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.
Strafford County, New Hampshire, has about 134,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Strafford County 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: Strafford County public records, Strafford County arrest records, Strafford County warrants, Strafford County inmate search, Strafford County criminal records, New Hampshire arrest records and New Hampshire inmate search.
The DWI Law in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 Strafford County
The Strafford County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Dover, Rochester and Somersworth make the DWI arrests in Strafford County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Strafford County: the Strafford County State Police (state police); the University of New Hampshire (campus police); the Strafford County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 14 agencies in Strafford County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,280 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Strafford County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Strafford County
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, held about 310 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at co.strafford.nh.us/jail-home-page, phone (603) 742-3310. The Strafford County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Strafford County is brought by the County Attorney in the Circuit Court District Division.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.strafford.nh.us, phone (603) 749-2808.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.nh.gov/your-visit/find-court/strafford-superior-court, phone 855-212-1234.
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: Strafford County arrest records, Strafford County police reports and Strafford County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in New Hampshire?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Strafford County heard?
In the Circuit Court District Division, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.nh.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Strafford County held?
At the county jail, run by the Strafford 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 Strafford 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.