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 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Essex County, New Jersey, has about 882,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Essex County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Municipal Court and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Commission, 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: Essex County public records, Essex County arrest records, Essex County warrants, Essex County inmate search, Essex County criminal records, New Jersey arrest records and New Jersey inmate search.
The DWI Law in New Jersey
In New Jersey the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in New Jersey 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 Motor Vehicle Commission, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, New Jersey counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Essex County
The Essex County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Newark, East Orange, Caldwell, Glen Ridge, North Caldwell, Roseland and one more cities make the DWI arrests in Essex County.
The FBI's agency list also places four campus police departments, one other agency and one state police unit in Essex County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Essex County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 21 agencies in Essex County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 11,312 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Essex County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Essex 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 Essex County Sheriff's Office, held about 2,190 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at essexdoc.com/inmate-info. The Essex County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Essex County is heard in the Municipal Court; the County Prosecutor or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
The County Prosecutor's page SearchSystems verified is at njecpo.org.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at njcourts.gov/public/find-a-case.
Statewide, New Jersey Courts Public Access is the Judiciary's free online case search for civil and criminal cases.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Motor Vehicle Commission runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Open Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Municipal Court, kept by the Superior Court Clerk and the County Clerk.
- The driving record: from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
More on each: Essex County arrest records, Essex County police reports and Essex County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in New Jersey?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Essex County heard?
In the Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at njcourts.gov/public/find-a-case.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Essex County held?
At the county jail, run by the Essex County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in New Jersey?
The Motor Vehicle Commission, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DWI count as a prior in New Jersey?
10 years.
Is this the official Essex 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.