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.
Union County, New Mexico, has about 3,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Union County starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Magistrate Court, or the Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County) and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Division, 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: Union County public records, Union County arrest records, Union County warrants, Union County inmate search, Union County criminal records, New Mexico arrest records and New Mexico inmate search.
The DWI Law in New Mexico
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in New Mexico, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in New Mexico 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 Division, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Union County
The Union County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Clayton make the DWI arrests in Union County.
Clayton reported 57 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Union County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Union 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 Union County Sheriff's Office, held about 3 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at unionnm.us/179/Sheriffs-Office, phone 575-374-2583. The Union County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Union County is brought by the District Attorney in the Magistrate Court, or the Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at 8thda.com.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at unionnm.us/clerks-office-1, phone 575-374-2331.
Statewide, New Mexico Courts Case Lookup is the New Mexico Judiciary's free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Motor Vehicle Division runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division 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 Inspection of Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Magistrate Court, or the Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division.
More on each: Union County arrest records, Union County police reports and Union County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in New Mexico?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Union County heard?
In the Magistrate Court, or the Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at unionnm.us/clerks-office-1.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Union County held?
At the county jail, run by the Union County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in New Mexico?
The Motor Vehicle Division, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Union 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.