit Court District Division.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at rockinghamcountyattorney.org, phone 603-642-4249.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.nh.gov/news-and-media/case-access-portal-here.
New Hampshire has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Division of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the New Hampshire Right-to-Know Law.
- The court file: from the Circuit Court District Division, kept by the clerk of each court.
- The driving record: from the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Portsmouth arrest records, Portsmouth police reports and Portsmouth court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in New Hampshire?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Portsmouth heard?
In the Circuit Court District Division, brought by the County Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Portsmouth held?
At the county jail, run by the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in New Hampshire?
The Division of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Portsmouth 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.